The British chocolate industry
13 October 2011 – The British love chocolate. Since cocoa became the drink of choice for affluent gentlemen shortly after its arrival on our shores in the eighteenth century we have been passionate about this culinary treat. The average person eats around 200 bars of chocolate a year and we spend around £4billion on chocolate – a staggering 70% of the UK confectionery market. And at one point in its history, one in ten Christmas stockings contained a Terry’s Chocolate Orange.
So how has this product, derived from the simple cacao bean, stood the test of time? Well, the creation of the chocolate bar and wrapper in the in the late nineteenth century gave the marketers powerful branding opportunities which were duly and cleverly exploited. Some of the most memorable product slogans of the last century have been about chocolate and Cadbury’s, Rowntree’s and Terry’s are amongst some of the most well known British brands and have held their own, despite the takeovers.Recently companies have harnessed the power of the internet with corporate websites sharing their recipes, detailing their heritage and listing their ethical credentials and commitment to fair trade. Some like Cadbury’s have even opened their doors to their adoring public. Chocolate is as popular today as it has ever been.
Rich with colourful illustrations and pictures, this book charts the history of chocolate manufacture, marketing and consumption in Britain from its origins in the eighteenth century, through the golden age from 1900 to the 1970s and the subsequent US and Swiss invasions.
About the Author: Paul Chrystal followed university training in classics with a career in publishing. He is the author of several books on Classics and local history. Joe Dickinson, whose collection has provided many of the images in Chocolate, spent most of his life working for Rowntrees of York, one of Britain’s great confectionery makers. He is the owner and curator of a vast archive of material relating to Rowntrees, and the author of a pictorial history of York.
