Nestle has announced this week that the familiar red and gold packaging of Caramac bars will be disappearing from shop shelves soon. The Norwich factory that first made Caramac bars was on the land where Chantry Place shopping centre now stands, in Chapel Field Road. The factory, which first opened as Fleur-de Lys Works, produced soft drinks before beginning to produce chocolate in 1886. The popular bar was first made in the city factory, and it was employed some 700 people when it became Mackintosh. The Caramac bar, made from ingredients including treacle and sweetened condensed skimmed milk, was launched in 1959 by Mackintosh and was discontinued in late 1995. The factory was demolished in 2004 and became Intu Chapelfield, now known as Chantry Place.
The Caramac made a comeback to the Norwich production line in February 1996 after a two-month break that left fans fearing it had disappeared forever. They once again began making the Caramac mix ready for it to be shipped to Newcastle to new premises towards the end of that year. However, Nestle has decided to discontinue the production of Caramac bars due to a steady decline in sales over the past few years. This decision will enable the company to focus on their best-performing brands and develop new innovations for consumers. The announcement has left fans of Caramac disappointed, as the bars still evoke happy memories of the city’s chocolate factories from between the 1950s and 1990s.
In response to the news, Norwich residents have been reminiscing about the sweet smell that surrounded the city from the Rowntree factory and the memories of working at Caley’s Chocolate factory. People who grew up in Norwich remember the smell of chocolate surrounding the whole city from the Rowntree factory, and many shared their fond memories of Caramac bars. Tony Magee, Diana Buckingham, Alexandra Denman, and Alexander Pond shared their personal experiences and memories of Caramac bars, emphasizing the nostalgic connection to the city’s chocolate factories. The discontinuation of Caramac bars has struck a chord with Norwich residents who have fond memories of the chocolate factories and the sweet smell that filled the city air.
