York’s Chocolate Story is working in partnership with Nestle to bring KitKat Chocolatory to York, the UK’s home of KitKat. The KitKat Chocolatory is a luxury experience where visitors get the chance to create their own eight-finger KitKat using different flavour combinations and a host of diverse ingredients including shortbread pieces, mini marshmallows, honeycomb and rose petals. Visitors can also add a personalised message to the packaging.
The eight-finger KitKat will be hand-crafted at York’s Chocolate Story by expert chocolatiers and there will be special edition six-finger KitKat bars at York’s Chocolate Story too.
“We are thrilled to be bringing KitKat Chocolatory to York and excited to be partnering with Nestlé on this new venture,” says Stuart Wood, general manager, York’s Chocolate Story.
The KitKat was created in York more than 80 years ago, making York the worldwide home of KitKat. Both the ‘Create your Break’ and ‘Special Edition’ options are available to purchase at York’s Chocolate Story which offers a fully interactive guided tour showing the chocolate heritage within the city of York.
In 1935, Rowntree marketing manager George Harris was inspired to create a new type of product when a factory worker left a note in the company suggestion box: why not make something to eat in a ‘packup’. Harris set to work in making a simple treat that appealed to everybody, was snack-sized and easily affordable. Thus, the KitKat was born.
From humble beginnings in York, the KitKat has gone on to be a dominant force in the world of confectionery with 17.6 billion fingers produced every year.
KitKat’s are actually named after a pie. In 17th century London, baker Christopher Catling became famous for his mutton pies. The pies were affectionately named Kit Cats, after an abbreviated form of the baker’s name. These pies became popular with a group of political and literary elite who would gather in Catling’s pie shop. In time, this group became known as Kit Kat club. It is from this club that first an assortment box of chocolates made by Rowntrees was named, and later the chocolate bar itself.
