In 1847, Oliver Chase of Boston patented a lozenge cutting machine that produced coin-shaped “hub wafers.” The original sugar roll candy, wrapped in wax paper, was soon being produced by the New England Confectionery Company and sold under the label NECCO – the company’s acronym.
The historic candy factory, once located on Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge, was instantly recognizable by its water tower – resembling a vertical roll of the iconic, coin-shaped (and multicolored) candy.
Today, the original eight flavors of NECCO wafers (chocolate, licorice, cinnamon, lemon, lime, orange, wintergreen and clove) continue to evoke nostalgia for candy lovers across the Commonwealth.
– Hannah Van Sickle, The Boston 100