McVitie's () is a British snack food brand owned by

United Biscuits United Biscuits (UB) is a British multinational food manufacturer, makers of McVitie's biscuits, Jacob's Cream Crackers, and Twiglets. The company was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. In ...

. The name is derived from the original

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

biscuit maker, McVitie & Price,

Ltd In a limited company, the liability of members or subscribers of the company is limited to what they have invested or guaranteed to the company. Limited companies may be limited by shares or by guarantee. In a company limited by shares, the li ...

., established in 1830 on Rose Street in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

, Scotland. The company moved to various sites in the city before completing the St. Andrews Biscuit Works factory on Robertson Avenue in the

Gorgie Gorgie ( ) is a densely populated area of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located to the west of the city centre, and borders Murrayfield, Ardmillan and Dalry, Edinburgh, Dalry. Name The name is thought to be British language (Celtic), Brythonic in ...

district in 1888. The company also established one in Glasgow and two large manufacturing plants south of the border, in

Heaton Chapel Heaton Chapel is an area in the northern part of Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, it borders the Manchester districts of Levenshulme to the north, the Stockport districts of H ...

Stockport Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England, south-east of Manchester, south-west of Ashton-under-Lyne and north of Macclesfield. The River Goyt, Rivers Goyt and River Tame, Greater Manchester, Tame merge to create the River Mersey he ...

, and

Park Royal Park Royal is an area in North West London, England, divided between the London Borough of Ealing and the London Borough of Brent. It is the site of the largest business park in London, but despite intensive existing use, the area is, togethe ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. There are five McVitie's factories in the UK, with each producing a different types of

biscuit A biscuit is a flour-based baked food item. Biscuits are typically hard, flat, and unleavened. They are usually sweet and may be made with sugar, chocolate, icing, jam, ginger, or cinnamon. They can also be savoury, similar to crackers. ...

; the

Harlesden Harlesden is a district in the London Borough of Brent, north-west London. Located north of the Grand Union Canal and Wormwood Scrubs, the Harrow Road flows through the centre of the area which goes eastwards to Central London and west towar ...

site in north-west London manufactures the chocolate digestives. Under United Biscuits McVitie's held a Royal Warrant from Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

. The best-selling biscuit manufacturer in the United Kingdom, McVitie's produces

Jaffa Cakes Jaffa Cakes are a cake introduced by McVitie and Price in the UK in 1927 and named after Jaffa oranges. In their most common form, Jaffa cakes are circular, in diameter, and have three layers: a Genoise sponge base, a layer of orange-flavo ...

and popular biscuits such as chocolate digestives, Hobnobs, and

Rich tea Rich tea is a type of sweet biscuit; the ingredients generally include wheat flour, sugar, vegetable oil and malt extract. Originally called Tea Biscuits, they were developed in the 19th century in Yorkshire, England for the upper classes as a ...

. In 2020, sales of McVitie's biscuits in the UK were more than five times the next two competitors.

History

Early history; McVities, Guest and Co

Robert McVitie was born in

Dumfries Dumfries ( ; ; from ) is a market town and former royal burgh in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, near the mouth of the River Nith on the Solway Firth, from the Anglo-Scottish border. Dumfries is the county town of the Counties of Scotland, ...

in 1809.Made in Scotland, by Carol Foreman He served an apprenticeship with a baker and in 1834 he moved to

. He initially lived and worked at 130 Rose Street, just north of

Princes Street Princes Street () is one of the major thoroughfares in central Edinburgh, Scotland and the main shopping street in the capital. It is the southernmost street of Edinburgh's New Town, Edinburgh, New Town, stretching around 1.2 km (three quar ...

in the

New Town New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz (South Korean band), The Boyz * New (album), ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** New (Paul McCartney song), "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * New (EP), ''New'' (EP), ...

. In 1835, he moved to the adjacent building at 129 Rose Street. It was called a "provision Shop". In 1843, he opened a second shop at 14 Charlotte Place (later renamed Randolph Place) just west of

Charlotte Square file:Charlotte Square - geograph.org.uk - 105918.jpg, 300px, Robert Adam's palace-fronted north side Charlotte Square is a garden square in Edinburgh, Scotland, part of the New Town, Edinburgh, New Town, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site ...

