So much of the world has changed since Alfred Haigh opened his first Haigh’s Chocolates store 100 years ago.
But for the Haigh family – Australia’s oldest and most iconic family-owned chocolate company – some things are timeless.
That crack as your teeth bite down and break the rich chocolate shell and the sweet tang as the candied apricot centre spreads across the tongue. Those moments haven’t changed since Alfred first created his favoured fruit-centred chocolates in 1917.
Simon, John and Alister Haigh
Continuity and connection
Haigh’s marketing manager Fiona Krawczyk believes the two integral themes in the 100 year story of the iconic chocolate brand are “continuity and connection”.
“A part of our longevity is that we are still making a chocolate that was developed in the late 1910s,” Ms Krawczyk said.
“We’ve moved with the times, and that particular chocolate, as with all our business and products, have continued to evolve but we’ve also been extremely careful not to dismiss the learnings of what’s got us to this point.”
In 1950, third generation managing director John Haigh travelled to Europe to take the next step in the company’s evolution.
“He spent time studying and working at Lindt and Sprüngli, learning from the masters in quality chocolate making, and then on the way back he stopped off in the US to look at what was happening in retail,” she said.
“He changed the way we made chocolate and the way we sold chocolate… it’s an important moment in our history and continues to influence company decisions today.”
John remains chairman and is still involved in the business. The fourth generation, Alister and Simon Haigh, are now the company’s joint managing directors and Millie, Alister’s daughter and a fifth-generation family member, is also part of the company’s marketing team.
Control and patience
Additional chapter headings in the Haigh’s success story are “control and patience”.
“These two things influence so much of our business – as much today as it has in the past,” Ms Krawczyk said.
“We say we start with the bean, because we do. We may not grow the beans but we start with sourcing the right bean and then it’s a fully integrated system right up to getting it to the customer. Product development, design, packaging, retail… it’s all under our control.
“We continue small batch production so we can control the quality of each batch, get the most out of the bean depending on its origins and the season.
“Our growth has had to be carefully managed not just to make sure that quality keeps up with output but to make sure we’re doing it right in all our other aspects of business. That we have the right locations to sell from, the right packaging…”
Haigh’s Chocolates are releasing a number of specially themed chocolates and memorabilia for their 100th anniversary.
It may have taken 100 years, but Haigh’s now has six stores in Adelaide, six stores in Melbourne and two in Sydney and last year, it finally opened its online store.
“For us our flagship stores need to tie in with the story of Haigh’s as much as the product on the shelf. We’ve been quite comfortable to sit back and be patient, and to wait for the right location before expanding to a new retail outlet.”
That’s why Haigh’s online store only opened last year.
“We couldn’t go online until we could make sure that despite delivery method and distance the customer still gets the same Haigh’s experience you would get by visiting our store in person,” she said.
“It took a little time and there’s no doubt that online will be a big focus for us in the coming years, as well as growing our manufacturing capabilities and number of outlets… slowly.”
2015 and beyond
Haigh’s is celebrating its 100th year with a full 12-month program of events, special releases and an exhibition at the State Library of South Australia.
“We started working on our centenary celebrations over three years ago, including appointing an archivist to help collate material for a special book we’re releasing at the end of the year,” Ms Krawczyk said.
“We’re also releasing new seasonal chocolates that pay homage to some of our original products… such as the walnut cream and apricot centres.
“Initially we were worried that perhaps not enough had been kept … but slowly we’ve started to amass this amazing treasure trove of vintage packaging, artwork and hand-written sales ledgers that we believe Alfred must have filled out himself.”
The State Library exhibition runs until July 26 – before travelling to Sydney and Melbourne and later to Jamestown and Mt Gambier, where Alfred once lived.