Finally: Necco Wafers Are Officially Back After a Two-Year Absence

Ever since the New England Confectionery Company shut its doors for good in 2018, life-long lovers of Necco Wafers have been anxiously awaiting the day when their favorite chalky candy would find its way back onto store shelves. That day is now very near at hand.

Ohio-based Spangler Candy Company scooped up a few of the brands—including Necco Wafers and Sweethearts Conversation Hearts—over a year ago, but CEO Kirk Vashaw made it clear that the company would be taking its sweet time testing recipes in its own candy kitchen before announcing an official comeback date for the polarizing wafers. According to Food & Wine, the process is finally complete: Necco Wafers will return to drugstores and pharmacies across the country by late May or early June, and other stores can expect them in July.

If your passion for Necco Wafers is driven more by a sense of nostalgia than a sophisticated palate, we have yet another morsel of good news to share. The rolls will still contain the original eight flavors (lemon, lime, orange, clove, cinnamon, wintergreen, licorice, and chocolate), and Spangler only altered the chocolate recipe, giving it a slightly richer taste. The packaging didn’t get a modern makeover either—it’ll still be the same white wax wrapper with blue and red accents.

"We've always admired the brand and how it's woven in with the fabric of our culture," Vashaw told TODAY Food. "It's neat to be eating a candy that was carried by Civil War soldiers, and taken on Arctic and Antarctic expeditions, and issued to GIs in World War II as a morale booster. It's a piece of our history."