The Stark Candy Company, originally the Howard B. Stark Company, was a candy manufacturer founded in 1939, in

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

. It was a competitor to

Necco Necco (or NECCO ) was an American manufacturer of candy created in 1901 as the New England Confectionery Company through the merger of several small confectionery companies located in the Greater Boston area, with ancestral companies dating b ...

and manufactured products including

candy hearts ''Candy Hearts'' is an American pop rock band from New Jersey and New York, formed in 2009 by singer/guitarist Mariel Loveland and guitarist Kris Hayes. As the band’s primary songwriter, Loveland was the only member to see through every one of ...

, candy raisins,

Mary Janes Mary Jane shoes (also known as bar shoes, strap shoes or doll shoes) are a style of closed, low-cut shoe with one or more straps across the instep. Classic Mary Janes for children are typically made of black leather or patent leather and have ...

, peanut butter kisses, salt water taffy, and candy cigarettes. Stark moved from Milwaukee to

Pewaukee Pewaukee is a city in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 15,914 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area. The name of the city of Pewaukee comes from that of the name of the village, the ori ...

in 1960. In 1988, it was purchased by Necco. In 2008, Necco announced the Stark plant would close. Candy raisins were discontinued after the company was purchased by Necco, sparking a consumer backlash.

References

Confectionery companies of the United States Companies based in Wisconsin American companies established in 1939 Food and drink companies established in 1939 1939 establishments in Wisconsin 2008 disestablishments in Wisconsin Food and drink companies disestablished in 2008 1988 mergers and acquisitions {{Wisconsin-stub