Whittaker's

Last updated

Whittaker's
Company typePrivate limited liability company
Industry Chocolatier
Founded Christchurch, 1896
FounderJ. H. Whittaker
Headquarters
Porirua, New Zealand
OwnerWhittaker family

J.H. Whittaker & Sons, Ltd (Whittaker's) is a New Zealand confectionery manufacturer specialising in palm oil-free [1] chocolate, based in Porirua. Whittaker's is the largest chocolate brand in New Zealand. [2] Approximately 30% of their production is now exported. [3] The company controls its entire manufacturing process in its facility in Porirua, identifying itself as a "bean-to-bar" manufacturer. [2] James Henry Whittaker (1868–1947) started the business in Christchurch in 1896 [2] and it was later moved to Wellington.

Contents

History

Whittaker's Chocolates & Confectionery Company's Fargo Truck Whittaker's Chocolates & Confectionery Company's Fargo Truck.jpg
Whittaker's Chocolates & Confectionery Company's Fargo Truck
Maori-language label for Whittaker's Creamy Milk Whittaker's Chocolate te reo label.jpg
Māori-language label for Whittaker's Creamy Milk

James Henry Whittaker (1868–1947) worked in the British confectionery industry from the age of 14 and moved to New Zealand with his wife Leah Alice in 1890. [4] He was a salesman for Cadbury's chocolate before and after his move to New Zealand. [4] In 1896 he started manufacturing chocolate confectionery, selling it directly to customers using a horse and van. [5] In 1913, he established a partnership with his two sons, Ronald and James, based in Wellington. The business became a limited liability company in 1937, with third-generation Whittakers still the sole shareholders in the company. In 1969 the company moved from Wellington to Porirua, because they needed more space and their premises at 167 Vivian Street were under threat from motorway development. [5] [6] The Peanut Slab was invented in the 1950s [5] and Whittaker's began exporting it in 1985. [6] In the 1970s and 80s they also produced Santé Bars, Toffee Milk Bars and K-Bars. [6] The company began producing large blocks of chocolate in the 1990s. [5] In 1992 the company formed J. H. Whittaker New Zealand Ltd. [5]

The company has provided commercial sponsorship for motor sports in New Zealand and for the All Blacks. [7] [8]

The company's marketing phrases include "A passion for chocolate since 1896" and "Good honest chocolate" and also "from bean to bar". In 2011 it was listed as New Zealand's third most trusted brand by a Bradley Colman survey. [9] From 2012 to 2022 Whittaker's was voted New Zealand's most trusted brand, [10] [11] benefitting from Cadbury's 2009 bad publicity surrounding palm oil and changes in product size, [12] [13] and further fallout from Cadbury's closure of its Dunedin factory in 2017. [14] [15]

In May 2014, celebrity chef Nigella Lawson filmed an advert for Whittaker's in the 1930s Wellington railway station. [16] [17] Later, in 2022, Karl Urban appeared in an advert as a fictionalised time-travelling James Whittaker, appearing in Wellington's Civic Square. [18] [19]

In June 2014, Whittaker's expanded its market to Malaysia. [20]

In 2014 Whittaker's set up a programme to support and improve cocoa bean production in Samoa, and in 2017 expanded the programme to include New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. [21] [22] [23] In 2019 Whittaker's admitted that while some bars have ethically-sourced cocoa beans, the sugar is primarily sourced from Thailand. [24] Thailand is known to have child labour in the sugar cane industry. [25] In 2020 Whittaker's announced that its 116 products made with Ghanaian cocoa beans would now be 'Rainforest Alliance Certified'. [26] The company also uses small amounts of beans from Samoa and Nicaragua.

Apart from being named as New Zealand's most trusted brand, the company has won other awards including 'Exporter of the Year' at the 2021 ExportNZ ASB Wellington Export Awards [27] and Supreme Award in the 2022 Wellington Gold Awards, which are awarded to recognise businesses in the Wellington region. [28]

In August 2022 the company released an image of a chocolate bar wrapper which it produced for Māori Language Week, which has the chocolate variety 'Creamy Milk' written in Māori as 'Miraka Kirīmi'. The initiative was met with both praise and hostility from the public. [29]

Singer Ed Sheeran visited New Zealand in February 2023 and said via Instagram that he liked New Zealand chocolate. [30] Whittaker's responded by sending Sheeran a block of Creamy Milk with Sheeran's face on the label, calling it the 'Ed Block'. Whittakers then teamed up with Sheeran to auction signed T-shirts and a supply of chocolate to raise funds for victims of the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Weekend floods. [31] [32]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cadbury</span> British multinational confectionery company

