MORE than 800 friends and family members of Nestlé staff visited the York factory yesterday to be greeted by Willy Wonka.

The company held the first of two open days as part of the 75th anniversary celebrations for two iconic York brands – KitKat and Aero.

Visitors went on a tour of the site, beginning with background information on everything from where the cocoa comes from to the chocolate-making process.

They were then taken on a tour of the KitKat and Aero factories, before the day ended with guests having the opportunity to taste KitKats from around the world, including some of the stranger flavours such as sweet potato and green tea.

All guests were provided with goody bags as they left.

A Nestlé spokesman said the day had been an enormous success, thanks to hard work put in by the factory employees. He said: “It’s well worth it when you see how interested people are to get a behind-the-scenes view of how their favourite chocolate bars are made. “This is a great way to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Aero and Kit Kat.”