Tunnock's facts for kids
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| Private limited company | |
| Industry | Food and drink (bakery) |
| Founded | December 1890 in Uddingston, Scotland |
| Founder | Thomas Tunnock |
| Headquarters | Uddingston, Scotland, UK |
| Products | Cakes, biscuits |
| Owner | Tunnock family |
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Number of employees
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550 |
Thomas Tunnock Limited, often called Tunnock's, is a famous Scottish company that makes sweet treats. It's based in Uddingston, Scotland. The company is currently led by Sir Boyd Tunnock, who is the grandson of the founder, Thomas Tunnock. In 2013, Tunnock's was named one of the oldest family businesses in Scotland.
Tunnock's also supported Scottish football for two seasons, 2019 and 2020, by sponsoring the Scottish Challenge Cup.
A Sweet History
Tunnock's began in 1890 when Thomas Tunnock (born in 1865) bought a baker's shop in Uddingston. The company grew a lot in the 1950s. This was when they started making their most famous products. At that time, there wasn't much sugar and fat available. So, Tunnock's began making treats that would last longer than regular cakes.
Since 2005, Tunnock's has helped sponsor the Tour of Mull. This is an exciting yearly car rally held on the beautiful Isle of Mull.
In September 2010, some Tunnock's workers in Uddingston went on strike. They wanted better pay. The company and the workers talked it over. They reached an agreement in October 2010, and the workers received a pay raise.
In November 2015, Tunnock's gave a large donation of £250,000. This money helped create an independent lifeboat station at St Abbs, which helps save lives at sea.
Scottish Pride
Tunnock's is known as a very Scottish brand. Its packaging even shows the Scottish lion rampant, which is a symbol of Scotland. Since it started, Tunnock's has always been a Scottish family-owned company. This is a big part of what makes it special.
In 2012, Boyd Tunnock, the company's boss, said he was proud to be "Nationalist British." This means he felt proud of both Scotland and the wider United Kingdom.
During the 2014 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony in Glasgow, something fun happened. Dancers dressed as giant Tunnock's teacakes performed! After this, sales of Tunnock's teacakes went up by a lot.
In 2016, some people worried that Tunnock's was hiding its Scottish roots. This was because an advertisement in London Underground stations didn't show the Scottish lion. It called their teacakes "Tunnock’s Great British Teacake." Boyd Tunnock explained that in England, people might not know it's a Scottish brand.
In 2017, Tunnock's decided to label their wafer creams sold in Japan as "Made in Great Britain." However, the company wasn't sure if the Japanese would like caramel wafers. They thought it might be "a cultural thing," as the Japanese found them "too chewy."
Tunnock's Teacakes
The Tunnock's Teacake is a popular sweet treat. Many people enjoy it with a cup of tea or coffee. Sir Boyd Tunnock created this special snack in 1956.
A teacake has a small, round shortbread biscuit at the bottom. On top of the biscuit is a dome of Italian meringue. This is a fluffy, whipped egg white mixture, a bit like marshmallow but lighter. Then, the whole thing is covered in a thin layer of milk or dark chocolate. The milk chocolate teacakes are wrapped in red and silver foil. The dark chocolate ones come in blue, black, and gold wrapping.
An old RAF bomber pilot named Tony Cunnane shared a funny story. Tunnock's Teacakes were a favorite snack for pilots flying at high altitudes. They discovered that the teacakes would expand in the sky! But one time, a teacake exploded on the instrument panel because it was unwrapped.
Caramel Wafers
The Tunnock's Caramel Wafer is officially called the Tunnock's Milk Chocolate Coated Caramel Wafer Biscuit. It's a bar with five layers of wafer biscuit. Between these layers are four layers of sweet caramel. The whole bar is covered in chocolate made from cocoa and milk.
These wafers are wrapped in red and gold foil. You can also find dark chocolate wafers, which are wrapped in blue and gold.
At the University of St Andrews, there's even a Tunnock's Caramel Wafer Appreciation Society! It was started in 1982 by students who really love these wafers.
In 2022, Tunnock's sponsored the rugby pitch at Uddingston Rugby Club. They made the padded posts look like giant Caramel Wafer bars!
Other Delicious Products
Tunnock's also makes other tasty treats. Many of these are similar to their main products. The Caramel Log is like the Caramel Wafer, but it has roasted coconut on the outside. Wafer Creams and Florida Orange wafers have chocolate or orange flavored cream instead of caramel.
A Snowball is similar to a Teacake. It has a soft chocolate shell with grated coconut on the outside, but it doesn't have a biscuit base.
Even though many supermarkets ask, Tunnock's does not make any own brand biscuits for them. They prefer to keep their products unique.
In 2013, Tunnock's worked with Tesco to sell a range of branded items. These included teacake tea towels, aprons, and china mugs. They even sold a "yard of caramel wafers," which was a very long pack of them! These items are still sold today.
