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History of Yorkshire Confectionary

Many of the brilliant brands we bring to you come from around the historic county of Yorkshire and there's definitely confectionary credentials in this part of the world.


When you want to start an article on Yorkshire confectionary you can't not talk about Rowntree's, almost synonymous with the City of York Henry Rowntree bought an old cocoa works in 1862 and turned it into a confectionary company, 7 years later his brother Joseph came onboard and started the company on the path to becoming a sweet powerhouse.


A Frenchman August Claude Gaget helped the company develop one of the most well known sweets on shelves today, Fruit Pastilles which launched in 1881.


The company was eventually bought by Swiss confectionary giant Nestle in 1988 for a reported $4.5 billion. 'Wow' for Yorkshire or anywhere that's big money.


Next we look at a business much closer to Home, we are proud to stock Whitakers a business with over 130 years of Yorkshire Heritage. Originally the company started as a shop and drapers in Crosshills a small village between Keighley and Skipton in Yorkshire. In 1890 Ida, daughter of the founders joined the business with a passion for bakery and confectionary. Such was her love, a year later that's what the business had become a bakers and confectioners. Ida was renowned locally for her fantastic wedding cakes and moreish fancies.


In 1903 Ida decided she wanted to learn how to make Chocolate, (I now want to also). She learnt from a local vicars wife who lived in the next village, and the rest is history as they say. Ida's original recipe is still used today. Now 5 generations of Whitakers have worked in the business and this incredible legacy is still being built. (try some and you will see)


Next on our chocolate journey, who doesn't love a Yorkshire mixture (If you haven't tried them, you should). Joseph Dobsons is the company behind the Yorkshire Delicacy. The company was founded way back in 1850 by Joseph Dobson, Joseph had been orphaned at 10 years old and was raised in York by his Grandparents. When Joseph got married, him and his wife (fittingly an heiress of the Terry's Chocolate family) started their own confectionary business.


Originally many of the sweets had medicinal purposes such as the voice tablets, still sold today. The company has stayed in the family over five generations and is still lead by Joseph's direct descendants.


So you can see there's some real heritage here and brands like Guppy's Chocolates and Yummycomb are building on this legacy with a focus on brilliant taste, excellent quality and also fabulous innovation. Now enough of the reading back to the Snacking





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