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Firm that flavoured all our childhoods
LIFE is certainly sweet for Swizzels Matlow – producers of Love Hearts, Drumstick lollies and Rainbow Drops –who are celebrating their 80th anniversary.
Britain's love affair with the popular confectionery manufacturer shows no signs of waning with more sweets now sold than ever before.
The discerning public still hanker after their childhood favourites, which have stood the test of time, created by the family-run business who are proud of the investment that has seen the whole factory become free of artificial flavours and colours.
Swizzels Matlow has seen three generations pass through its ranks and presently has seven family members upholding the family legacy.
The Advertiser took the opportunity to take a peek behind the scenes of their New Mills factory, now one of the area's main employers, where a staggering number of sweets are made each year.
Communications director Andrew Matlow said: "We now sell more Rainbow Drops than we ever sold before – 60 million bags a year we are now making.
"We make 120 million drumstick lollies, 80 to 90 million refresher chew bars."
With turnover now at 44 million, it is amazing to think how much confectionery is involved when you look at the price of drumstick lolly.
Today, Drumstick lollies are the UK's best selling lollipop brand, selling in excess of 150 million a year. New Refreshers is the UK's best selling chew bar brand and, since its launch in 1954, has sold in excess of 1.2 billion bars.
During the visit the factory was preparing for Halloween which is now one of the main busy times of the year.
"Every year is seems to be getting bigger and bigger, " explained Mr Matlow.
Deep into the factory there is a new delicious mouthwatering smell round every corner with different departments specialising in production of each of the famous brands.
It is only once inside that you can appreciate the scale of the operation with the sweets whizzing by to be wrapped and boxed at record speed
The company foundations were laid 80 years ago in a small factory in London when Alfred and Maurice Matlow set up Matlow Bros, where initial production consisted of jelly type confectionery.
In 1933 the two brothers, together with David Dee, formed Swizzels Limited in factory premises in East London, specialising in the manufacture of fizzy sweets in compressed tablet form.
The move to the High Peak was prompted in 1940, following the 'Blitz', when both companies evacuated to a disused textile mill in New Mills, where the company has remained every since.
Purchasing director Brian Dee said: "The best accolade we get is when adults say they taste exactly like they did when I was a child.
"We have never changed the ingredients or the formulas."
Continual investment in the production lines has most recently seen a new 250,000 wrapping machine installed to help ensure New Refreshers are made in a more effective way.
It is not just the UK where the sweets are firm favourites, as twenty per cent of turnover comes from the export market.The firm does particularly well in Sweden, producing special sweets for the Scandinavian market including salted liquorice.
While the sector has witnessed the demise of hundreds of similar companies, Swizzels Matlow has maintained a strong foothold in the market.
It continues to produce some of the country's most popular and enduring brands including Love Hearts, Parma Violets, Fizzers, Double Lollies, Rainbow Drops, Double Dip and Fun Gums.
Parma Violets and Rainbow Drops are two of the oldest confectionery products still in existence.
Andrew said: "In every single sweet shop and supermarket in the entire country it would be very rare not to see one of our products – and that gives you a lot of satisfaction."
The success of the firm is seen as very much a team effort with not just the founders having two and three generations involved in the company but many of the workforce as well.
After 80 years creating some of the nation's favourite sweets the company continues to go from strength to strength.
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Thursday 24 May 2012
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