The D. L. Clark Company was founded in 1886 in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, now part of Pittsburgh, by

David L. Clark David Lytle Clark (26 September 1864 – 3 February 1939) was an Irish entrepreneur who founded the D. L. Clark Company confectioners in 1886 in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, now part of Pittsburgh. He was born in County Londonderry, Ireland, t ...

(1864–1939), an Irish-born candy salesman. 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 to Beatrice Foods, they had production facilities in Pittsburgh and Evanston, Illinois. Beatrice sold it in 1983 to Leaf, and they in turn sold Clark in 1991, though Leaf retained the rights to Clark's

Zagnut Zagnut is a candy bar produced and sold in the United States. Its main ingredients are peanut butter and toasted coconut. History The Zagnut bar was launched in 1930, by the D. L. Clark Company of western Pennsylvania, which also made the Clar ...

and P. C. Crunchers bars. The new owner, entrepreneur Michael P. Carlow, would operate it under the umbrella of the

Pittsburgh Food & Beverage Company The Pittsburgh Food & Beverage Company was a holding company created in 1991 by entrepreneur Michael P. Carlow to manage a pair of struggling but iconic companies in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Originally joining the candymaker D. L. Clark Co., make ...

. The Pittsburgh Food and Beverage Company entered bankruptcy in 1995, and many assets from the D. L. Clark Company, such as the rights to the Clark 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. Following a subsequent bankruptcy, its assets were acquired by Necco (New England Confectionery Company) in 1999 for $4.1 million ($ million today). Clark's chewing gum spinoff, renamed Clark Gum Company, was sold in 1931 to

Philip Morris Phil(l)ip or Phil Morris may refer to: Companies *Altria, a conglomerate company previously known as Philip Morris Companies Inc., named after the tobacconist **Philip Morris USA, a tobacco company wholly owned by Altria Group **Philip Morris Inter ...

, who held it until 1973, when they sold the rights to Clark Gum to Reed's Candy, an

HP Hood HP Hood LLC is an American dairy company based in Lynnfield, Massachusetts. Hood was founded in 1846 in Charlestown, Massachusetts, by Harvey Perley Hood. Recent company acquisitions by HP Hood have expanded its reach from predominantly New Eng ...

subsidiary. They would have the gum made through a cooperative arrangement with Amurol, a Wrigley 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.

Clark's Teaberry Clark's Teaberry is a brand of chewing gum. The D. L. Clark Company of Pittsburgh's north side purchased the patent for it from Charles Burke, who experimented with various flavors of chewing gum in the basement of 533 McClintock Ave, Pittsburgh ...

gum is currently marketed by

First Source, LLC First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...

in Buffalo, New York, and made in Mexico.

Clark products over the years

Candies

*Alligator Eggs *Banana Caramels *Black Jack Caramels *Boomer *Bun (vanilla, maple and caramel flavors) *Chocolate Chips *Chocolate Malted Milk Balls *Clarconut *Clark (original) *Clark Coconut *Clark Dark *Clark Light *Clark's Miami Coconut *Clark Mint *Clark's Wintergreen *Coconut Frosted Creams *Crispy *Crunchy *Fudge Bar *Honest Square *Iceland Sandwich *Mario Bun, named for Mario Lemieux *Mint Appetizers *Nutcracker *Peanut Blossom Kisses *Peanut Butter Log *Reggie! *Sassy *Sour Cherry Crème *Sour Grape Crème *Sour Lemon Crème *Spanish Chips *Sunpower *Wild Cherry Caramels *Winter Clark *Zagnut (now made by Hershey's) *Zig Zag

Clark's gum flavors

*Cinnamint *Cinnamon *Diet Spearmint *Freshmint *Fruit Punch *Peppermint *Smile Sugar Free (various flavors) *Sour Cherry *Sour Lemon *Sweetwood * Teaberry *Tendermint *Winter Green

References

External links

A Short History of Clark's Teaberry Chewing Gum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, D. L. Defunct companies based in Pennsylvania Food and drink companies established in 1886 Confectionery companies of the United States Chocolate companies based in Pennsylvania Buildings and structures completed in 1924 Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation Historic Landmarks 1886 establishments in Pennsylvania 1955 mergers and acquisitions