PHILADELPHIA (AP) – A candy distributor based in Philadelphia since the Civil War has moved to New Jersey.

Casani Candy has been located in northeast Philadelphia since 2001, after spending a century in Old City. But it will now be located in Pennsauken, N.J. Officials say a shopping center project forced the company to leave its former location and the property across the Delaware River was ready to move into.

Casani, which dates back to 1865, still has close to 500 accounts. They include smaller mom-and-pop operations and independents and locations on the New Jersey shore, which company president Jack Lees says is now a market equal to Christmas.