Production of dark chocolate to be resumed at Nestlé’s York factory (From York Press)

Production of dark chocolate to be resumed at Nestlé’s York factory

9:22am Tuesday 23rd October 2012 in News By Mike Laycock, Chief reporter

DARK chocolate is being made once again at Nestlé’s York factory, following a multimillion-pound investment in new equipment.

The factory produced dark chocolate for many decades until 2007, when the site underwent a major restructuring and the capacity to make it was lost.

The chocolate used to be manufactured in one of the factory’s older buildings at the southern, end of the site, which was demolished to make way for a redevelopment of the land.

Nestlé decided then to source dark chocolate from a third-party supplier, although milk chocolate continued to be made at the factory.

Now the company says that plant improvements and greater efficiencies have freed up capacity within the factory to allow the production of dark chocolate to return and about 8,000 tonnes will be made a year in the modern part of the factory at its northern end, near Wigginton Road.

Factory manager Peter Gough said: “Dark chocolate is an important ingredient for a number of our products and the chocolate team has worked really hard to bring it back in-house.

“Over a number of years, efficiencies in milk chocolate production has enabled an area to be made available solely for dark chocolate. The employees have now been trained on making dark chocolate and are now ready to go.

“This is another important addition to the York site and we look forward to consumers enjoying Nestlé products with York made dark chocolate from October.”

The chocolate will be used in York to make Kit Kat 70 per cent Dark, with the remainder being taken by tanker to other factories elsewhere to be used in making Quality Street, After Eight and Matchmakers.

• To view a large collection of archive photographs of Rowntrres factory visit bit.ly/rowntreepics