Business

Yes, They Still Make Mallo Cups

ALTOONA, Pa. (AP) — In the past 10 years, Boyer Candy Co. has survived the death of its owner, a legal squabble among his heirs that halted production for nine months, and distribution hiccups as the company regained its footing. All that left customers to wonder, “Do they still make Mallo Cups?”

Yes, They Still Make Mallo CupsYeah, they do.

This month, Boyer set about reminding folks by launching a new product — Dark Chocolate Mallo Cups — that company officials hope will help re-establish the reputation of this small company in Altoona, tucked into the Allegheny Mountains about 90 miles east of Pittsburgh.

Mallo Cups are coconut-laced milk chocolate cups filled with a marshmallow center. They were invented by Emily Boyer, the mother of R.J. “Bob” and William “Bill” Boyer, who at first sold candy door to door during the Great Depression.

Mallo Cups are the flagship, distributed nationwide and accounting for more than 60 percent of sales at Boyer, which also makes its own Peanut Butter Cups, Smoothie Cups — a butterscotch cup candy — and other products.

“We’ve been around since 1936. … We’re an old-fashioned, family-owned company, and we don’t change that quickly,” said Deborah Forgione, Boyer’s director of marketing, and one of four trustees who control the company once owned by her late ex-husband. “This is a big undertaking for us.”

Experts say the move makes sense for a smaller company safeguarding its niche in an industry dominated by larger rivals with names like Hershey, Nestle and Mars.

“I’m rooting for them, if that makes any difference,” said Beth Kimmerle, a candy historian and blogger who develops candy exhibits in the United States, Japan and elsewhere.

“I love it when these regional brands sort of stay true to their original heritage, but keep on keeping on, you know?”

Steve Almond is author of “Candyfreak: A Journey Through the Chocolate Underbelly of America,” an ode to smaller candy factories he toured, though he’s never been to Boyer. He thinks Dark Chocolate Mallo Cups make sense, as long as the company harbors no illusions that they‘ll be Boyer’s salvation.

“What Boyer is doing is called a brand extension,” Almond said. “You want to try to expand your business, but in order to do that, you have to have something new to sell.”

That’s why the bigger candy makers semi-regularly roll out new versions of old favorites — “We’re talking about Kit Kat Dark, Kit Kat White, Kit Kat Coffee,” Almond said. That’s a bigger risk for smaller companies with less advertising clout and more to lose if the new product tanks.

“It’s the equivalent of the Hollywood sequel,” Almond said.

Except Boyer officials believe the new version may be even better than the original.

“It’s an exceptionally good taste, with the dark chocolate and the Mallo center,” said Bob Faith, a former vending company owner hired three years ago as CEO to reinvigorate the company after years of turmoil.

The Boyer brothers retired in 1969 and sold the company to American Maize Products, a corn syrup manufacturer, which tried to expand Boyer’s line of chocolate cup candies in the 1970s with varieties including the Fluffernutter and the Minty Mallo — the last time the company tried a variation of the venerable Mallo Cup.

The new products never really caught on, and American Maize sold Boyer in 1984 to Anthony Forgione, a New York entrepreneur who fell inYes, They Still Make Mallo Cups love with the business and moved to Altoona. He stabilized Boyer by focusing on its core candies before his death in March 2001 almost toppled the company.

His divorce from Deborah Forgione — finalized just days before he died — set off a legal battle between her and two of their three children for control of Boyer. A trust controlled by Deborah and the three children now owns the company, but management instability during the court battles shut down the company for most of 2003 and saw Mallo Cups lose their coveted place on many store shelves.

Much of Faith’s job is undoing that damage.

“If you cut off the supply, they’re not sitting there waiting for you to come back,” Faith said. “We were out. It‘s taken time to get people’s confidence. They love our product, but they don’t want the problems.”

Some problems were easy to fix. Before he ran Boyer, Faith said his vending company about a mile away had trouble buying Mallo Cups because of Boyer’s antiquated 1,000-pound minimum order requirement. That’s changed.

“We’ll find a way to sell you our product,” Faith said. “We’ll sell to anybody: the little guys, the big guys, the middle guys.”

The vice president of sales, Tina Baker, says Boyer has 250 to 300 accounts, including chains like Sheets or Speedway SuperAmerica with hundreds of convenience store outlets — the company’s bread and butter.

Other problems were trickier and took money, which the Forgiones have been spending, Faith said.

