Poppets (formerly and colloquially known as Paynes Poppets) are a confectionery manufactured by Valeo Confectionery, first introduced in 1937 by Payne's fine confectionery in Croydon. When originally introduced, only Raisin Poppets were available. More flavours have since been introduced, including Mint, Toffee and Orange. [1]
Poppets are best known for their iconic packaging in small, 40 gram, cardboard boxes. When other confectionery brands moved to plastic wrappers in the 1960s and 1970s, Poppets retained their traditional boxes. [2] The box has a small hatch in one corner that can be torn open to dispense the sweets one at a time, this 'popping out' having given them their original name. The non-rustling packaging, and the ability to dispense single sweets in the dark, made them a popular snack in cinemas which remain one of their most popular sales outlets.
George Payne & Co. began production in the East End of London, before moving to Croydon Road, Beddington in Surrey in the 1930s. In 1998, it was acquired by Northern Foods. In 2001 the closure of the Croydon Road factory was announced, as part of a deal by Northern Foods to take over the Fox's factory in Leicester from Nestlé and relocate production of Poppets there. [3]
The box was redesigned in 2006 with new printed designs, themed with other British design icons such as the Mini and a NatWest Piggy Bank. [4]
In 2011, ten million Poppets were being consumed each week. [2]
The Leicester factory was sold in 2020 and production of Poppets was relocated to York. [5] [6]
The orange and mint varieties are made of a fondant centre with a dark chocolate covering, while the strawberry fondant and other varieties have a milk chocolate coating. A salted fudge caramel variety was made available in 2021.
Whilst 120/130 gram sharing sized bags can now be bought, Poppets remain best known for their boxes. Larger boxes are also available.
Oreo is a brand of sandwich cookie consisting of two cocoa biscuits or cookie pieces with a sweet fondant filling. It was introduced by Nabisco on March 6, 1912, and through a series of corporate acquisitions, mergers, and splits, both Nabisco and the Oreo brand have been owned by Mondelez International since 2012. Oreo cookies are available in over one hundred countries. Many varieties of Oreo cookies have been produced, and limited-edition runs have become popular in the 21st century.
Smarties are dragée chocolate confectionery. They have been manufactured since 1937, originally by H.I. Rowntree & Company in the United Kingdom, and now by Nestlé.
Polo is a brand of breath mint whose defining feature is the hole in the middle. The peppermint flavoured Polo was first manufactured in the United Kingdom in 1948, by employee John Bargewell at the Rowntree's Factory, York, and a range of flavours followed. The name may derive from "polar", referencing the cool, fresh taste of the mint. Polo mints are also sold in other countries such as India and Sri Lanka by Nestlé. Polo mints are usually sold in a 34g pack containing 23 individual mints.
Terry's Chocolate Orange is a chocolate product created by Terry's in 1932 at Terry's Chocolate Works in York, England. The brand has changed ownership several times, and production was moved to Poland in 2005. Since 2018, the Terry's Chocolate Orange has been produced in Strasbourg, France, by Carambar.
Aero is an aerated chocolate bar manufactured by the Vevey-based company Nestlé. Originally produced by Rowntree's, Aero bars were introduced in 1935 to the North of England as the "new chocolate". By the end of that year, it had proved sufficiently popular with consumers that sales were extended throughout the United Kingdom.
After Eight Mint Chocolate Thins, often referred to as simply After Eights, are a brand of mint chocolate covered sugar confectionery. They were created by Rowntree Company Limited in the UK in 1962 and have been manufactured by Nestlé since its acquisition of Rowntree in 1988.
Maltesers are a British confectionery product manufactured by Mars Inc. First sold in the UK in 1937, they were originally aimed at women. They have since been sold in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, United States and Middle East. The slogan is "The lighter way to enjoy chocolate".
Junior Mints are a candy brand consisting of small rounds of mint filling inside a semi-sweet chocolate coating, with a dimple on one side. The mints are produced by Tootsie Roll Industries, and packaged in varying amounts from the so-called 'fun-size box' to the much larger 12 oz. box.
Quality Street is a line of tinned and boxed toffees, chocolates and sweets, first manufactured in 1936 by Mackintosh's in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. It was named after J. M. Barrie's play Quality Street. Since 1988, the confectionery has been produced by Nestlé. Quality Street has long been a competitor to Cadbury Roses, which were launched by Cadbury in 1938. Nestlé does not distribute Quality Street in the US, but it may be ordered online for delivery, or found in specialty candy shops.
Szaloncukor is a type of sweet traditionally associated with Christmas in Hungary, Romania and Slovakia. It is a typical imported and adapted Hungarikum. It is assumed that almost the whole quantity consumed in Romania are of Hungarian production, as Romanian chocolate production decreased substantially after the fall of communism. It is usually made of fondant, covered by chocolate and wrapped in shiny coloured foil, then hung on the Christmas tree as decoration.
Nestlé UK Ltd., trading as Rowntree's, is a British confectionery brand and a former business based in York, England. Rowntree developed the Kit Kat, Aero, Fruit Pastilles, Smarties brands, and the Rolo and Quality Street brands when it merged with Mackintosh's in 1969 to form Rowntree Mackintosh Confectionery. Rowntree's also launched After Eight thin mint chocolates in 1962. The Yorkie and Lion bars were introduced in 1976. Rowntree's also pioneered the festive selection box which in the UK have been a staple gift at Christmas for over a century.
Terry's is a British chocolate and confectionery brand. The original company was founded in 1767 in York, England, and was part of the city's famous confectionery triumvirate along with Rowntree's and Cravens. The company's headquarters and factory, Terry's Chocolate Works, was closed by Kraft in 2005 and production moved to Kraft factories in Europe. The business returned to the UK in 2019 as Terry's Chocolate Co located in London. Their best known products include Terry's Chocolate Orange and Terry's All Gold box of assorted chocolates which were both introduced in the 1930s.
Munchies are a type of confectionery produced by Nestlé. They were introduced by the British firm Mackintosh's in 1957. The brand was later acquired by Nestlé as part of its takeover of Rowntree Mackintosh in 1988.
Mingles were a type of mint chocolate made by Bendicks and sold in the United Kingdom from 2002. The chocolates were all made in the UK in a factory in Winchester. In April 2009, August Storck confirmed it was shutting the factory at the end of July and relocating production to Ohrdruf, its Eastern German plant. This would result in a loss of more than 80 jobs although it would continue to employ over 30 staff in Winchester to support marketing and sales of its brands in the UK.
Oatfield was a chocolate and confectionery manufacturer located in Letterkenny, County Donegal, Ireland. The company was the oldest confectionery manufacturer in Ireland.
Bendicks is a chocolate brand currently owned by August Storck KG, famed for its "quintessentially British" Bittermint dark mint chocolates, still made to the original recipe of 1931.
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Vanparys Confiserie B.V. is a Belgian confectionery company founded in 1769 by Felix Vanparys in Brussels, near Sablon, Belgium. The company produces chocolate and sugar-coated confections but specializes in dragées, which features often in Christian and Islamic traditions and celebrations. The recipe and the preparation of its dragées, dates back over 125 years ago, and are still being continued today.
Hoadley's Chocolates was an Australian confectionery company founded in 1913 famous for the Polly Waffle and Violet Crumble chocolate bars. The company was bought by Rowntree Mackintosh Confectionery in 1972, which would then be acquired by Nestlé in 1988.