In 2019, it was announced that Australian confectioner Robern Menz, since January 2022 rebranded Menz Confectionery, had signed an agreement with rights holder Nestlé to produce the bites version of Polly Waffle.[2] The relaunch of the product occurred in April of 2024.[3]
History
Abel Hoadley opened a jam factory in South Melbourne, Victoria, in 1889, trading as A. Hoadley & Company.[4] By 1895, business had expanded rapidly and Hoadley built a five-storey premises, the Rising Sun Preserving Works. He produced fruit preserves, including jams and jellies, candied fruit and peels, sauces, and confectionery, and employed a workforce as large as two hundred. By 1901, there were four preserving factories and a large confectionery works. Hoadley had acquired the firm of Dillon, Burrows & Co. and extended his products to vinegar, cocoa, and chocolate.
In 1910, the jam business was sold to Henry Jones Co-operative Ltd and in 1913, Hoadley's Chocolates Ltd was formed. The same year, Hoadley produced his first chocolate assortment. Hoadley's Chocolates made the first Polly Waffle bar in Melbourne in 1947. It was conceived by company accounts supervisor and family friend, Mayfield B. Anthony.
In 1972, Hoadley's Chocolates was acquired by Rowntree Mackintosh Confectionery and became known as "Rowntree Hoadley Ltd". In 1988, Nestlé acquired Rowntree. The Rowntree chocolate brands were initially branded as Nestlé-Rowntree, until Nestlé dropped the 'Rowntree' name altogether.
During the 1970s, the advertising slogan for Polly Waffle was "mmm, crunch, aah!".
In mid-2009, a new recipe for Polly Waffle was released along with new packaging announcing the change. The new product was the same appearance as the older product, but contained a more sugary and brittle wafer. On 23 November 2009 Nestlé discontinued Polly Waffle after 62 years due to poor sales.[5]
In 2015, Melbourne-based company Chocolate Works released "The Great Aussie Waffle Log", a product specifically designed to mimic the Polly Waffle, in response to a social media campaign calling for the resurrection of the classic bar.[6][7]
In 2019, Adelaide confectioner Robern Menz signed a deal with Nestlé to produce the Polly Waffle, a year after purchasing the rights to produce the Violet Crumble, also from Nestlé.[2] The company said in 2020 that the chocolate bar would be back to stores in 2022,[8] but by January 2022 this date was pushed back to 2024.[3] As of April 2024, the Polly Waffle has been brought back to store shelves in the form of Polly Waffle Bites, which are Polly Waffles in the form of small bite-sized orbs.[9][10]
^Lack, John (12 May 1918). "Hoadley, Abel (1844–1918)". Hoadley, Abel (1844 - 1918) Biographical Entry - Australian Dictionary of Biography Online. Adb.online.anu.edu.au. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
1 Currently manufactured by General Mills in the U.S. and Canada. Produced by Cereal Partners under the Nestlé brand elsewhere. 2 Brand owned by General Mills; U.S. and Canadian production rights controlled by Nestlé under license. 3 U.S. production rights owned by The Hershey Company. 4 U.S. rights and production owned by the Smarties Candy Company with a different product. 5 U.S. rights and specific trade dress owned by Nestlé; rights elsewhere owned by Associated British Foods. 6 Produced by Cereal Partners, branded as Nestlé. 7 Produced by Cereal Partners and branded as Nestlé in the U.K. and Ireland. Produced by Post Foods elsewhere. 8 Philippine production rights owned by Alaska Milk Corporation. 9 Singaporean, Malaysian and Thai production rights owned by Fraser and Neave. 10 Used only in Indonesia, Thailand, and Cambodia. 11 Used only in the Philippines. 12 U.S. production rights owned by the Ferrara Candy Company. 13NA rights and specific trade dress to all packaged coffee and other products under the Starbucks brand owned by Nestlé since 2019. 14 Brand owned by Mars, sold by Nestlé in Canada. 15 Produced by Froneri in the U.S. since 2020.
