How the UK gave the world this quintessential chocolate wafer bar
Originally launched in 1935 as Rowntree's Chocolate Crisp, the much-loved treat has been made in the historic city ever since.
Today, under the ownership of Nestlé, the York factory continues to be the beating heart of KitKat production - not just for the UK, but for markets around the world.
Behind the scenes, a team of dedicated experts is constantly innovating and refining the product to meet modern demands while preserving the classic taste generations have grown up with.
Helping to produce one of the UK's favourite chocolate bars as an actual job is something most of us can only dream of doing. But for Rob Jackson, a product and process specialist at Nestlé working on KitKat, it's a reality.
Rob entered the world of confectionery eight years ago. He doesn't have a foodie background, but instead came with a master's degree in forensic anthropology and experience in teaching.
'I wanted the opportunity to work in a real-world science lab that had a practical industrial application,' he explains.
'Nestlé was looking for a lab technician at its global confectionery R&D (Research and Development) centre here in York, and I thought: 'what a great role'.'
Since joining Nestlé, Rob has worked in different departments – from the lab, to the healthy snacking and KitKat team in the Product Technology Centre, to his current role in the factory itself, which he describes as 'really varied'.
Rob and his team are continuously working on tweaks and improvements. 'There are always new things happening, even to our core products,' he explains.
'It could be testing a new ingredient or making slight tweaks to a recipe. Or it could be a case of changing our manufacturing process or working with new equipment – such as modern technology to reduce carbon emissions from our wafer baking, or improving efficiencies in the moulding process.'
Rob also reveals: 'A big focus of mine at the moment is sustainability – trying to reduce carbon emissions from our processes, and from our supply chain.'
And, he adds: 'There are exciting new chocolate bars coming, but I just can't tell you what!'
When working on such a recognisable and well-loved product, the stakes are high, and one of the ways standards are maintained is with an in-house team of expert tasters.
'They're trained on how to pick out subtle differences and describe them in a way that is more objective and scientific,' Rob explains.
'So people won't say, 'oh, I like this,' they'll say, 'this one has a more intense cocoa flavour, or a more intense biscuit flavour, or more intense milk flavour…'
'Then we analyse that information to understand, 'is this something our consumers want?' And we make decisions based on that.'
Unsurprisingly, Rob has no regrets about the path his career has taken.
'Even if you're having a really stressful day – things aren't working properly, or you've spilled half a tank of chocolate on the floor – you can always stop and look around you and think: 'actually, what I do is really cool! You know, this is so much fun'.'
After 90 years, KitKat remains a symbol of York's proud confectionery heritage - and thanks to people like Rob, its future looks just as sweet.
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