Violet Crumble facts for kids
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| Owner | Robern Menz |
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| Introduced | 1913 |
| Previous owners | Nestlé Hoadley's |
The Violet Crumble is a famous Australian chocolate bar. It has a crunchy, crumbly centre made of honeycomb toffee, which is a sweet, airy candy. This centre is covered in a layer of chocolate.
The first Violet Crumble bars were made by a company called Hoadley's Chocolates in South Melbourne, Australia, around 1913. Today, they are made in Adelaide, South Australia, by a company called Robern Menz. For a while, another company, Nestlé, owned the brand. The well-known saying for Violet Crumble is "It's the way it shatters that matters". You can find Violet Crumble bars in Australia, Hawaii, Hong Kong, and some stores in the United States.
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How Violet Crumble Started
The story of Violet Crumble began with a man named Abel Hoadley. He started a jam factory in South Melbourne in 1889. His business grew very quickly. By 1901, he was making many different foods, including jams, jellies, and sweets.
In 1913, Abel Hoadley started a new company called Hoadley's Chocolates. That same year, he made his first box of chocolates. He packed them in a purple box with violets on it. This was a special tribute to his wife, who loved the colour purple and violets.
Inside this chocolate box, there was a piece of honeycomb. People loved this honeycomb so much that Abel Hoadley decided to make it into its own candy bar.
Making the First Bar
Making the honeycomb bar was a bit tricky at first. When the honeycomb cooled down, it would absorb moisture from the air. This made the pieces stick together. To solve this problem, Hoadley decided to dip the honeycomb in chocolate. The chocolate coating kept the honeycomb dry and crunchy. This is how the Violet Crumble bar was created in 1913.
Abel Hoadley wanted to call his new bar just "Crumble." However, he couldn't protect that name as a trademark. So, he used his wife's favourite flower and registered the name "Violet Crumble." The bar came in a purple wrapper with a small flower logo. It quickly became very popular.
Who Owned Violet Crumble?
Over the years, the ownership of Violet Crumble changed a few times.
- In 1970, an English company called Rowntree's bought Hoadley's Chocolates. Rowntree's made Violet Crumble in Adelaide until 1985.
- Then, in 1988, Nestlé bought Rowntree's. Nestlé moved the production of Violet Crumble to Melbourne.
- In 2010, Nestlé stopped making Violet Crumble bars.
- But good news came in 2018! On January 11, the Australian company Robern Menz bought the Violet Crumble brand. They started making the bars again on October 10, 2018.
Keeping it Fresh
The honeycomb inside Violet Crumble can easily absorb moisture from the air. This makes it less crunchy. To keep the bars fresh, Abel Hoadley used a special system to track how long they had been on the shelf. He wanted to make sure only fresh bars were sold.
He also looked all over the world for a new type of wrapper. Eventually, a French company created a special moisture-resistant wrapper just for Violet Crumble. This wrapper helps keep the bar crunchy and delicious.
How Violet Crumble is Made Today
First, the honeycomb is made and moved into a cool, air-conditioned area. Here, it is cut into bar shapes. Then, these honeycomb pieces go through machines that cover them in chocolate. The bars are actually covered twice to make sure the honeycomb is completely sealed from the air. After that, the bars travel through cooling tunnels. Finally, they go to automatic machines that wrap them up.
Did you know that another popular Australian chocolate bar, Bertie Beetle, was created using broken pieces of Violet Crumble? Bertie Beetle was first introduced in 1963.
See also
