| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Candy, chewing gum |
| Founded | 1886 inAllegheny City,Pennsylvania |
| Founder | David L. Clark |
| Defunct | 1995 |
| Fate | Bankrupted |
| Successor |
|
| Headquarters | Pittsburgh |
| Products | |
| Parent |
TheD. L. Clark Company was founded in 1886 inAllegheny, Pennsylvania, now part ofPittsburgh, byDavid L. Clark (1864–1939), anIrish-born candy salesman.[1] In 1921, Clark Brothers Chewing Gum Company was spun off as a separate corporation. In 1955, when the family-owned D. L. Clark company was sold toBeatrice Foods, they had production facilities in Pittsburgh and Evanston, Illinois.[2] Beatrice sold it in 1983 toLeaf, and they in turn sold Clark in 1991, though Leaf retained the rights to Clark'sZagnut and P. C. Crunchers bars. The new owner, entrepreneur Michael P. Carlow, would operate it under the umbrella of thePittsburgh Food & Beverage Company.[3]
The Pittsburgh Food and Beverage Company entered bankruptcy in 1995, and many assets from the D. L. Clark Company, such as the rights to theClark Bar, were sold. The assets of D. L. Clark were purchased by Pittsburgh businessman James Clister for $3.2 million, and operated under the newly formed Clark Bar America, Inc.[4] Following a subsequent bankruptcy, its assets were acquired byNecco (New England Confectionery Company) in 1999 for $4.1 million ($8 million today).[5]
Clark's chewing gum spinoff, renamed Clark Gum Company, was sold in 1931 toPhilip Morris, who held it until 1973, when they sold the rights to Clark Gum toReed's Candy, anHP Hood subsidiary. They would have the gum made through a cooperative arrangement with Amurol, aWrigley Gum subsidiary. Reed's Candy was sold to Amurol in 1989, but the deal did not include the gum, retained by a newly rechristened Clark Gum Company.[6]Clark's Teaberry gum is currently marketed byFirst Source, LLC inBuffalo, New York, and made inMexico.
 | This sectiondoes notcite anysources. Please helpimprove this section byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved.(July 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
