NINE years ago the candy company Just Born purchased Goldenberg’s Peanut Chews, the Philadelphia candy bar introduced in 1917 as a World War I ration, with plans to transform what had been a popular regional treat into a national brand.

A new wrapper introduced in 2004 not only significantly changed the logo and color scheme, but also removed the historically prominent “Goldenberg’s,” which was thought to sound too homespun for a national player.

Marketed to consumers ages 18 to 24 through sponsorship of the popular Dew Tour for action sports, and with a national distribution system in place through popular brands that include Peeps and Mike and Ike, Just Born was poised for dramatic growth.

And then sales plummeted.

After an initial modest increase in revenue beyond the home region, “we lost probably half of our sales volume in our core markets,” said Robert Zender, the brand manager for Peanut Chews.