. McVitie's is first described as a "baker and confectioner" rather than a provision shop in 1856 at 5 Charlotte Place. He used the basement area below the shop as the bakery. By 1865, the bakery had moved to 47 London Street just round the corner from his flat at 76 Broughton Street. In 1870, McVitie is described as a baker at 12 Antigua Street and 2 East London Street, both also near his home in Broughton Street. In 1875, the business was expanded to 23 and 24 Queensferry Street where McVitie is described as a baker and confectioner. In 1881, his eldest son, also Robert (1854–1910), was in charge of the Queensferry Street business while the other properties remained in his name until 1884 although he died in 1883. In the same year Robert junior also occupied 8 and 9 Merchant Street. In 1887, he employed Alexander Grant from

Forres Forres (; ) is a town and former royal burgh in the north of Scotland on the County of Moray, Moray coast, approximately northeast of Inverness and west of Elgin, Moray, Elgin. Forres has been a winner of the Scotland in Bloom award on several ...

, an experienced biscuit maker, to aid him. He was employed as foreman of the bakery but left to set up his own bakery in

Inverness, Scotland Inverness (; ; from the , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness") is a city in the Scottish Highlands, having been granted city status in 2000. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlan ...

but he failed and returned to McVitie's. In the late 19th century it was decided to split the operations of the business, with retail made a separate company. In 1898, McVitie rebranded the company as McVities, Guest and Co (usually McVities) after joining with his brother-in-law Edward Graham Guest. In 1903, they built the McVities Guest Tearoom at 135/136

(on the corner of South Charlotte Street).

1875–1947; McVitie & Price

In 1875, the company had been joined by Charles Edward Price as a salesman. His success in this role led to a partnership in 1888 to create McVitie & Price. In 1888, they built the huge St Andrews Biscuit Works on Robertson Avenue in the

district of south-west Edinburgh. Price left in 1910 following the death of Robert. Biscuit tins VA 2490

In 1891, the London salesman for the company George Andrews Brown persuaded the company to redesign their

Rich Tea Rich tea is a type of sweet biscuit; the ingredients generally include wheat flour, sugar, vegetable oil and malt extract. Originally called Tea Biscuits, they were developed in the 19th century in Yorkshire, England for the upper classes as a ...

biscuit to a smaller size to accommodate the London taste. The original Gorgie factory burned down in 1894, but was rebuilt the same year to a much improved technical standard. It remained operative until 1969 when production ceased and operations were transferred to the English sites which had been established at

, north-west London in 1902 which is the largest biscuit factory in the UK, and

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

in 1914. Robert McVitie died married but childless in 1910 in

Berkhamsted Berkhamsted ( ) is a historic market town in Hertfordshire, England, in the River Bulbourne, Bulbourne valley, north-west of London. The town is a Civil parishes in England, civil parish with a town council within the borough of Dacorum which ...

rather than at his home 12 Greenhill Gardens in south Edinburgh. He is commemorated in

Dean Cemetery The Dean Cemetery is a historically important Victorian cemetery north of the Dean Village, west of Edinburgh city centre, in Scotland. It lies between Queensferry Road and the Water of Leith, bounded on its east side by Dean Path and o ...

in Edinburgh. After his death, McVitie & Price Limited was incorporated as a joint–stock limited company in 1911 placing Alexander Grant as managing director and principal share-holder.Made in Scotland, Carol Foreman The firm acquired the Edinburgh bakery of Simon Henderson & Sons in 1922.

1948–2001; United Biscuits Group

McVitie & Price merged with another Scottish bakery company, Macfarlane, Lang & Co., Ltd, in 1948 to become United Biscuits Group. McVitie's brand products are manufactured in five United Kingdom factories: the two former McVitie & Price factories in Harlesden, England and Stockport, England; a former Macfarlane, Lang & Co. factory named Victoria Biscuit Works in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

; a former

Carr's Carr's is a British biscuit and cracker manufacturer, currently owned by Pladis Global through its subsidiary United Biscuits. The company was founded in 1831 by Jonathan Dodgson Carr and is marketed in the United States by Kellogg's. History ...

factory named The Biscuit Works established 1831 in

Carlisle, England Carlisle ( , ; from ) is a city in the Cumberland district of Cumbria, England. Carlisle's early history is marked by the establishment of a settlement called Luguvalium to serve forts along Hadrian's Wall in Roman Britain. Due to its prox ...

; and the McVitie's Cake Co. factory (formerly Riley's Toffee Works) in

Halifax, England Halifax is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale, in West Yorkshire, England. It is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. In the 15th century, the town became an economic hub of the old West Riding of Yorkshire, primarily in wo ...

