Hello you’re on the air with Refinery29.
Hi I’d like to give a shout out to my sweetheart.
My boyfriend.
My boo. My bae. My sweet thing.
I’m calling to give a shout out to myself.
I want to give a shout out to the one who rocks my world.
Thanks for everything mom. Have a happy Valentine’s Day!
Thanks for calling.
This next one’s for all the ones you love.
Back in 1866, if you wanted to show some love, the sweetest way was via the Necco Sweetheart
and for over 100 years, those sweethearts have been made in this very factory.
It all starts with a little sugar.
Actually, a lot of sugar.
900 pounds to be exact.
It's all dumped into a mixing vat with cornstarch,
corn syrup
various flavors and colors.
The ingredients are slowly mixed together until they turn into dough.
The dough is transported, divided, and fed into an extruding machine.
There’s a million ways to say, “I love you,” but Necco keeps it short and sweet.
In this machine, the freshly mixed dough is rolled into a thin layer and fed into a stamper
where special messages are printed using candied ink.
Be Mine.
Marry Me.
I Do.
Which line is your favorite?
Next up is the cutter.
A cutter assembly cuts the heart shapes out of the printed dough.
We’re partial to the hearts but this candy used to come in all different shapes.
Baseballs, postcards, and horse shoes.
Uh-oh.
Not to worry.
Misprints and excess dough called webbing are put back into the hopper and re-rolled
to make more sweethearts.
A moving belt carries the hearts through a drying tunnel that's been heated to 140 degrees.
150,000 hearts come through the dryer every hour.
They’re collected in trays and placed into a heated room where they continue to dry for
another 8 hours.
When they're finally dried, all of the colors are mixed together and transferred into a gigantic
holding tank.
That’s one ton of sweethearts.
This next part is our favorite.
When these little love notes are all packed up and sent out into the world.
Because whether you already have a sweetheart or are practicing some self-love, we could
all use a little sugar.
Whose day do you want to sweeten up?
Send this video their way.
Speaking of someone we love, Hey Julia!
Hey guys!
I hope you enjoyed exploring the sweetheart factory.
I know that I did.
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Okay do it again.
Why?
Hey guys I hope you enjoyed watching…
To see how something…
Lucie makes it look so easy.
Oh Julia, we love you.