Aussie brands back in Aussie hands
A $4 million factory overhaul and new warehousing facilities are part of an Adelaide company’s expansion that will see one of Australia’s most popular chocolate bars back in Australian hands.
In a win for the Australian-owned product industry ahead of Australia Day, fourth-generation Adelaide confectionery company Robern Menz this month bought Nestle’s Violet Crumble brand, along with the intellectual property relating to the chocolate bar, its plant and equipment.
Robern Menz, which already produced a line of chocolate honeycomb before adding Violet Crumble to its stable, previously had so much domestic and export demand for its choc honeycomb products that in 2016 it needed to hire an additional seven full-time staff to its 80 employees, and add an extra shift at its Adelaide factory, according to The Advertiser.
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And that growth will now boom further, with the Violet Crumble deal seeing Robern Menz invest in a factory revamp and extension, new warehousing facilities and the creation of about 30 new jobs.
One of Australia’s most popular sweet snacks, Violet Crumbles were first produced in Melbourne in the early 1900s by Hoadley’s Chocolates (later Rowntree Hoadley), which made the bars until 1985, after the company had been acquired by Swiss giant Nestle.
Robern Menz has bought the Violet Crumble brand from Swiss giant Nestle.
Currently produced in the Melbourne suburb of Campbellfield, Violet Crumbles will soon be rolling off the production line at Robern Menz’s Glynde plant in Adelaide, which the company says will require a significant overhaul to accommodate the new line.
“As the new gatekeeper of Violet Crumble, we are aware of the responsibility that comes with owning a brand so highly regarded in the Australian market place,” Robern Menz CEO Phil Sims says.
“The company also is investing a further $4million in 2018 on a factory refit and extension and new warehousing facilities to further support the production of Violet Crumble and the growing demand for Robern Menz products,” Robern Menz adds in its statement.
“The sale of the Nestlé Violet Crumble brand to Robern Menz will see the South Australian based confectionery company obtain Nestlé’s rights to the Violet Crumble trademark and brand globally, with manufacturing, sales and marketing operations transitioning from Nestlé to Robern Menz gradually throughout 2018.”
The Violet Crumble isn’t the only famous Australian product back in local hands this Australia Day.
Australian cheese brand Bega bought the rights to iconic spread Vegemite from US food giant Mondelez International this time last year, for around $460 million.
