Over 90 years of the Chocolate Orange
A Terry’s Chocolate Orange finds its way into one in ten Christmas stockings in the UK
I for one always put a Chocolate Orange, alongside the traditional clementine and chocolate coins in my children’s stockings each Christmas, and my mother did the same for me when I was little, but have you wondered when the Chocolate Orange first made an appearance on our sweet shop shelves?
The beginning
The site in Bishopthorpe Road remained the hub of Terry’s confectionery production in Britain until sadly it closed in 2005. The very first business was founded by Mr Bayldon and Mr Berry in 1767 with the opening of a shop close to Bootham Bar, in York which sold boiled sweets, lemon and orange candid peel, and lozenges to chemists. In 1818, they moved to the St Helen’s Square premises that were to become the focal point of the brand over the next two decades. The Terry’s name first appeared when Joseph Terry became a partner in 1823.
Joseph Terry had a scientific background, a precise attitude to quality, and was a pioneer of new products.
It was this quality and innovation which made the company famous. By the 20th century, Terry’s had introduced the world to the boxed chocolate assortment as well as one of the world’s most iconic products: the Terry’s Chocolate Orange.
The apple came first
The first Terry’s chocolate fruit to be made in York wasn’t the orange but the Chocolate Apple in 1926.
Six years later, in 1932, came the famous Chocolate Orange.
There was also a brief outing for the Chocolate Lemon in 1979 but unsurprisingly it didn’t sell well.
Surveys reveal that a Terry’s Chocolate Orange finds its way into one in ten Christmas stockings in the UK.
Smaller is not always better
The Terry’s company was sold in the 1960s and has had various owners since. In 2000, the company’s links to York were eroded when the name was changed from Terry’s of York to Terry’s. Production was scaled back and 2005 saw the closure of the Terry’s factory. Chocolate Orange manufacturing was moved to continental Europe by then-owner Kraft Foods.
Kraft reduced the Chocolate Orange in size in 2016 from 175 grams to 157 grams and in some retail outlets, the price almost doubled.
Since 2018, it is produced in Strasbourg, France, by Carambar & Co.
Although the Chocolate Orange can no longer be called a British product I’m pretty sure there aren’t many other countries that include one in their children’s stockings, but I may be wrong…
What did you have in your Christmas stocking as a child? Do you put the same thing in your children’s or grandchildren’s stockings today?
Melina - Assistant Editor
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