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Whittaker's

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Whittaker's
Company typePrivate limited liability company
IndustryChocolatier
FoundedChristchurch, 1896
FounderJ. H. Whittaker
Headquarters
Porirua, New Zealand
OwnerWhittaker family

J.H. Whittaker & Sons, Ltd (Whittaker's) is a New Zealand confectionery manufacturer specialising in palm oil-free[1] chocolate, based in Porirua. Whittaker's is the largest chocolate brand in New Zealand.[2] Approximately 30% of their production is now exported.[3] The company controls its entire manufacturing process in its facility in Porirua, identifying itself as a "bean-to-bar" manufacturer.[2] James Henry Whittaker (1868–1947) started the business in Christchurch in 1896[2] and it was later moved to Wellington.

History

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Whittaker's Chocolates & Confectionery Company's Fargo Truck
photo of chocolate bar wrapper
Māori-language label for Whittaker's Creamy Milk

James Henry Whittaker (1868–1947) worked in the British confectionery industry from the age of 14 and moved to New Zealand with his wife Leah Alice in 1890.[4] He was a salesman for Cadbury's chocolate before and after his move to New Zealand.[4] In 1896 he started manufacturing chocolate confectionery, selling it directly to customers using a horse and van.[5] In 1913, he established a partnership with his two sons, Ronald and James, based in Wellington. The business became a limited liability company in 1937, with third-generation Whittakers still the sole shareholders in the company. In 1969 the company moved from Wellington to Porirua, because they needed more space and their premises at 167 Vivian Street were under threat from motorway development.[5][6] The Peanut Slab was invented in the 1950s[5] and Whittaker's began exporting it in 1985.[6] In the 1970s and 80s they also produced Santé Bars, Toffee Milk Bars and K-Bars.[6] The company began producing large blocks of chocolate in the 1990s.[5] In 1992 the company formed J. H. Whittaker New Zealand Ltd.[5]

The company has provided commercial sponsorship for motor sports in New Zealand and for the All Blacks.[7][8]

The company's marketing phrases include "A passion for chocolate since 1896" and "Good honest chocolate" and also "from bean to bar". In 2011 it was listed as New Zealand's third most trusted brand by a Bradley Colman survey.[9] From 2012 to 2023 Whittaker's was voted New Zealand's most trusted brand,[10][11][12] benefitting from Cadbury's 2009 bad publicity surrounding palm oil and changes in product size,[13][14] and further fallout from Cadbury's closure of its Dunedin factory in 2017.[15][16] In 2023, Whittaker's also won 'Most Trusted Confectionary' and 'Most Trusted New Zealand Iconic Brand'. Organisers of the 2023 survey stated that Whittaker's success stemmed from its engagement with its customers, integrating their ideas into the business. Whittaker's was also transparent about aspects of their products, including price changes, which helped build trust with consumers.[12]

In May 2014, celebrity chef Nigella Lawson filmed an advert for Whittaker's in the 1930s Wellington railway station.[17][18] Later, in 2022, Karl Urban appeared in an advert as a fictionalised time-travelling James Whittaker, appearing in Wellington's Civic Square.[19][20]

In June 2014, Whittaker's expanded its market to Malaysia.[21]

In 2014 Whittaker's set up a programme to support and improve cocoa bean production in Samoa, and in 2017 expanded the programme to include New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.[22][23][24] In 2019 Whittaker's admitted that while some bars have ethically-sourced cocoa beans, the sugar is primarily sourced from Thailand.[25] Thailand is known to have child labour in the sugar cane industry.[26] In 2020 Whittaker's announced that its 116 products made with Ghanaian cocoa beans would now be 'Rainforest Alliance Certified'.[27] The company also uses small amounts of beans from Samoa and Nicaragua.

Apart from being named as New Zealand's most trusted brand, the company has won other awards including 'Exporter of the Year' at the 2021 ExportNZ ASB Wellington Export Awards[28] and Supreme Award in the 2022 Wellington Gold Awards, which are awarded to recognise businesses in the Wellington region.[29]

In 2020, Whittaker's produced a limited-release Māori language label for its 'Creamy Milk' chocolate block for social media engagement purposes.[30] In August 2022 the company distributed chocolate with a Māori label nationwide for Māori Language Week. The label had the chocolate variety 'Creamy Milk' written in Māori as 'Miraka Kirīmi'. The initiative was met with both praise and hostility from the public.[31] In 2024 Whittaker's announced that it would no longer produce the Māori label, but would be supporting Māori Language Week in other ways.[30]

Singer Ed Sheeran visited New Zealand in February 2023 and said via Instagram that he liked New Zealand chocolate.[32] Whittaker's responded by sending Sheeran a block of Creamy Milk with Sheeran's face on the label, calling it the 'Ed Block'. Whittaker's then teamed up with Sheeran to auction signed T-shirts and a supply of chocolate to raise funds for victims of the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Weekend floods.[33][34]