Cadbury, formerly Cadbury's and Cadbury Schweppes, is a British multinational confectionery company owned by Mondelez International since 2010. It is the second-largest confectionery brand in the world, after Mars. Cadbury is internationally headquartered in Greater London, and operates in more than 50 countries worldwide. It is known for its Dairy Milk chocolate, the Creme Egg and Roses selection box, and many other confectionery products. One of the best-known British brands, in 2013 The Daily Telegraph named Cadbury among Britain's most successful exports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Porirua</span> City in the North Island of New Zealand

Porirua, a city in the Wellington Region of the North Island of New Zealand, is one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington metropolitan area. The name 'Porirua' is a corruption of 'Pari-rua', meaning "the tide sweeping up both reaches". It almost completely surrounds Porirua Harbour at the southern end of the Kāpiti Coast. As of June 2023, Porirua has a population of 60,900.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chocolate bar</span> Confection

A chocolate bar is a confection containing chocolate, which may also contain layerings or mixtures that include nuts, fruit, caramel, nougat, and wafers. A flat, easily breakable, chocolate bar is also called a tablet. In some varieties of English and food labeling standards, the term chocolate bar is reserved for bars of solid chocolate, with candy bar used for products with additional ingredients.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caramilk</span> Chocolate brand by Cadbury

Caramilk is a brand name used for two distinct chocolate bar products made by Cadbury. Both were introduced in 1968. The Canadian version of Caramilk is a milk chocolate bar filled with caramel. In Australia the Caramilk brand is used for a caramel-flavoured white chocolate bar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milk chocolate</span> Solid chocolate containing added milk

Milk chocolate is a form of solid chocolate containing cocoa, sugar and milk. It is the most consumed type of chocolate, and is used in a wide diversity of bars, tablets and other confectionery products. Milk chocolate contains smaller amounts of cocoa solids than do dark chocolates, and contains milk solids. While its taste has been key to its popularity, milk chocolate was historically promoted as a healthy food, particularly for children.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Te Wiki o te Reo Māori</span> Initiative to promote the use of te reo Māori (the Maori language)

Te Wiki o te Reo Māori is a government-sponsored initiative intended to encourage New Zealanders to promote the use of the Māori language which is an official language of the country. Māori Language Week is part of a broader movement to revive the Māori language. It has been celebrated since 1975 and is currently spearheaded by Te Puni Kōkiri and the Māori Language Commission, with many organisations including schools, libraries, and government departments participating.

Crunchie is a brand of chocolate bar with a honeycomb toffee centre. It is made by Cadbury but was originally launched in the UK by J. S. Fry & Sons in 1929.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maltesers</span> Confectionery product made by Mars

Maltesers are a British confectionery product manufactured by Mars, Incorporated. 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".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rowntree's</span> English confectionery company

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cadbury's Chocolate Factory, Tasmania</span> Confectionery factory in Tasmania, Australia

Cadbury's Chocolate Factory is the largest chocolate factory in the Southern Hemisphere, producing a company-record of over 60,000 tonnes of chocolate in 2021. Established at Claremont, Tasmania in 1921, the factory and surrounding model village estate marked Cadbury's first business expansion outside the United Kingdom. Cadbury's Claremont is currently owned by the multinational conglomerate Mondelez International, which purchased Cadbury in 2010.

Barry Callebaut AG is a Swiss-Belgian cocoa processor and chocolate manufacturer, with an average annual production of 2.3 million tonnes of cocoa & chocolate . It was created in 1996 through the merging of the French company Cacao Barry and the Belgian chocolate producer Callebaut. It is currently based in Zürich, Switzerland, and operates in over 30 countries worldwide. It was created in its present form by Klaus Johann Jacobs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pineapple lumps</span> Confection

Pineapple lumps or pineapple chunks are a chocolate-covered confection with a soft, chewy pineapple-flavoured middle from New Zealand. They are often identified as Kiwiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tip Top (ice cream)</span> Ice cream brand in New Zealand

Tip Top is an ice cream brand founded in 1936 in Wellington, New Zealand, and now owned by Froneri. It was formerly known as Fonterra Brands Ltd, a subsidiary of the Fonterra Co-operative Group based in Auckland, New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pascall (company)</span> Australian and New Zealand confectionery company

Pascall is an Australian and New Zealand confectionery brand, which is owned by Mondelēz International.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to chocolate:

Mondelez International, Inc., styled as Mondelēz International, is an American multinational confectionery, food, holding, beverage and snack food company based in Chicago. Mondelez has an annual revenue of about $26.5 billion and operates in approximately 160 countries. It ranked No. 108 in the 2021 Fortune 500 list of the largest United States corporations by total revenue.

