Boyer (candy company)

A split Mallo Cup

Boyer was founded during the Great Depression by brothers Bill and Bob Boyer as a means of supplementing their income. The business was originally operated from their own kitchen with their mother and sister hand-wrapping candy as Bill finished making it. Bob sold the candy door to door. Initial products included homemade fudge and nut raisin clusters, but as demand increased, they expanded their offerings and moved production to a new manufacturing facility in 1936. That year, began experimenting with covering marshmallow in chocolate and this resulted in Mallo Cups, a cup-shaped candy consisting of a whipped marshmallow creme center covered with chocolate (resembling Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, which did not appear until later).[1]

Boyer was acquired by American Maize-Products in 1969, and in 1970, a new 32,000 square foot warehouse was constructed.[2] In June 1984, American Maize sold the company to Anthony Forgione, founder of Consolidated Brands. Boyer Candy is privately owned by the Forgione Family and its headquarters are in Altoona, Pennsylvania.

The Boyer Mallo Cup is a coconut-laced milk chocolate cup that contains a whipped marshmallow center invented in 1936. It is the first cup candy in America.[3] Mallo Cup cardboard wrapper inserts were printed with illustrations of coins. These cardboard coins can be saved and redeemed for items from the company's prize catalog. Boyer also produce Smoothies, a cup with a peanut butter center covered with butterscotch confection, and Peanut Butter Cups, with a peanut butter center covered with chocolate. The company has made other cup candies such as Fluffernutter, a mixture of marshmallow and peanut butter covered in chocolate, and a Minty Mallo.[4] In November 2010, Boyer introduced a dark chocolate version of the Mallo Cup.

In April 2017, Boyer announced its first new product in 25-years called Jimmie Stix. It is a blend of pretzels and peanut butter in milk chocolate. The wrapper is that of the vintage Mallow Cup wrapper. It captures the nostalgia of the company's brands while adding in the necessary components to keep with the trends of the industry.[5]

The Clark Bar, acquired by Boyer in 2018

Boyer announced in September 2018 the purchase of the Clark Bar following Necco's bankruptcy, keeping alive a Pennsylvania candy that has been around since 1917.[6] Difficulties in reproducing the Clark Bar's consistency and shape led to a novel product, the Clark Cup, with misshaped bars ground and mixed with peanut butter for use as cup filling.[7] The Clark Bar was relaunched into the market on February 14, 2020.

The Boyer Candies factory in Altoona, Pennsylvania

In 2016, Boyer was the only US chocolate maker to show a strong growth rate (20.9%), though its overall market share was relatively small compared to companies like Mars and Hershey.[8]

• Official Website
• Boyer History