Long before pick 'n' mix walls had thirty flavours to choose from, there was a small, square, individually-wrapped chew that turned up in every corner shop's sweet jar. That's Mojo — one of the quiet mainstays of British penny-sweet culture.
A Barratt classic
Barratt is one of the oldest names in British confectionery, founded in 1848 by George Osborne Barratt in Shoreditch, London. By the 1950s the company was producing around 200 different lines, from sherbet products to boiled sweets and chews. Mojo — a small, dense, banana-flavoured chew — became one of its most enduring, sitting on penny-sweet counters for decades without ever needing a relaunch or a rebrand.
Banana, but not only banana
While banana is the flavour people associate with the name, Mojo was also produced in strawberry and spearmint versions. The banana chew is the one that stuck in the public's memory, likely because artificial banana flavouring has such a distinctive, unmistakable taste — nothing like a real banana, and all the more memorable for it.
Part of a bigger family
Mojo belongs to the same lineage as two other Barratt staples: Black Jack (aniseed) and Fruit Salad (mixed fruit). All three are brick-shaped, individually wrapped chews sold at pocket-money prices, and all three have survived multiple changes of corporate ownership — Barratt passed through Bassett's, then Cadbury Trebor Bassett, before its sugar confectionery lines moved to Tangerine Confectionery, which still produces them today.
If it's that whole era of penny sweets you're after, our retro sweets range is the place to start.
Frequently asked questions
What flavour is a Mojo sweet?
Mostly banana, though strawberry and spearmint versions were also made. Banana is the one the name is remembered for.
Who makes Mojo chews?
Barratt, founded in 1848, is the brand behind Mojo. Its sugar confectionery lines are now made by Tangerine Confectionery.
What's the difference between Mojo, Black Jack and Fruit Salad chews?
All three are Barratt brick-shaped penny chews — Black Jack is aniseed, Fruit Salad is mixed fruit, and Mojo is banana.