Chocolate honeycomb treat Violet Crumble will once again be manufactured in South Australia, bringing 30 new jobs and a $4m factory expansion.
Longstanding SA confectioner Robern Menz, mostly known as the maker of FruChocs, will acquire the Violet Crumble brand from Swiss confectionary giant Nestlé.
The iconic purple and yellow wrapped sweet – known for the tagline ‘it’s the way it shatters that matters’ – will be manufactured at the Robern Menz factory at Glynde, increasing production volume by 30%.
Robern Menz’ Phil and Richard Sims are now in charge of the Violet Crumble.
The Violet Crumble was invented by Melbourne man Abel Hoadley in 1913 and was made in Adelaide by previous manufacturer Rowntree Hoadley up to 1985.
Four years later Nestlé bought Rowntree and the Violet Crumble has been made in Melbourne ever since.
Robern Menz, which is also behind Crown Mints, JeliChocs and its own honeycomb chocolate, will invest in a $4m upgrade and expansion of the Glynde factory.
The State Government has backed the sweet purchase with a $750,000 Future Jobs Fund grant while Robern Menz will also borrow $900,000 from the Investment Attraction Agency.
Robern Menz executive officer Phil Sims, who is an I Choose SA ambassador, says the opportunity to be the new gatekeeper of the Violet Crumble was “too good to pass on”.
“We are really excited to have partnered with Nestlé and reached an agreement to acquire what is undoubtedly one of Australia’s great brands,” he says.
Phil says plans will be developed in 2018 for the Violet Crumble to be created “in a variety of nostalgic formats”, while the recipe will remain the same.
Premier Jay Weatherill is also a fan of the crumbly, choc-coated honeycomb.
“Like many South Australians, I love Violet Crumbles, and it’s great we can now all enjoy these chocolate bars knowing we’re also supporting South Australian jobs,” he says.
“Robern Menz is a household name in South Australia, and it’s great that this local business has ambitions to grow their operations and create more local jobs in food processing.”
Visit I Choose SA to find out how you can support our State by choosing South Australian businesses, products and services.
