Swizzels facts for kids
Logo of Swizzels Matlow
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The Swizzels Matlow factory in New Mills, England
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| Private limited company | |
| Industry | confectionery |
| Founded | 1928 in London, England |
| Founders | Maurice and Alfred Matlow |
| Products | Love Hearts, Parma Violets, Rainbow Drops, Double Dip |
| Revenue |  £78,611,000 (2019) |
 £10,088,000 (2019) |
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| Total assets | £59,170,000 (2019) |
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Number of employees
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654 (2019) |
Swizzels Matlow Limited, often called Swizzels, is a famous company that makes sweets. It is based in New Mills, England, near Stockport. Swizzels makes many popular sweets like Love Hearts, Parma Violets, and Drumstick lollies.
The company sells its sweets in over 20 countries, mostly in Europe. About 600 people work for Swizzels. Their busiest time for selling sweets is around Halloween.
The Sweet Story: How Swizzels Began
The story of Swizzels began in the early 1920s. Two brothers, Maurice and Alfred Matlow, started by selling soft, jelly sweets from a market stall in Hackney, London. They were very good at it!
In 1928, the brothers built a small factory in east London. They called their business Matlow Brothers. They focused on making jellies and chewy sweets.
Growing Bigger: Mergers and Moves
In 1933, Matlow Brothers joined with another sweet maker named David Dee. He was known for his fizzy tablet sweets. This merger helped the company grow even more. However, the name Swizzels Matlow Ltd wasn't officially used until 1975.
During the Blitz in 1940, a big bombing campaign in World War II, the factory had to move. They moved north to New Mills, Derbyshire, where they found an empty factory. This is still where Swizzels makes its sweets today!
New Sweets Over the Years
After the move, Swizzels kept creating new and exciting sweets.
- Parma Violets were first made in 1946.
- The famous Love Hearts with their sweet messages came out in 1954.
- Drumstick lollies, a chewy favourite, were introduced in 1957.
Over time, Swizzels also made changes to their recipes. They stopped using certain fats in 2004. By 2009, they removed all artificial flavourings from their sweets.
Delicious Swizzels Products
Swizzels makes a wide range of fun and tasty sweets. Here are some of their most popular ones:
Refreshers: Chewy and Fizzy Fun
Refreshers are one of Swizzels' best-loved sweets. They are flat, chewy candies with a fizzy sherbet center. You can find them in lemon and strawberry flavours. They are called New Refreshers to avoid confusion with another company's similar sweet.
Fizzers: Rolled-Up Fizzy Tablets
Fizzers are small, round tablet candies that come rolled up. They fizz and dissolve in your mouth, or even in soda! They are a bit like the American candy called Smarties. Swizzels also makes bigger versions called Giant Fizzers.
Parma Violets: A Unique Taste
Parma Violets are small, disc-shaped sweets. They are similar to Fizzers but are all lilac in colour. They have a unique, flowery taste and do not fizz. Just like Fizzers, you can also find Giant Parma Violets.
Drumstick Products: Chewy Lollies and More
The original Drumstick sweet is a chewy lolly. It has two classic flavours: milk and raspberry. Over the years, many special versions have been made, including a popular lime and orange flavour. Good news for vegans: Drumsticks are now suitable for them!
Drumstick Squashies
In 2012, Swizzels launched "Drumstick Squashies." These are soft, foam-like chewy sweets. They have the same great taste as the original Drumstick lolly. You can find them in different flavours, like bubblegum.
Drumstick Chocolate Bar
In 2020, Swizzels even made a Drumstick Chocolate Bar! It has milk chocolate with a raspberry and milk flavour filling. It also has tiny pieces of freeze-dried raspberry. This chocolate bar is suitable for vegetarians.
Other Sweet Treats
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Swizzels makes many other exciting sweets, including:
- Banana Skids
- Climpies
- Double Lollies
- Fruity Pops
- Fun Gums
- Snap & Crackle
- Mr Chews
- Rainbow Dust
- Rainbow Drops
- Love Hearts
- Double Dip
- Tango Orange Flavour Chew Bar
- Stinger Tutti-Fruiti Flavour Chew Bar
- Crystal Fruits
