Hoadley's Chocolates facts for kids
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| Private (1913–72) | |
| Industry | Food |
| Fate | Acquired by Rowntree Mackintosh Confectionery in 1972, merged to it |
| Founded | 1913 |
| Founder | Abel Hoadley |
| Defunct | 1972 |
| Headquarters | |
| Products | Chocolate bars |
| Brands | Polly Waffle Violet Crumble |
Hoadley's Chocolates was a famous Australian company that made delicious confectionery. It started in 1913 and was well-known for its chocolate bars like the Polly Waffle and Violet Crumble.
In 1972, a British company called Rowntree Mackintosh Confectionery bought Hoadley's. Later, in 1988, a big company from Switzerland called Nestlé took over Rowntree Mackintosh.
Contents
The Sweet Story of Hoadley's Chocolates
How Hoadley's Began
Hoadley's Chocolates started with a man named Abel Hoadley. He was an English businessman who first created a jam company in South Melbourne in 1889. His company, A. Hoadley and Company, made jams and later added preserved fruits and sauces.
To keep his business busy all year, Abel Hoadley decided to make sweets too. Around 1901, he bought a factory and started focusing on cocoa and chocolate. In 1910, he sold his jam business. He kept only the part that made sweets.
Abel Hoadley then looked for people to invest in a new company just for chocolates. This new company, Hoadley's Chocolates Ltd, officially started in 1913. Abel Hoadley retired that same year. He handed over the company to four of his sons.
The very first product from the new chocolate company was called Violet Milk Chocolates. It was named after Abel Hoadley's wife's favourite flower. Soon after, they launched the Violet Crumble. Abel Hoadley wanted to call it just 'Crumble', but he couldn't get the name trademarked. So, he added 'Violet' to honour his wife again.
Growing Bigger and More Popular
At first, Hoadley's products were mostly sold only in Victoria, especially in Melbourne. But by 1921, their sweets, like the Violet Crumble, were being sold in Western Australia. People could buy them in boxes or as single bars. By 1923, the Violet Crumble was officially a registered trademark.
In the 1930s, the company faced tough times and was almost out of money. But Abel Hoadley's son, Albert, helped turn things around. He came up with clever marketing ideas. One popular idea was including collectable cards with different products. These cards often showed famous Australian sports stars.
Sales and profits kept growing in the 1940s. In 1947, Hoadley's launched the Polly Waffle. It quickly became their second most popular product, right after the Violet Crumble. Like their other famous sweets, the Polly Waffle usually came in a purple wrapper.
Abel Hoadley's sons continued to run the company after World War II. They introduced even more new products. Later, around 1962, Albert's son, Gordon, became the Managing Director. He led the company until it was bought by Rowntree's in 1972.
New Owners Take Over
After facing money problems in the 1960s, Hoadley's Chocolates was bought by the British chocolate maker Rowntree's in 1972. The company then became known as Rowntree Hoadley Ltd. The new owners decided to focus on their most popular products. Some of the less popular Hoadley's sweets were stopped.
In 1988, Nestlé, a huge company from Switzerland, bought Rowntree Hoadley. The remaining Hoadley's products were then sold under the Rowntree Nestlé brand, and later just as Nestlé.
However, in 2018, Nestlé sold the rights to the Violet Crumble to an Australian company called Robern Menz. In 2019, Menz also bought the rights to the Polly Waffle from Nestlé. Nestlé had stopped making the Polly Waffle in 2009. Robern Menz plans to start making the Polly Waffle again in 2023.
Popular Hoadley's Products
Hoadley's made many different sweets before it was bought by Rowntree's. Here are some of the well-known ones:
- Bertie Beetle: This chocolate was introduced in 1963 and is still made today!
- Clancy Bar: This bar had wafers with jam inside, covered in dark chocolate. It was named after a famous Australian poem.
- Crumblettes: These were small, bite-sized pieces of Violet Crumble.
- Lady Beetle: A white chocolate version of Bertie Beetle, sometimes with caramel. It was mostly found in showbags.
- Luncheon: A wafer bar with caramel cream and peanuts, covered in milk chocolate.
- MinTex Bar: This bar had two layers: peppermint fudge and caramel, dipped in milk chocolate.
- Polly Waffle: First made in 1947, this popular bar was stopped in 2009. But it's expected to be made again by Robern Menz in 2023!
- Tex-Bar: A two-layer bar with caramel and malt cream fudge, covered in dark chocolate. It was called "the King of candy bars."
- Violet Crumble: Launched in 1913, this crunchy chocolate bar is still very popular today.
- Violet Chocolate Assortment: This was Hoadley's very first product, a box of different flavoured milk chocolates.
- White Knight: This chocolate bar was first made around 1956 and was stopped in 2016.
Hoadley's also made other things that weren't sweets, like cough mixture!
Smart Ways Hoadley's Sold Sweets
From the 1930s, Hoadley's used many creative ways to sell their products and reach more people.