Privately held Boyer guards its finances as carefully as Willy Wonka secreted his recipe for Everlasting Gobstoppers, but Faith offered a few numerical clues to the company’s rebounding fortunes.

After revamping its machinery and improving its methods, the factory now produces about 600,000 candy cups a day — about double a year ago. Most of Boyer’s 70 employees were lucky to work a couple days a week a couple years ago, but are now working full-time, with the candy line running four days a week.

And, despite its problems, the company had banked decades of goodwill with many customers.

Samuel Scheinberg, the third-generation owner of Shirley’s Shoes (since 1930), a few blocks away, has been eating Mallo Cups his entire life.

“Oh my, yeah! I remember as a child we would collect the coins,” he said, referring to cardboard tokens in each package that can be redeemed for candy or Boyer-themed products.

“Boyer Candy, that’s the trademark of our town,” Scheinberg said. “It’s all a part of our identity.”

Said Faith: Back in the ’30s, ’40s, ’50s, we were a big player. There’s still a lot of name recognition out there, and you can’t put a value on that.”

Faith is counting on that to fuel Dark Chocolate Mallo Cups.

“This is just going to have to grow word of mouth. We’re not big enough. You’re not going to see us on TV, like with the new M&Ms,” Faith said.

And the true impact of Dark Chocolate Mallo Cups might not be measured only by the company’s accountants.

“Just the fact that Boyer is alive and well and we’re doing new things,” Faith said, “that‘s just good for business because for a long time people didn’t know if we were still in business.”

___

On the Net:

http://www.boyercandies.com

http://www.stevenalmond.com/candyfreak.html

http://www.bethkimmerle.com

Comments (67)

1 2
  • crossdraw
    Posted on November 26, 2010 at 9:21am

    Moochelle Oswine is now pacing the floor. These Mallo Cups are not to be allowed. A news conference is on the horizon to re-educate us about our wayward ways. Yup! You can count on “WIDE LOAD” to police what we eat. Bless her fat a**

    Report Post »  
  • Cheekymnky2
    Posted on November 26, 2010 at 9:09am

    I just wish they could make mallo cups so that the mallo filling didn’t pull out on the paper lining.

    Report Post »  
  • Star Spangled
    Posted on November 26, 2010 at 9:05am

    I haven’t seen Mallo cups since I left Michigan , But I will put them on my Christmas wish list with the folks back home to help boost a few sales .

    Report Post » Star Spangled  
  • limitfree
    Posted on November 26, 2010 at 8:44am

    I havn’t seen a Mallo Cup in years and I MISS them, and WOW … DARK Chocolate mmmmmmmmm
    I can hardly wait to find one of those.

    Report Post » limitfree  
  • TAKEITBACK
    Posted on November 26, 2010 at 8:27am

    Visited the factory store this year (you can eat fresh seconds they bring from the line) Wish they had tours.

    Report Post » TAKEITBACK  
  • jose wasabi
    Posted on November 26, 2010 at 8:26am

    Mallo Cups are great. If you never had one, look for them they are worth it. And Smoothies are the best, way better than a Reese’s cup ( made in Mexico now ) but they are really hard to find.
    When I was kid I used to collect the coins.

    Report Post » jose wasabi  
  • angelcat
    Posted on November 26, 2010 at 8:04am

    At the Catholic elementary school I attended, most of the kids walked home for lunch or ate in the classroom, but we were allowed to go across the street to a small restaurant to eat if we had money to do so. Each time I would have a grilled cheese sandwich, a Coke, and a Mallo Cup, which was deliciously gooey. This article brought back happy memories of a time where kids could go places on their own and not worry about being abducted. The whole community watched out for them at every turn and corrected them when necessary – with the blessng of the parents instead of a lawsuit.

    Report Post »  
  • jestsayn
    Posted on November 26, 2010 at 7:59am

    Add your comments

    Report Post » jestsayn  
  • jestsayn
    Posted on November 26, 2010 at 7:53am

    Did anybody actually accumulate enough coins to receive more Mallow Cups? I believe the amount was a total of 500 coins. My wife is holding coins from her youth, she has boycotted since they stopped including coins.

