Mackintosh's facts for kids
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| Private | |
| Industry | Confectionery |
| Fate | Merged with Rowntree's |
| Successor | Rowntree Mackintosh Confectionery |
| Founded | 1890 in Halifax, Yorkshire, England |
| Founders | John Mackintosh Violet Mackintosh |
| Defunct | 1969 |
| Headquarters | , |
| Products | Mackintosh's Toffee |
| Brands | |
Mackintosh's was a British company that made sweets and chocolates. It was started in Halifax, England. The company was famous for its delicious toffee. It also created popular brands like Quality Street and Rolo.
Contents
How It All Started
The company was founded by John Mackintosh (1868-1920) and his wife, Violet. They got married in 1890. With their savings of £100, they bought a small pastry shop in Halifax.
Violet had worked in a sweet shop before. She managed their new shop. John continued his job at a cotton mill. To attract more customers, they decided to sell a special kind of toffee.
Violet created a new recipe. It mixed hard English butterscotch with soft American caramel. They called their new sweet "Mackintosh's Celebrated Toffee." It became very popular. People loved it so much that it changed how people thought about toffee.
The toffee was a huge success. By 1894, the Mackintosh family could expand their business. They moved from selling sweets in a shop to making them in larger amounts.
First, they rented a small warehouse in Halifax. In 1895, they started bigger production at Hope Street. In 1899, their company became "John Mackintosh Ltd." They built a new factory at Queen's Road.
In 1909, this factory was destroyed by fire. But the insurance money helped them buy another factory. They rebuilt the Queen's Road factory. In 1912, they started making chocolate there too.
Mackintosh also tried to open factories in other countries. In 1904, they opened one in New Jersey, USA. In 1906, they opened another in Krefeld, Germany. By 1914, they had operations in Australia and Canada. About 1000 people worked for John Mackintosh Ltd.
During the First World War, the German factory was taken away. The number of employees dropped to 250. In 1917, they created a new sweet: a chocolate-covered Toffee-De-Luxe. But chocolate production stopped that year due to the war.
The Power of Advertising
John Mackintosh knew how important advertising was. He started by giving out flyers. These flyers advertised Mackintosh's Celebrated Toffee as a special weekend treat. He aimed for Saturdays, when workers had time off and their weekly pay.
By 1896, John Mackintosh called himself "The Toffee King." He called his product "The King of All the Toffees." In 1902, the company started contests for customers. They also began advertising in national newspapers.
They bought space in the Daily Mail, a very popular newspaper. They used stories, pictures, and cartoons in their ads. This was different from other companies, who just used lots of words.
Growth After the War
John Mackintosh passed away in 1920. His oldest son, Harold Mackintosh, took over the company. In 1921, the company became "John Mackintosh & Sons Ltd."
The family still owned most of the company. Harold Mackintosh became the chairman. He was in charge of buying ingredients. Other important people joined the team. Harry Guy managed the money. Frank Bottomley was the factory manager. E. L. Fletcher handled the advertising.
In October 1921, a famous advertising campaign began. It featured funny cartoons of "Toffee Town." Halifax, where the company started, became known as "Toffee Town."
Mackintosh tried to sell in the United States again. By 1931, they made a deal with another company. This company made Mackintosh toffees in Canada. Then they sent them to the United States.
The company also bought other businesses. In 1927, they bought two sweet shops, Meeson and Tuckshop. This helped them sell directly to customers. In 1929, they bought Anglo-American Chewing Gum Ltd. This helped them expand their products.
Caley Company Joins Mackintosh's
In 1863, Albert Jarman Caley started selling drinks in Norwich. Later, he began making cocoa (1883) and chocolate (1886). In 1932, Harold Mackintosh bought the A.J. Caley chocolate company. He bought it from Unilever. This purchase allowed Mackintosh's to start making their own chocolate.
Eric Mackintosh, Harold's younger brother, became the chairman of Caley's. Harry Guy managed the money. Frank Bottomley was the factory manager.
Later Products and Mergers
Mackintosh's created many famous sweets. These include Quality Street (1936), Rolo (1938), Caramac (1959), and Toffee Crisp (1963).
In 1969, Mackintosh's joined with another big sweet company, Rowntree's. They formed a new company called Rowntree Mackintosh Confectionery. Later, in 1988, Nestlé bought Rowntree Mackintosh.
In Popular Culture
The song "Savoy Truffle" by George Harrison mentions Mackintosh's. It was recorded by the Beatles on their album called The Beatles. The song lists many flavors, some real and some made up. These flavors are like the ones you would find in a box of Mackintosh's Good News Chocolates.
