Abel Hoadley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Abel Hoadley
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| Born | 10 September 1844 Willingdon, East Sussex, England
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| Died | 12 May 1918 (aged 73) Kew, Victoria, Australia
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| Nationality | Australian |
| Occupation | Confectioner |
| Known for | Creator of Violet Crumble |
| Spouse(s) |
Susannah Ann Barrett
(m. 1868) |
| Children | 14 |
Abel Hoadley (born 10 September 1844 – died 12 May 1918) was a clever business owner from Australia. He was known for making delicious jams and sauces. Today, he is most famous for inventing a very popular Australian sweet treat called the Violet Crumble bar.
Contents
The Story of Abel Hoadley
Abel Hoadley was born in Willingdon, England. His father, Peter Hoadley, was a blacksmith. Abel moved to Australia in 1865.
Starting a Business
When he first arrived, Abel started a business making and selling jams and pickles. He used fresh fruits and vegetables from his own orchard, which was a fruit farm, in Burwood East.
In 1889, Hoadley opened a jam factory in South Melbourne, Victoria. His company was called A. Hoadley & Company. He even sent some preserved fruit to England in 1892 to see if people there would like it. The results were very good!
By 1894, he was selling "Rising Sun" brand jams. Soon, the "Rising Sun" name was used for many products, including jams, sauces, and even some sweets. His business grew quickly. In 1895, he opened a big, new five-story factory in South Melbourne. This is where they made and canned the jams and preserves.
In 1910, Abel Hoadley sold most of his business, except for the part that made sweets, to another company called Henry Jones Co-operative Limited.
From Jams to Chocolates
Even though Hoadley had said his company made sweets earlier, this part of the business wasn't very big at first. It might have just helped the company stay busy when fruits weren't in season.
They started advertising milk chocolate in 1909 and chewy toffees in 1912. In 1913, a new company was created just for sweets, called Hoadley's Chocolates Limited.
Around 1913, the sweets were made at a place called "Barrackville" in South Melbourne. Sadly, this factory was completely destroyed by a fire in January 1919. The company then rented some land nearby and turned the old factory site into a public park.
The new factory was also named "Barrackville." Soon, "Hoadley's Barrackville Cocoa and Chocolate" became a well-known brand name. Hoadley's "Violet" chocolates first appeared in 1917. These were their special, more expensive chocolates.
How the Violet Crumble Was Born
Abel Hoadley created the famous Violet Crumble bar. When he first made a box of chocolates, he put a piece of honeycomb inside. People loved the honeycomb so much that Hoadley decided to make it into its own candy bar.
This was a bit tricky. When honeycomb cools down, it tends to get sticky because it absorbs moisture from the air. To solve this problem, Hoadley decided to cover the honeycomb bars in chocolate. This kept the honeycomb dry and crunchy. And that's how the Violet Crumble bar was created in 1913!
Hoadley wanted to call his new bar just "Crumble." But he found out that he couldn't protect that name legally. So, he thought of his wife, Susannah Ann Barrett, and her favorite flower, the violet. He decided to call it "Violet Crumble." He used a purple wrapper with a small flower on it. The candy bar was an instant hit and is still very popular today.
Abel Hoadley's Legacy
The land where Abel Hoadley's first orchard was located in Burwood East was later sold. It became a training farm for boys, which was later known as the Tally Ho Boys' Home. Today, that area has houses, a church, and a business park.
Abel and Susannah Hoadley had fourteen children. Abel Hoadley passed away at the age of 73 at his home in Kew, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne. The Hoadley company was bought by another company called Rowntree's in 1970. Then, in 1988, it was bought by Nestlé.
Hoadley's in Pop Culture
- The Australian company MYOB Limited has its main office in the Tally Ho Business Park. This area was once part of Abel Hoadley's land. It's interesting that MYOB's company colors are purple and gold, just like the famous Violet Crumble bar.
- Abel Hoadley's name is also remembered through a popular Australian rock band competition called Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds. This competition ran from 1966 to 1972 and was sponsored by the Hoadley's company. It was a great way to promote the Violet Crumble bar to young people.
See Also