Cadbury is a British multinational confectionery company owned by Mondelēz International. It is the second largest confectionery brand in the world after Mars. Cadbury is headquartered in Uxbridge, London, and operates in more than fifty countries worldwide. Its best known products include Dairy Milk chocolate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruby chocolate</span> Variety of chocolate

Ruby chocolate is a style or distinct variety of chocolate that is pink or purple in colour. Barry Callebaut, a Belgian–Swiss cocoa company, introduced it as a distinct product on 5 September 2017 after beginning development of their product in 2004. It has a pink color, and Barry Callebaut says it is a fourth natural type of chocolate. Some other industry experts have said that some cacao pods are naturally pink or purple in colour, and thus pink chocolate has been available before.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gear Homestead</span> Historic building in Porirua, New Zealand

Gear Homestead, named Okowai by its owner James Gear, is a historic building in Porirua, New Zealand. It was listed by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust as a Category 2 historic place in 1983.

References

  1. ↑ Dr Siouxsie Wiles. "Greta's mates: The responsible generation".
  2. 1 2 3 Adams, Christopher (6 November 2010). "Tough task wooing the tastebuds". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 7 November 2010.
  3. ↑ "The bitter aftertaste to Cadbury's closing". Otago Daily Times Online News. 23 February 2017. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
  4. 1 2 "Whittaker, James Henry, 1868-1947". natlib.govt.nz. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "History". J. H. Whittaker & Sons, Ltd.
  6. 1 2 3 "Wellington Classics: A Slab on the Back". Wellington City Magazine. June 1986. p. 9. Retrieved 18 July 2021– via Wellington City Libraries.
  7. ↑ "MG Classic". www.mgcarclub.org.nz. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  8. ↑ "Whittaker's serves up scrumptious support for the All Blacks". stoppress.co.nz. 25 May 2017. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  9. ↑ Hannan, Hayley (25 July 2011). "Cadbury falls from grace in most-trusted survey". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
  10. ↑ "New Zealand's most trusted brand hasn't changed in a decade, survey says". Stuff. 26 April 2021. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  11. ↑ "Whittaker's – 2022 Trusted Brands New Zealand Winner". www.trustedbrands.co.nz. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  12. ↑ Owen, Scott (4 August 2015). "Lessons in Whittaker's tasty marketing". The Press. p. A9. ProQuest   1700787621 . Retrieved 18 July 2021– via Proquest Australia & New Zealand Newsstream.
  13. ↑ Edmunds, Susan (13 September 2016). "Chocolate wars heat up as Whittaker's appeal firms". Manawatu Standard. p. 7. ProQuest   1818471333 . Retrieved 18 July 2021– via Proquest Australia & New Zealand Newsstream.
  14. ↑ Susan Edmunds (24 February 2017). "Cadbury backlash a win for Kiwi chocolate brand Whittaker's". Stuff.
  15. ↑ "The bitter aftertaste to Cadbury's closing". Otago Daily Times. 23 February 2017.
  16. ↑ "Lawson filming at Wellington station". Stuff/Fairfax. 6 May 2014.
  17. ↑ "Nigella Lawson causes a stir in Wellington". New Zealand Herald. 6 May 2014.
  18. ↑ Whittaker's J.H. Returns (long version) on YouTube
  19. ↑ Whittaker's J.H. Returns (short version) on YouTube
  20. ↑ "Whittaker's Chocolate expands into Malaysia". Whittakers. Scoop. 19 June 2014. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
  21. ↑ "Good Honest Samoan Cocoa: Reconnecting with our Pacific family". www.whittakers.co.nz. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
  22. ↑ "Revitalising Samoa's cocoa industry". FMCG Business. 11 November 2019. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
  23. ↑ Fairtrade ANZ (July 2016). Evaluation of Support for Fairtrade Business Development in Pacific Island Countries: Final Evaluation Report (PDF). Coffey.
  24. ↑ Nadkarni, Anuja (7 June 2019). "Whittakers and Mondelez cannot confirm their chocolate is free of child labour". Stuff NZ. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  25. ↑ "Child Labor and Forced Labor Reports". US Department of Labour. 2019. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  26. ↑ "Whittaker's announces new Rainforest Alliance partnership". FMCG Business. 8 April 2020. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
  27. ↑ Wellington Chamber of Commerce (19 November 2021). "Whittaker's Claim Top Prize At Wellington Export Awards [Press Release]". www.scoop.co.nz. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  28. ↑ Wong, Justin (7 July 2022). "Whittaker's picks up supreme award at Wellington Gold Awards". Stuff. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  29. ↑ Jacobs, Maxine (16 August 2022). "Chocolate lovers stand up against racist backlash to Whittaker's Miraka Kirīmi". Stuff. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
  30. ↑ Jack, Amberleigh (2 February 2023). "Whittaker's has made an Ed Sheeran chocolate bar, but not even the singer himself has one". Stuff. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
  31. ↑ "Choccy treat for Sheeran will sell for Auckland flood relief". NZ Herald. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
  32. ↑ "Ed's Sharing". www.whittakers.co.nz. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.