Rowntree Mackintosh Confectionery
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|
| Joint Venture | |
| Industry | Confectionery |
| Predecessor |
Rowntree's Mackintosh's |
| Successor | Nestle |
| Founded | 1862 |
| Defunct | 1988 (Purchased by Nestle) |
| Headquarters | York, England |
|
Key people
|
Henry Isaac Rowntree Joseph Rowntree |
| Products | Aero, Quality Street, Rolo, Kit Kat, Smarties, Fruit Pastilles and Fruit Gums. |
Rowntree Mackintosh Confectionery was a confectionery Company formed by the merger of Rowntree's and John Mackintosh Co.. The company was famous for making well-known brands of chocolate, including Kit Kat, Aero and Quality Street. Nestle have since purchased Rowntree Mackintosh Confectionery and was defunct in 1988 by the company's purchase as Nestle has re-branded all of its products to Nestle Confectionery. Nestle's main reason for the purchase is for the rights to the products but also Rowntree's York Factory. Rowntree Mackintosh Confectionery also owned John Mackintosh Co.'s former headquarters and current factory. The Halifax-based factory is still used today, located next to Halifax railway station for the production of Quality Street and more. Rowntree's former factory and headquarters were in York. Nestle has invested more than £200 million in the Rowntree's business since 1988, making the York site one of the world's largest confectionery factories. Nestle's global research centre for confectionery is also based here, and recently doubled in size following a £7 million investment.
In 1862, Rowntree's was founded at Castlegate, York by Henry Isaac Rowntree, as the company manager bought out the Tuke family. In 1864 Rowntree acquired an old iron foundry at Tanners Moat for £1,000, and moved production there. In 1869 the factory was staffed by 12 men. By 1869 Rowntree was in financial difficulties and his brother, Joseph Rowntree, joined him in full partnership, and H.I. Rowntree & Co was formally established. In 1881, Rowntree introduced Fruit Pastilles, competing against French imports of the time, and the product proved to be a great success, accounting for about 25 percent of the company's tonnage by 1887. This success allowed the company to invest in a Van Houten press, which enabled it to produce chocolate with the cocoa butter removed, in order to compete with Cadbury's successful Cocoa Essence. In the 1890s, Rowntree transformed from a small family business into a large-scale manufacturer, as sales more than quadrupled due to an increased demand among the public for confectionery. Six years after Rowntree's formation in 1868 John Mackintosh Co. was formed.
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