    Report Post » jestsayn  
  • Hoosier
    Posted on November 26, 2010 at 6:52am

    Speaking my mind in a so called free country:

    When did Baby-Boomer-Beck become and expert on Roman Catholicism? He is an expert on filling his belly with gold. What is up with this article when it comes to his commentating. He won’t talk about Catholic good on his shows. He just posts articles like this, like the drunk he is. Mr. Beck is an expert on how to be a drunk and a dopper. What is the point of this article? Please tell me. So everyone can bash the Roman Catholic Church? My Beck can have an upset stomach with all the gold he ate at Thanksgiving this year for all I’m concerned. I’m sure he went to his promoted safe and sat on the floor and looked at all his gold and had a cry. Boo-hoo. “The Roman Catholic Church has pedophiles and sinners, but I have gold in my promoted safe”, says Mr. Baby-Boomer-Beck.” I’m sure Mr. Baby-Boomer-Beck is thankful for all the sinners in the Roman Catholic Church. He has a knack of pointing it out. I‘ll let you on a little secret why the Roman Catholic Church isn’t perfect. I see it in the mirror everyday, ME. Mr. Baby-Boomer-Beck sees Gold and attacks the priesthood. I will politely warn Mr. Baby-Boomer-Beck to think twice before attacking the priesthood. He is going in the wrong direction. Today, Mr. Baby-Boomer-Beck has an upset stomack and pooping out all his gold in the form of an indian to prophecy to him. Mr. Baby-Boomer-Beck is bowing to his poop and boo-hooing while thinking of another way to attack the priesthood. This is how I see Mr. Baby-Boomer-Beck’s Thanksgiving. Bowing to his poop.

    Hoosier  
    • APatriotFirst
      Posted on November 26, 2010 at 7:28am

      Seems you didn’t have your Mello-cup today.

      Report Post »  
    • Midwest Belle
      Posted on November 26, 2010 at 7:33am

      Huh? This is an article about candy and you spout crap like this? Go find a blog to type your stuff into. That way you don’t have to stay on subject.

      Report Post » Midwest Blonde  
    • RugDog
      Posted on November 26, 2010 at 7:36am

      Yep, in a free country, you (Hoosier) can be the biggest idiot ever. And you are just that. Enjoy it while you can.

      Report Post » RugDog  
    • WhiteFang
      Posted on November 26, 2010 at 8:36pm

      Mr. Hoosier, Well, I am sure glad I am not your neighbor! You have a big problem trying to defend the catholic church, given their sins, which has massed together clear up to heaven.
      And by trying to insult Mr. Beck this way is way out of line and way out of context to what the comments are about. Try some M&Ms, they help me to calm down.

      Report Post » WhiteFang  
    • MozarkDawg
      Posted on November 27, 2010 at 3:45pm

      Why do I always read someone anti-Beck complaining about HIM posting this story or that to this website? Glenn is not responsible for the content, editorial or otherwise, why is he constantly accused of being *behind* a posting or the *reason* one story is used over another?

      Cripes, it is true … some people are simply WAITING to be offended.

      Report Post »  
  • lovelylucy2
    Posted on November 26, 2010 at 5:33am

    I work at ******* Barrel and we sell lots of nostalgic candy. We have the mallo cups.

    Report Post » lovelylucy2  
    • itsmyfirstday
      Posted on November 26, 2010 at 8:31am

      Thanks for the update!! I will stop by a ******* Barrel this weekend and pick some up.

      fd

      Report Post » itsmyfirstday  
  • New-American-Saviors
    Posted on November 26, 2010 at 4:10am

    Had some last year. Milk chocolate. They were a little flatter-Less Marshmallow, and seemed smaller.
    Tasted OK But not like the Old-School Mallo cup. May want to write the company for product description.

    Report Post »  
  • Pragmatous
    Posted on November 26, 2010 at 3:40am

    Love these. I always wondered where they went. Dark chocolate and marshmallow definitely sounds good!

    Report Post »  
  • confederacyofdunces
    Posted on November 26, 2010 at 1:53am

    One of my favorites as a kid. I remember buying them from vending machines on the NYC subway. They dissapeared for a long time but I have found them on the shelves of central NC for a couple of years now. Yummy goodness but I have to watch the sugar nowadays :-(

    Report Post »  
  • heavyduty
    Posted on November 26, 2010 at 1:51am

    OK, people let’s get real. You know that Michelle will be on them and you in a heartbeat. If she thinks that you are indulging in these treats, you know that they are bad for you and will make you fat. So if you are going to eat them I wouldn’t be spreading it around on the internet. She might send you a fine for liking them.

    Report Post »  
  • Born2Run
    Posted on November 26, 2010 at 1:51am

    Love Mallo Cups!

    Report Post »  
  • General K
    Posted on November 26, 2010 at 1:44am

    Altoona, great small city, I visit there often.

