Swizzels Matlow Limited, branded as Swizzels, is a confectionery manufacturer based in

New Mills New Mills is a town in the Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, England, south-east of Stockport and from Manchester at the confluence of the River Goyt and Sett. It is close to the border with Cheshire and above the Torrs, a deep gorge cut t ...

, Derbyshire, near Stockport in the United Kingdom.Manchester Evening News 5 April 2012 Thursday Confectioners are making a lot of lolly The company had revenues of £47 million in 2010/11. It employs around 600 people. Swizzels Matlow exports 20 per cent of its sweets to more than 20 countries, mostly in Europe. Their highest selling brands are Love Hearts,

Parma Violets Parma Violets are a British violet-flavoured tablet confectionery manufactured by the Derbyshire company Swizzels Matlow, named after the Parma violet variety of the flower. The sweets are hard, biconcave disc-shaped sweets, similar ...

and Drumstick lollies. Its biggest sales period is Halloween.

History

Operations began in the early 1920s at a

market stall A market stall or a booth is a structure used by merchants to display and house their merchandise in a street market, fairs and conventions. Some commercial marketplaces, including market squares or flea markets, may permit more permanent ...

in Hackney, London, with Maurice and Alfred Matlow selling jellied sweets. They built a small factory in east London in 1928 and became known as Matlow Brothers, producing jellies and chews. In 1933 the firm merged with a rival factory owner, David Dee, who specialised in fizzy compressed tablet sweets (although the company officially became Swizzels Matlow Ltd only in 1975). In 1940,

the Blitz The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'. The Germa ...

forced their business to relocate northwards to a disused wick factory in

, Derbyshire, where it remains. Parma Violets were introduced in 1946. Love Hearts were introduced in 1954. Drumsticks were introduced in 1957. Hydrogenated fats were phased out in 2004. Artificial flavourings were discontinued in 2009.

Products

Refreshers

Refreshers are one of Swizzels' most popular products. These are flat chewy sweets with sherbet in the middle, available in lemon and strawberry flavours. They are officially named ''New'' Refreshers, to avoid trademark confusion with Barratt's compressed tablet Refreshers sweet.

Fizzers

Fizzers are rolled-up tablet candies that fizz and dissolve when put into soda. They are similar to the American candy

Smarties Smarties are colour-varied sugar-coated chocolate confectionery. They have been manufactured since 1937, originally by H.I. Rowntree & Company in the United Kingdom, and now by Nestlé. Smarties are oblate spheroids with a minor axis of about ...

(called Rockets in Canada).

Parma Violets

are disc-shaped sweets similar to Fizzers but all lilac coloured with an almost 'scenty' taste and no fizziness. Swizzels Matlow has also released a line of Giant Parma Violets.

Drumstick products

The Drumstick sweet is a chewy lolly about 2" (5 cm) in length. It features two flavours, milk and raspberry. It has had many special editions, such as the still produced lime and orange flavour. In 2012, Swizzels Matlow launched "Drumstick Squashies", foam-like chewy sweets with the same flavour as the Drumstick lolly. Several flavour variations, such as bubblegum, have also been released. In 2020, Swizzels released a Drumstick Chocolate Bar. It consists of milk chocolate with a raspberry and milk flavour filling with freeze-dried raspberry pieces. Unlike the Drumstick lollies and Squashies, the chocolate bar is suitable for vegetarians.

Others

Products include:Swizzel Matlow products
Accessed 7 November 2011 * Banana Skids * Climpies * Double Lollies * Fruity Pops * Fun Gums * Mr Chews * Rainbow Dust * Rainbow Drops * Love Hearts * Double Dip * Tango Orange Flavour Chew Bar * Stinger Tutti-Fruiti Flavour Chew Bar * Crystal Fruits

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Food and drink companies established in 1928 Companies based in Derbyshire Confectionery companies of the United Kingdom 1928 establishments in England New Mills