. McVitie & Price's first major biscuit was the McVitie's digestive, created in 1892 by a new young employee at the company named Alexander Grant. The biscuit was given its name because it was thought that its high baking soda content served as an aid to food digestion. Grant later became managing director of the company. In 1923, he was the main benefactor in establishing the

National Library of Scotland The National Library of Scotland (NLS; ; ) is one of Scotland's National Collections. It is one of the largest libraries in the United Kingdom. As well as a public programme of exhibitions, events, workshops, and tours, the National Library of ...

giving an endowment of £100,000. Grant donated a further £100,000 in 1928 to assist with the building of the

National Library A national library is a library established by a government as a country's preeminent repository of information. Unlike public library, public libraries, these rarely allow citizens to borrow books. Often, they include numerous rare, valuable, ...

premises on

George IV Bridge George IV Bridge is an Viaduct, elevated street in Edinburgh, Scotland, and is home to a number of the city's important public buildings. History A bridge connecting the High Street to the south was first suggested in 1817, but was origina ...

in Edinburgh. In 1924,

Ramsay MacDonald James Ramsay MacDonald (; 12 October 18669 November 1937) was a British statesman and politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The first two of his governments belonged to the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party, where he led ...

prime minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

of Britain's new Labour Government, admitted that Grant had given him a Daimler car and £30,000 of shares in McVitie's. Grant had been MacDonald's childhood friend, and shortly after received a

baronetcy A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

(hereditary knighthood) from the prime minister. The affair, regarded by many as corruption by the prime minister, severely shook the government. The McVitie's Chocolate Homewheat Digestive was created in 1925. Over 71 million packets of McVitie's chocolate digestives are eaten in the United Kingdom each year, equating to 52 biscuits per second. Hobnobs were launched in 1985 and a

milk chocolate Milk chocolate is a form of solid chocolate containing Chocolate liquor, cocoa, sugar and milk. It is the most consumed types of chocolate, type of chocolate, and is used in a wide diversity of chocolate bar, bars, tablets and other confectione ...

variant followed in 1987. Launched in 1927,

were ranked the best selling cake or biscuit in the UK in 2012.

2002–present; Recent history

Some of the products in the McVitie's line were rebranded ''McV'' in 2002, but they were replaced in 2005 with a restyled version of the ''McVitie's'' brand logo. In 2007, United Biscuits

licensed A license (American English) or licence (Commonwealth English) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another part ...

the McVitie's brand to Meiji Seika Kaisha Ltd for biscuit production in Japan. In 2009, McVitie's biscuits were voted as the most popular biscuits to dunk in

tea Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of '' Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of south-western China and nor ...

, with McVitie's chocolate digestives, Rich tea, and Hobnobs ranked the country's top three favourite biscuits in 2009."Chocolate digestive is nation's favourite dunking biscuit"
''The Daily Telegraph'' (London). 2 May 2009

In June 2014, McVitie's announced their intention to make 157 shop floor roles redundant at their Stockport manufacturing facility. This redundancy announcement was due to the modernisation agenda of the company and involved a move from an 8-hour 5-day operation to a 12-hour 7-day operation. In November 2014, United Biscuits and hence also McVitie's were sold to Yildiz, a company in

Istanbul, Turkey Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With a population over , it is home to 18% of the population of Turkey. Istanbul is among the largest cities in Europe and in th ...

which in 2016 merged some of its subsidiaries including

Pladis pladis Global (styled as pladis) is a British confectionery and snack foods company encompassing United Biscuits, Ülker, Godiva Chocolatier and DeMet's Candy Company. It was formed in January 2016 as a subsidiary of Yıldız Holding with its ...

. In 2020, sales of McVitie's biscuits in the United Kingdom were more than five times their closest two competitors in the biscuit category (

Kit Kat Kit Kat (stylised as KitKat in various countries) is a chocolate-covered wafer bar Confectionery, confection created by Rowntree's of York, England. It is produced globally by Nestlé (which acquired Rowntree's in 1988), except in the United S ...

and

Cadbury Cadbury, formerly Cadbury's and Cadbury Schweppes, is a British multinational confectionery company owned by Mondelez International (spun off from Kraft Foods) since 2010. It is the second-largest confectionery brand in the world, after Mars. ...

biscuits). In 2022, McVitie's ended 192 years of heritage and closed their last factory in Scotland, completely cutting ties with the brand's Scottish roots. The same year, McVitie's became the main sponsor of ''

Britain's Got Talent ''Britain's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated to ''BGT'') is a televised British talent show competition, and part of the global '' Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. Presented by Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly (colloquial ...

''. In 2023, McVitie's struck a deal to sponsor English championship football club

Hull City Hull City Association Football Club is a professional association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. They compete in the , the second level of the English football league system. They play their home ...

Wedding cakes

Although not their core operation it is noteworthy that McVitie's were commissioned in 1893 to create a wedding cake for the royal wedding of the Duke of York and Princess Mary, who became King

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. George w ...

and Queen

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a female given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religion * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also called the Blesse ...

