Britain has produced dozens of mint brands over the past century, but two have outlasted almost everything else on the shelf: Trebor and Polo. They come from completely different manufacturing traditions, and only one of them was built around a hole.
Trebor's name is literally a founder's name, backwards
The Trebor Sweet Company was founded in London in 1907. The name is 'Robert' spelled backwards, after one of its founders. Trebor built its reputation on solid mints — Trebor Mints, later Extra Strong Mints and Refreshers — sold as straightforward, no-frills confectionery rather than anything gimmicky.
Polo's entire pitch was a hole
Rowntree's launched Polo in Britain in 1948 as a ring-shaped mint with a hole through the centre, and turned that single physical feature into decades of advertising under the line 'the mint with the hole'. It's a rare case of a manufacturing shape becoming the entire marketing identity of a product, rather than an incidental detail.
Different companies, now under different owners
The two brands never actually belonged to the same business. Trebor was bought by Cadbury Schweppes in 1989 and sits under Mondelez today. Polo stayed with Rowntree's, which Nestlé acquired in 1988, and remains part of Nestlé's mint range. The rivalry was always Trebor vs Rowntree's, not two divisions of one company competing with itself.
- Trebor — founded 1907, solid mints, name is 'Robert' reversed, now under Mondelez.
- Polo — launched 1948 by Rowntree's, ring-shaped with a hole, now under Nestlé.
Our retro sweets collection covers both classic mint formats.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Trebor and Polo mints?
Trebor mints are solid and round; Polo mints are ring-shaped with a hole. They come from separate companies with separate histories.
Why does Polo have a hole?
It was the product's defining feature from launch in 1948 and became the basis of a famous long-running ad campaign.
Who owns Trebor and who owns Polo now?
Trebor is under Mondelez, having passed through Cadbury Schweppes in 1989. Polo is under Nestlé, via Rowntree's 1988 acquisition.