Rowntree's - History

History

Rowntree's was founded in York in 1862 by Henry Isaac Rowntree, who bought a chocolate company from the Tuke family. In 1869, he was joined by his brother, the philanthropist Joseph Rowntree. The original factory was in the centre of the City of York, by the River Ouse at Tanners Moat, but was relocated in 1906 to Haxby Road in the north of the City.

In 1947, Rowntree's took over W & M Duncans, a Scottish chocolate manufacturer based in Edinburgh, the factory based at Beaverhall Road continuing to produce until rationalisation of production in 1987.

The company merged with Mackintosh's in 1969, to become Rowntree Mackintosh. Rowntree was responsible for such chocolate favourites as Kit Kat, Smarties, Aero, Fruit Pastilles and Black Magic, while John Mackintosh and Co. produced Rolo, Munchies, Caramac and Quality Street. The same year, Hershey entered a licensing agreement with Rowntree Mackintosh to introduce Kit Kat and Rolo in the United States.

The company went public in 1987, and was the subject of a takeover battle between Nestlé and Jacobs Suchard in 1988. Nestlé eventually won control with an offer valuing Rowntree at $4.5billion. The takeover was controversial, as Nestlé was effectively protected from similar takeover attempts under Swiss law. After the Nestlé takeover, the Rowntree chocolate ranges began to use the branding "Nestlé Rowntree", before eventually the Rowntree name was dropped from the packaging altogether, except on Rowntree's Cocoa and the famous "Fruit Pastilles" and "Fruit Gums". The "Mackintosh" branding was dropped from all former Rowntree Mackintosh products, except for Mackintosh's Toffee, which retained the branding.

The Nestlé Rowntree factory in Norwich closed in 1994, and Rolo, Yorkie and Easter-egg production was moved to York. This site is now the Chapelfield Shopping Mall.

In September 2006, it was announced that the manufacture of Smarties was to be moved abroad, causing 646 job-losses at the York factory.

In May 2009, Nestlé launched a new jelly sweet, Rowntree's Randoms, under the Rowntree brand.

In April 2012 Nestle launched a new jelly sweet under the Rowntree's brand, "Fruit Bottles".