    Report Post »  
  • RVing-Patriot
    Posted on November 26, 2010 at 1:38am

    I’ve never stop liking the Mallo Cups since I was a kid. I used to collect the enclosed point cards for free Mallo Cups and other gifts. Now that they have Dark Chocolate Mallo Cups, I’m ordering some online now.

    Report Post » RVing-Patriot  
  • FlatFoot
    Posted on November 26, 2010 at 1:26am

    Michelle Obama does not approve.

    Report Post » FlatFoot  
    • Living In NYC
      Posted on November 26, 2010 at 4:35am

      Let’s save Altoona…..cause we couldn’t save the guys job in the gulf when Barry demonized the oil industry..now we have MeeShell demonizing all tastee foods that don’t meet her approval!

      Report Post » Living In NYC  
  • FlowerBell
    Posted on November 26, 2010 at 1:23am

    Heat one of these up between a couple of graham crackers and you’ve got something.

    Report Post » FlowerBell  
  • CALIDUDE
    Posted on November 26, 2010 at 1:02am

    Hey Yall:
    Happy Thanksgiving! You can find these on Amazon if you wish to order. Does anyone know if these are sold out West?

    Report Post » CALIDUDE  
  • republitarian
    Posted on November 26, 2010 at 12:59am

    Great. An in depth story about Mallow Cups. My best friend loves them. I don’t mean to complain stories on the blaze, but this report covered all the bases. I now know everything there is to know about Mallow Cups. Where is the depth in the rest of the stories?

    Report Post » republitarian  
  • WAR PIGS CRAWLING
    Posted on November 26, 2010 at 12:57am

    I like to “cook” one in a spoon, and shoot up directly into my vein. That way it is acceptable to the Lefties. I wonder if sugar Methadone is covered in Obama Care.

    Report Post » WAR PIGS CRAWLING  
    • Porkins
      Posted on November 26, 2010 at 9:13am

      It’s cool. After we get done do that, we ca freebase rock candy and do a few lines of grape/strawberry Pixie Stix. I‘ll get some ’Rush‘ playing the background because I don’t care what anyone says. Neil Pert is the best drummer out there! *glass shatters* It ain’t easy, being cheesy.

      Report Post » Porkins  
  • diesel71dan
    Posted on November 26, 2010 at 12:44am

    I have never had nor heard of a Mallow Cup but I will look for them and buy ab few just to support the cause

    Report Post »  
    • flickman
      Posted on November 26, 2010 at 1:05am

      You will LOVE it!!

      Report Post »  
    • RepubliCorp
      Posted on November 26, 2010 at 6:43am

      I think you will like them…….

      Report Post » RepubliCorp  
    • missionarydad
      Posted on November 26, 2010 at 1:26pm

      I think they are only available in parts of the Northeast. I was raised in upstate New York and they were by far my favorite candy. I remember in the 60s collecting those tokens and sending them in and like 6 weeks later getting a free carton of those. It was really something to get a 50 or a 100 point token and I think I even got a 500 once or twice. You had to save up like 5000 to get a free carton if I remember right, but I did it a couple times.

      Report Post »  
  • rayspencer
    Posted on November 26, 2010 at 12:06am

    Wow! I haven’t had a Mallow Cup in years! I’ll start looking for them.

    Report Post » rayspencer  
    • grandmaof5
      Posted on November 26, 2010 at 6:51am

      In boarding school not far from Altoona they were the most popular candy in the machine. I remember the coins and that was a big deal to trade them in for more candy, but never was aware until now that they were made in PA. Hopefully they will make a comeback and have great success.

      Report Post »  
    • independentvoteril
      Posted on November 26, 2010 at 7:58am

      LOVE mallo cups.. don’t want DARK CHOCOLATE ones though.. they are fine just the way they are.. anyone know where you can get those coconut watermelon slices?? all I can find is rainbow coconut but it’s THICK it use to be thin and sprinkled with sugar.. OH heck they probably banned the food coloring..

      Report Post » independentvoteril  
    • Marcobob69
      Posted on November 26, 2010 at 8:24am

      YUM!!!! Love those Mallo Cups!

      Report Post »  
    • tower7femacamp
      Posted on November 26, 2010 at 6:46pm

      Smoothies also
      http://www.amazon.com/Smoothie-24ct/dp/B001682T22/ref=sr_1_19?ie=UTF8&qid=1290814968&sr=8-19

      Report Post » tower7femacamp  
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