Fancy Chocolate Boxes
In the 1950s, Hoadley's started making special hard plastic boxes for their Violet Chocolate Assortment. These boxes had beautiful designs, like waves or roses. Some even had an Oriental theme and were called 'Pagoda Chocolates'. Today, these old boxes are collected by people who love vintage items.
Collectable Cards
During the 1930s and 1940s, many Hoadley's products came with collectable cards inside. Some popular card series included:
- Cards about the Empire Games and Test Teams (cricket).
- Cards featuring players from the Victorian Football League.
- Cards showing "action" scenes from Victorian football.
- Cards about the Wild West.
These cards are now quite rare and are sought after by collectors.
Radio Shows
In 1956, to promote their new Clancy Bar, Hoadley's Chocolates paid for a famous Australian poem, Clancy of the Overflow, to be read on many radio stations across the country. This helped people learn about the chocolate bar, which was named after the poem.
Showbags at Fairs
Hoadley's products were not just sold in shops. You could also find them in showbags at big Australian events like Brisbane's Ekka and Sydney's Royal Easter Show.
- Bertie Beetle showbag: This showbag started in 1965. It was usually the cheapest showbag and had lots of Bertie Beetle chocolates inside.
- Hoadley's Chocolate showbag: This bag had a mix of Hoadley's sweets, like Polly Waffles, Violet Crumbles, and White Knights. The Bertie Beetle first appeared in this showbag in 1963.
- Lady Beetle showbag: This bag featured the white chocolate Lady Beetle. It wasn't as popular as the Bertie Beetle showbag and was later stopped.
The things inside these showbags changed a bit over the years.
Music Sponsorships
In 1966, Hoadley's Chocolates started sponsoring a music competition called Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds. This contest was for new music bands that didn't have a record deal yet. Hoadley's sponsored the competition until the company was bought by Rowntree's in 1972.
Factory Locations
Hoadley's Chocolates had factories and main offices in several Australian cities:
- Melbourne: The first chocolate factory was near Princes Bridge in South Melbourne. This factory was later taken down around 1983. Production moved to a larger factory in Campbellfield, which is still used by Nestlé today.
- Adelaide: After World War II, Hoadley's opened a big factory in Adelaide. This factory made the Violet Crumble. When Rowntree's bought Hoadley's, this factory was used a lot for new products. However, it later closed down before Nestlé took over.
- Sydney: Hoadley's also had a large factory and distribution centre in Rosebery. After Rowntree's bought the company, production here slowed down. The factory eventually closed and was destroyed by a big fire in 1981. Another factory in Annandale, Sydney, also closed in the 1970s.
Changes and Challenges for Hoadley's Products
Public Reactions to Changes
When Nestlé took over Hoadley's in 1988, they stopped making many of the original Hoadley's products. This made many Australians upset. People often started campaigns to try and get Nestlé to bring back their favourite discontinued sweets.
In the early 2000s, Nestlé stopped selling the Bertie Beetle Showbag. They said it cost too much to make because the chocolates were made in New Zealand and shipped to Australia. People started a public campaign to bring back the showbag, which was a huge favourite at shows. In 2007, Nestlé listened and the showbag was available again.
In 2009, Nestlé changed the recipe for the Polly Waffle. The new version had a more sugary and brittle wafer, and people didn't like it as much. After 62 years, Nestlé stopped making the Polly Waffle on November 23, 2009, because sales were poor. But in 2019, Nestlé made a deal with Robern Menz (the company that bought Violet Crumble). Robern Menz plans to start making the Polly Waffle again in Adelaide in 2023.
In 2010, Nestlé also stopped making "fun size" packets of Violet Crumble. They said it cost too much. Even though people asked for them to come back, Nestlé refused. However, in 2019, after Robern Menz bought the rights to Violet Crumble, the fun size bags reappeared in supermarkets! In 2020, Robern Menz even launched new flavours, like caramel.
In 2014, Nestlé made a deal that meant White Knight bars were only sold in two major supermarkets, Coles and Woolworths. These supermarkets then raised the price of the smaller White Knight bars to match larger chocolate bars. Even with public complaints, Nestlé didn't change this. Sales fell, and in 2016, Nestlé stopped making the White Knight, saying sales were too low.
Factory Issues
At its busiest, Hoadley's was the biggest customer in Victoria for sugar from a company called CSR. In 1988, Rowntree Hoadley had to temporarily stop making sweets because they ran out of sugar. This happened after CSR workers went on strike. About 700 workers at the factory had to stop working for a while.
Rosebery Factory Fire
On October 3, 1981, a large fire broke out at the Rowntree-Hoadley factory in Rosebery, Sydney. The factory had already stopped making products and was being taken down. The fire completely destroyed the building. It took firefighters until the next morning to put out the blaze.
Images for kids
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A Polly Waffle chocolate bar, one of Hoadley's most famous products.
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An advertisement for Hoadley's Violet Chocolates from around 1947.
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Hoadley's factory near Princes Bridge in South Melbourne around 1900.
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The logo for the Polly Waffle chocolate bar.
