 | | Monkhill Confectionery - Now known as Taveners |  |
| PLEASE NOTE THAT MONKHILL NO LONGER EXISTS. IT WAS TAKEN OVER BY ANOTHER COMPANY AND IS NOW CALLED TAVENERS. THE SWEETS AND THEIR INGREDIENTS REMAIN THE SAME, THE ONLY THING THAT HAS CHANGED IS THE NAME AND LESS ARTIFICIAL COLOURING. SO DO NOT BE ALARMED IF YOU RECIEVE SWEETS THAT ARE NAMED TAVENERS AND ARE SLIGHTLY LESS COLOURFUL THAN BEFORE. THEY TASTE THE SAME... PROMISE!
With major new ingredients contributing to the rich mix, life is getting ever more sweet for Monkhill Confectionery, as logistics director Ian Hanson tells Cathy Stewart.
Talking to Ian Hanson is a little like meeting a top celebrity agent: those starry names trip off the tongue so easily, you can't help but be impressed. Pascal's Sherbert Lemons, Craven Keiller's Butterscotch, Barrett's Shrimps, Barker and Dobson Mint Humbugs... All the confectionery pin ups of my youth and Ian knows them all!
The company came into being as a division of Trebor Bassett Ltd, which is now combined in a legal partnership with Cadbury Ltd as Cadbury Trebor Bassett, all operating under the umbrella of Cadbury's Schweppes. "So, what you had," says Ian Hanson, "was Trebor Bassett as the sugar confectionery arm, and Cadbury's concentrating on the chocolate. Then, in April 1999, Trebor Bassett split with Trebor Bassett focussing on the main brands, like Bassett Liquorice Allsorts and Trebor Extra Strong Mints; while Monkhill Confectionery was set up to look after traditional brands like Sharp's Toffees and Wilkinson's Pontefract Cakes.
The company has responsibility for two manufacturing sites, at York and Pontefract, employing 650 people in the production of an astounding total of two thousand million sweets per year, with product types varying from gums and jellies through to nougat and dolly mix. "We do have products made for us however at all the Cadbury's Trebor Bassett factories, too." continues Ian. "They make sweets for Monkhill and we make sweets for them. But the York and Pontefract sites are under sole Monkhill Confectionery control."
Despite the fact that it has only been in existence for a short time, the company is very successful. It is fully accredited to BRC standards and has IS 9002 quality approval. Currently it is spending millions of pounds on developing business across its sites.
In another significant development, Monkhill has recently taken over responsibility for the sales and marketing of the Butterkist brand. First launched in 1938, Butterkist was acquired by CTB as part of Craven Keiller in 1996.
As well as offering true confectionery innovation, Monkhill holds the UK rights to distribute all Cadbury's products that are manufactured overseas. It is also the UK's number one producer of large sweetie jars, always made of plastic now because of today's strict health and safety regulations on the use of glass in factories. But while the packaging may change, Monkhill Confectionery is committed to ensuring the highest of standards in the manufacture of its products, with the great old stagers sharing the spotlight equally with the youngest of the rising stars. |
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