In March 2024 Whittaker's announced the discontinuation of Toffee Milks.[35]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Dr Siouxsie Wiles. "Greta's mates: The responsible generation".
  2. ^ a b c Adams, Christopher (6 November 2010). "Tough task wooing the tastebuds". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 7 November 2010.
  3. ^ "The bitter aftertaste to Cadbury's closing". Otago Daily Times Online News. 23 February 2017. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
  4. ^ a b "Whittaker, James Henry, 1868-1947". natlib.govt.nz. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d e "History". J. H. Whittaker & Sons, Ltd.
  6. ^ a b c "Wellington Classics: A Slab on the Back". Wellington City Magazine. June 1986. p. 9. Retrieved 18 July 2021 – via Wellington City Libraries.
  7. ^ "MG Classic". www.mgcarclub.org.nz. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  8. ^ "Whittaker's serves up scrumptious support for the All Blacks". stoppress.co.nz. 25 May 2017. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  9. ^ Hannan, Hayley (25 July 2011). "Cadbury falls from grace in most-trusted survey". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
  10. ^ "New Zealand's most trusted brand hasn't changed in a decade, survey says". Stuff. 26 April 2021. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  11. ^ "Whittaker's – 2022 Trusted Brands New Zealand Winner". www.trustedbrands.co.nz. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  12. ^ a b "Here are the top 10 most trusted brands in New Zealand in 2023". morefm.co.nz. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  13. ^ Owen, Scott (4 August 2015). "Lessons in Whittaker's tasty marketing". The Press. p. A9. ProQuest 1700787621. Retrieved 18 July 2021 – via Proquest Australia & New Zealand Newsstream.
  14. ^ Edmunds, Susan (13 September 2016). "Chocolate wars heat up as Whittaker's appeal firms". Manawatu Standard. p. 7. ProQuest 1818471333. Retrieved 18 July 2021 – via Proquest Australia & New Zealand Newsstream.
  15. ^ Susan Edmunds (24 February 2017). "Cadbury backlash a win for Kiwi chocolate brand Whittaker's". Stuff.
  16. ^ "The bitter aftertaste to Cadbury's closing". Otago Daily Times. 23 February 2017.
  17. ^ "Lawson filming at Wellington station". Stuff/Fairfax. 6 May 2014.
  18. ^ "Nigella Lawson causes a stir in Wellington". New Zealand Herald. 6 May 2014.
  19. ^ Whittaker's J.H. Returns (long version) on YouTube
  20. ^ Whittaker's J.H. Returns (short version) on YouTube
  21. ^ "Whittaker's Chocolate expands into Malaysia". Whittakers. Scoop. 19 June 2014. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
  22. ^ "Good Honest Samoan Cocoa: Reconnecting with our Pacific family". www.whittakers.co.nz. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
  23. ^ "Revitalising Samoa's cocoa industry". FMCG Business. 11 November 2019. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
  24. ^ Fairtrade ANZ (July 2016). Evaluation of Support for Fairtrade Business Development in Pacific Island Countries: Final Evaluation Report (PDF). Coffey.
  25. ^ Nadkarni, Anuja (7 June 2019). "Whittakers and Mondelez cannot confirm their chocolate is free of child labour". Stuff NZ. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  26. ^ "Child Labor and Forced Labor Reports". US Department of Labour. 2019. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  27. ^ "Whittaker's announces new Rainforest Alliance partnership". FMCG Business. 8 April 2020. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
  28. ^ Wellington Chamber of Commerce (19 November 2021). "Whittaker's Claim Top Prize At Wellington Export Awards [Press Release]". www.scoop.co.nz. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  29. ^ Wong, Justin (7 July 2022). "Whittaker's picks up supreme award at Wellington Gold Awards". Stuff. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  30. ^ a b Armah, Mildred (12 September 2024). "Whittaker's gives Miraka Kirīmi chocolate block the chop". Stuff. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  31. ^ Jacobs, Maxine (16 August 2022). "Chocolate lovers stand up against racist backlash to Whittaker's Miraka Kirīmi". Stuff. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
  32. ^ Jack, Amberleigh (2 February 2023). "Whittaker's has made an Ed Sheeran chocolate bar, but not even the singer himself has one". Stuff. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
  33. ^ "Choccy treat for Sheeran will sell for Auckland flood relief". NZ Herald. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
  34. ^ "Ed's Sharing". www.whittakers.co.nz. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
  35. ^ "'Childhood favourite disappears': Classic Kiwi treat to be axed". The New Zealand Herald. 19 March 2024. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
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