Before Whitakers made a single chocolate, it was a grocery shop in a North Yorkshire village - and it took the founders' daughter to talk them into confectionery at all.
A grocery shop that became a chocolate factory
John and Rebecca Whitaker opened a small grocery shop in Cross Hills, North Yorkshire, in 1889, helped by their children Reg and Ida. It was Ida who eventually persuaded her father to convert the grocer's into a baker's and confectioner's, and she began making chocolates by hand in 1903. In 1926, the growing business moved to its present home in Skipton, where it's remained ever since.
Five generations, one family
After the Second World War, Reg's wife Claire took over running the shop and oversaw the development of a proper chocolate factory. That family line has continued unbroken: Whitakers is now a fifth-generation, family-run business employing around 150 people, capable of producing more than 10 million chocolates.
What Whitakers is known for
- Chocolate ginger - crystallised ginger enrobed in dark chocolate, one of the brand's best-known lines.
- Chocolate raisins and Yorkshire Mixture - traditional boxed and bagged lines sold in independent shops and farm shops across the Dales.
- Own-label manufacturing - alongside its branded range, Whitakers supplies chocolate confectionery to supermarkets, wholesalers and other retailers across the UK and internationally.
It's one of a shrinking number of British chocolate makers that's still independent and family-owned rather than part of a multinational group - you'll find its dark and milk chocolate lines alongside other British-made bars in our chocolate collection.
Frequently asked questions
Where are Whitakers Chocolates made?
Whitakers has been based in Skipton, North Yorkshire, since 1926, having started as a grocery shop in the village of Cross Hills in 1889.
Who founded Whitakers Chocolates?
John and Rebecca Whitaker founded the business in 1889; their daughter Ida pushed the family into confectionery and began making chocolates in 1903.
Is Whitakers still a family business?
Yes - it's now run by the fifth generation of the Whitaker family, employing around 150 people.