If you're the type of person who likes to express their feelings using candy, we have some bad news for you.
The iconic SweetHearts candy, the conversation candy hearts best known for classic sayings like "Be Mine" "True Love" and "Marry Me" will not appear on store shelves this year after the company that makes the candy, the New England Confectionery Co. (Necco), went out of business last July.
The little candy hearts are among some of the most popular candies for lovers with more than $1.8 billion in sales every year. This year, sales for the candy hearts are expected to drop by more than 80 percent.
Necco folded last year after more than 100 years in business. The former candy company produced about 100,000 pounds of SweetHearts every day which added up to more than 8 billion conversation hearts every year. Other candies produced by Neeco included Necco Wafers, Clark Bars and Haviland Thin Mints.
Don't let the panic overwhelm you, the candy hearts won't be gone forever. Necco was purchased by an investment group in May 2018, who then sold the company to Spangler Candy Co. in September. Because of the short turnaround, the new candy company wasn't able to produce enough candy hearts in time to meet demand for Valentine's Day.
Kirk Vashaw, the CEO of Spangler Candy Co. told Candystore.com that "We are looking forward to announcing the relaunch of SweetHearts for the 2020 Valentine's Day season."
So, for all you flirt-defective people, you'll have to find another way this year to tell the person you have a crush on that you're thinking about them. And hey, if you're truly desperate, you could even try talking to them like a human being.