Rowntree's

Henry Isaac Rowntree (1837 – 1883) was the founder of Rowntree's, one of the United Kingdom's largest confectionery businesses.

Joseph Rowntree (24 May 1836 – 24 February 1925) was a Quaker philanthropist and businessman from York, England. Rowntree is perhaps best known for being a champion of social reform, partner and friend of Charles Booth, and his time as a chocolatier at family business Rowntree's, one of the most important in Britain. Even as a powerful businessman, he was deeply interested in improving the quality of life of his employees; this led to him becoming a philanthropist, pursuing many charitable causes. In 1904 he created three trusts,the Joseph Rowntree Village Trust (JRVT) which was originally set up to build and manage the garden village of New Earswick, the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust (JRCT) and the Joseph Rowntree Social Services Trust (JRSST). The latter two were both set up to effect social reform, the difference between them being that whereas the Charitable Trust was set up as a charity, the Social Services Trust was set up as a limited company so that if necessary it would be able to undertake social and political work not legally allowed by a charitable Trust. He suggested that only the JRVT would be permanent but in fact all the trusts are still in existence although the Social Services Trust has changed its name to the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust and with the separation of the Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust from the Village Trust in 1968, there are now four trusts that exist today.

Kenneth Herbert Morley Dixon CBE (19 August 1929 – 10 February 2022) was a British businessman who worked for the Rowntree's confectionary company in York, starting from 1956. He was initially responsible for the Black Magic brand of chocolates and introduced the popular After Eight mint chocolate wafers. Dixon rose to become chairman of the company in 1981. After it was taken over by Nestlé in 1988, he served on the board of that and other companies including British Rail and Yorkshire-Tyne Tees Television. He also supported a variety of educational and philanthropic institutions in York including the University and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Dixon died on 10 February 2022, at the age of 92.

Nestlé S.A. (NESS-lay, -⁠lee, -⁠əl, ) is a Swiss multinational food and drink processing conglomerate corporation headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland. It has been the largest publicly held food company in the world, measured by revenue and other metrics, since 2014. It ranked No. 64 on the Fortune Global 500 in 2017. In 2023, the company was ranked 50th in the Forbes Global 2000.

The Fawdon Factory is a confectionery factory at Fawdon, in the English city of Newcastle upon Tyne. The factory was built for Rowntree's, and since 1988 has been run by Nestlé. As of 2014 it was Nestlé's largest UK factory after York.

Rowntree's Fruit Gums are circular sweets formerly made by Rowntree's, who were later acquired by Nestlé. There are five flavours, each of a different colour: strawberry (originally raspberry), orange, lemon, blackcurrant, and lime.

Rowntree Mackintosh plc (ROWN-tree MAH-kin-taw-sh), trading as Rowntree Mackintosh Confectionery, was an English confectionery company based in York, England. It was formed by the merger of Rowntree's and John Mackintosh Co. The company was famous for making chocolate brands, such as Kit Kat, Aero and Quality Street. It was purchased by Nestlé in 1987, with products rebranded under its own brand.

Mackintosh's (MAH-kin-tosh-iz) was a British confectionery firm founded in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. It was known for its toffee and the Quality Street and Rolo brands.

Nestlé UK Ltd. (NESS-lay), trading as Rowntree's (ROWN-treez), is a British confectionery brand and a former business based in York, England. Rowntree developed the Kit Kat (introduced in 1935), Aero (introduced in 1935), Fruit Pastilles (introduced in 1881), Smarties (introduced in 1937) brands, and the Rolo and Quality Street brands when it merged with Mackintosh's in 1969 to form Rowntree Mackintosh Confectionery. Rowntree's also launched After Eight thin mint chocolates in 1962. The Yorkie and Lion bars were introduced in 1976. Rowntree's also pioneered the festive selection box (a gift consisting of assorted bars and sweets) which in the UK have been a staple gift at Christmas for over a century.