POLO - the iconic ‘mint with the hole’ which is made in York - is celebrating its 70th birthday.
The mint was conceived by confectionery legend George Harris, who was behind some of Rowntree’s biggest brands in the 1930s including KitKat, Smarties and Aero.
It was inspired by the US brand Life Savers, a mint with a hole designed to look like a life-saving rubber ring, said a spokeswoman for Nestlé, which later took over Rowntree.
"Company legend has it that he chose the name Polo because it derived from Polar and he thought that this implied the cool freshness of mint.
"The idea for the mint was developed in the late 1930s, but due to the Second World War and sugar rationing it was shelved. However, in 1948 George Harris was determined to resurrect the idea." She said the brand was now launching its own Instagram and Facebook accounts with facts from its history.
The spokeswoman added that the Polo plant in Haxby Road can produce up to 22,000 sweets per minute, equivalent to more than 32 million single Polo sweets per day.
The pressure Polo is put under when formed is 75 kilonewtons, equivalent to the weight of two elephants jumping on it, she added.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here