. The cake was over 7 feet (2 metres) high and cost 140 guineas. It was viewed by 14,000 people and was wonderful publicity for the company. They received many commissions for royal wedding cakes and christening cakes. In 1947, McVitie & Price made the principal

wedding cake A wedding cake is the traditional cake served at wedding receptions following dinner. In some parts of England, the wedding cake is served at a wedding breakfast; the 'wedding breakfast' does not mean the meal will be held in the morning, but at ...

for Princess Elizabeth (future Queen

) and Philip Mountbatten, which was served at the wedding breakfast. McVitie's were commissioned to make a

chocolate biscuit A chocolate biscuit is a biscuit (called "cookie" in the US) which is covered in chocolate, or which has been made by replacing some of the flour with cocoa powder. Chocolate biscuits are quite popular in places all over the world, particularl ...

cake as a

groom's cake A groom's cake is a wedding tradition that originated in Victorian England, but is more frequently observed in the American South. While a wedding cake may often be light in texture or color and decorated in white, the groom‘s cake can take a ...

for the 2011

Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton The wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton took place on Friday, 29 April 2011 at Westminster Abbey in London, England. William was second in the line of succession to the British throne at the time, later becoming heir apparent. T ...

Products

Biscuits

* Abbey Crunch *All Butter

Shortbread Shortbread or shortie is a traditional Scottish biscuit usually made from one part sugar, white sugar, two parts butter and three to four parts plain flour, plain wheat flour. Shortbread does not contain leavening, such as baking powder or bakin ...

* BN *Chocolate Digestives * Club Biscuits. *

Cookies A cookie is a sweet biscuit with high sugar and fat content. Cookie dough is softer than that used for other types of biscuit, and they are cooked longer at lower temperatures. The dough typically contains flour, sugar, egg, and some type of ...

, including Boasters. *Deli Choc * Digestives *Digestives Lights *

Fig Roll The fig roll or fig bar is a biscuit or cookie consisting of a rolled cake or pastry filled with fig paste. History Figs have been a popular food since ancient times, originating in the areas of the Mediterranean and Asia Minor. Early Egypti ...

*Fruit shortcake *

Ginger Nuts A gingersnap, ginger snap, ginger nut, or ginger biscuit is a biscuit flavoured with ginger. Ginger snaps are flavoured with powdered ginger and a variety of other spices, most commonly cinnamon, molasses and clove. There are many recipes. The b ...

*Gold Bar * Hobnobs *Iced Gems *Marie finger biscuit *Minis *

Penguin Penguins are a group of aquatic flightless birds from the family Spheniscidae () of the order Sphenisciformes (). They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere. Only one species, the Galápagos penguin, is equatorial, with a sm ...

*Tasties *

Taxi A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a Driving, driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of thei ...

* Trio *United (discontinued)"United Bars are the eighties sweets we need to see back on our shelves
" ''The Daily Edge'', 9 February 2016 *V.I.Bs (Very Important Biscuits)

Cakes

* Carrot Cake *

Fruit cake Fruitcake or fruit cake is a cake made with candied or dried fruit, nuts, and spices, and optionally soaked in spirits. In the United Kingdom, certain rich versions may be iced and decorated. Fruitcakes are usually served in celebration of ...

*Jamaica Ginger Cake *Lemon Cake * Lyle's

Golden Syrup Golden syrup or light treacle is a thick, amber-coloured form of inverted sugar syrup made by the process of refining sugar cane or sugar beet juice into sugar. It is used in a variety of baking recipes and desserts. It has an appearance and co ...

Cake *Mini Rolls *Moments Brownies * Tunis Cake * Waffles

Other snacks

*Breakfast *

Cheddars Cheddars are a British brand of baked Cheddar cheese-flavoured savoury biscuits. They were originally manufactured and sold by Crawfords. Until 2014, Cheddars were marketed under the McVitie's brand; they are now sold under the Jacob's brand. Mi ...

*Cracker Crisps *Blissfills *Digestive Thins *Family Circle *Krackawheats *McVities Digestive Slices *Minis * Mini Cheddars *Nibbles (Digestive and Hobnob varieties) *Victoria Biscuit Selection

References

External links

United Biscuits - page on McVitie's.
{{British Royal Warrant holders Food manufacturers of Scotland Biscuit brands United Biscuits brands Manufacturing companies based in Edinburgh Food and drink companies established in 1830 1830 establishments in Scotland British royal warrant holders Gorgie History of Edinburgh Confectionery companies of the United Kingdom