A taste of the past

Rowntree’s was founded in 1862 by Henry Isaac Rowntree, whose brother Joseph joined him in the business in 1869, forming Rowntree & Co. Henry Rowntree led the business into the newly emerging confectionary market, which was proving lucrative at the time.

In 1881, Fruit Pastilles were created to compete against French imports of the time, and found huge success, accounting for a quarter of the company’s production by 1887.

The profits generated by this success allowed Rowntree & Co to invest in new premises on Haxby Road, north of York city centre, creating what would come to be known as the famous Rowntree Factory.

By the early 1900s, the factory was fully operational and ushered in methods of cocoa manufacture that were state of the art at the time.

Joseph Rowntree was a philanthropist and very much ahead of his time when it came to worker welfare and social value, hence the presence of facilities such as a dining hall, school room, gym, lecture halls and an orchard in the premises.

Throughout the early 20th century, the brand developed into a globally renowned name, thanks to sweets and chocolate with distinctive brand identities such as Aero, KitKat and Black Magic, all created at The Cocoa Works and still popular today. The factory itself became iconic in the region.

Nestlé acquired Rowntree in 1988 and continued to produce the well-loved and world-famous brands, eventually moving to a new and modern facility.

Now, the building is set to become a community once again, after being bought by Latimer in 2017 and named in honour its rich history.