This is not a drill folks, we’ve received official word that Candy Raisins have been discontinued!

Mary Ziegler, owner of Half Nuts in West Allis, WI wrote us to say that they are out, and have been told by NECCO, maker of our beloved Candy Raisins, that they don’t plan to make any more.

Another fan of the site states, “I just received an email from NECCO, they have discontinued all production of the candy raisins.  They are OUT OF STOCK and will no longer be available.”

So, we need to mobilize.  Here’s the link with all the contact info for NECCO.  Call, write and mail them and let them know that you want them to continue making Candy Raisins.  We need to move fast.

July 1, 2008 

Hey folks… quick update on stuff.  I’m away from home for a couple weeks and unable to update the little graphic counter.  But, here’s what I CAN tell you. 

• A couple more people have reported emails from NECCO customer service stating that Candy Raisins will continue to be produced at the plant in New England. 
• I sent a follow up email to Jeff Green, the VP who made contact with us a few months ago, a few weels ago to see if an official decision has been made regarding Candy Raisins.  No response as of yet.
• FYI the signature count on the petition is up to 4,550.  Thanks for all the support and comments.  Folks have been very kind.

Thank you!  Thank you!  Thank you!  The support from readers all over the country has been overwhelming.  We just passed the 4000 signature mark, and the 35,000 page view mark on the website in the last day or so.

Also, we’ve received two more emails forwarded by Candy Raisin fans from the NECCO customer service department stating that production is moving to the Massachusetts plant.  We’re cautiously optimistic…

Thank you for your correspondence and interest in Necco Candy Raisins.  We are going to continue manufacturing this product in our Massachusetts plant.

Sincerely,

Customer Service
NECCO

Two weeks ago we wrote our official SaveTheCandyRaisins.com letter to NECCO asking them to, what else, save the candy raisins. Well, late yesterday we finally received an official response from them. While there is still no word on the fate of candy raisins, we’re on their radar.

Dear Mr. Radke,

We have been monitoring your website closely and have been impressed with how quickly your signatures are climbing. Let us assure you that we are taking every consideration in rendering a decision regarding the continuation of all of the products that have been manufactured in our Wisconsin facility. It was difficult enough to decide to close the Wisconsin facility and we are weighing all our options and the economic sense of relocating products that we do not already make in common. Raisins happen to be in that category.

We expect this decision to be rendered within the next month. We admire you and your petitioners devotion to the product and will certainly keep that in mind. In the mean time, might I suggest that you tip the tide in your favor and eat more raisins. The better sales look, the better the chances……

Best Regards,

Jeff Green
Vice President Quality & Research
New England Confectionery Co.

Loyal reader KB from Plymouth, MN emailed us on 3/31 forwarding the response she received from NECCO customer service. We’re optimistic, but until we get some sort of official word from a muckety muck, I think we just need to keep on getting the word out (and buying raisins to send to our friends and releatives out of the area):

Subject: RE: Compliments
Date: Mon, 31 Mar 2008 16:29:05 -0400
From: In_fo@Necco.com
To: KB

Dear Mrs. B:

Necco is “NOT DISCONTINUING PRODUCTION OF CANDY RAISINS”!

Candy Raisins will continue to be manufactured in the Massachusetts factory.

Sincerely,

Customer Service
NECCO

I’ve been a little busy this week and haven’t been able to devote a ton of time to the site, but keep those signatures & comments rolling in, and keep spreading the word. We read every single one of them.

Signer “Chummy” has gone ahead and started a Facebook group. You can access it here, if you have a Facebook account, of course.

You know what today is? It’s a perfect day to go out and buy a bag of Candy Raisins!

While we hope that our words will get the attention of the makers of these great treats, we know that our actions can get their attention. In our estimation, the more Candy Raisins we buy, the better the chances are of NECCO continuing production of our favorite treat.

So enjoy some of that spring weather and walk down to the corner store to get yourself a few bags of Candy Raisins. Share ‘em with your friends & family. And if you’re one of the many transplanted Wisconsinites who have written in and shared their stories with us, call or email your friends & family back in the Badger state and get them to send you a few pounds of Candy Raisins. It’s always a good time to re-connect with friends & family, and it’s always a good time to enjoy Candy Raisins!

Click here for a couple places to buy Candy Raisins. Stock up while they’re still available. If you know of any other locations, either online or off, let us know and we’ll list them on the site.

03.20.08 - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel columnist Laurel Walker talks about us, candy raisins and the public push to keep these things around. According to the article, even the administrative assistant of NECCO’s president has signed our petition.

Now that we’ve generated some web traffic, and more importantly, petition signatures, I figured it was time to contact the company all this is directed at. If/when I receive a response, I’ll be sure to share it here on the site.

Dear NECCO Representatives,

My name is Gary Radke, and I’m the creator of www.SaveTheCandyRaisins.com. When news of the Stark plant closure reached my friends and I, we were disappointed, to say the least. I’m certainly not unrealistic… I understand the competitive landscape has changed, and difficult business decisions need to be made.

All I can ask is that you take a look at the number of folks who have signed the petition on our site, and the incredibly emotional comments they have left about your Candy Raisins. This little candy has been a significant part of the fabric of Milwaukee and Wisconsin for decades.

Thank you for your time and consideration in keeping the Candy Raisin alive.

Gary Radke
Chief Sweet Tooth
www.SaveTheCandyRaisins.com
info@savethecandyraisins.com

Candy Raisin lover S.V. had a great idea - we should provide code so ya’ll can link to us from your websites, MySpace pages and Facebook accounts. Below is a start. Just plop the code on your page and you’ll end up with the little tile like the one you see below.  We’re working on some different sizes and designs.  Let us know if there’s anything in particular that will help you spread the word.

<a href=”http://www.savethecandyraisins.com”><img border=”0″ src=”http://www.savethecandyraisins.com/images/raisinlink.jpg” width=”200″ height=”162″ alt=”www.SaveTheCandyRaisins.com”></a>

This tidbit came via our site feedback form:

“I am the category manager (buyer) for candy for pick n save and copps stores. I can share two things. 1) All of our stores carry candy raisins, it’s a great seller and 2) in my conversations with NECCO they tell me they DO intend to continue manufacturing them.”

This is great potential news. But until we hear something directly from the New England Candy Company, we’ll keep our efforts going. Keep forwarding our site to everyone you know. And check back for the latest developments.