Whittaker's

Hello Chocolate Lovers. We wanted you to be among the first to know that due to the ongoing cocoa supply shortage, we’re expanding our ethical sourcing. To ensure there’s no shortage of the Whittaker’s chocolate you know and love, we’re supplementing our Ghanaian cocoa beans with ethically sourced beans from other parts of Africa. Starting next month, you will notice changes to our packaging to reflect this. We want to assure you that the quality of our chocolate will remain unchanged, along with our commitment to using only 100% Rainforest Alliance-certified and fully traceable cocoa beans.

Our commitment to being the ‘best’ goes beyond the ingredients we source and the chocolate we produce. We’re also committed to doing our best for the environment, by giving the waste created from our factory in Porirua a new life, to minimise what we send to the landfill. Since 2019, we have been reviewing our waste streams to find a new home for materials we no longer have a need for. Read more about where we’ve diverted our waste streams here: https://lnkd.in/grYx_pzf

At Whittaker’s, we believe best is always better. Our packaging might be world class in design, quality and food safety, but we need to do better for the environment. To put this in perspective though, 82.51% by volume of the packaging materials we use can be recycled and we have an extensive programme of work underway to tackle the rest. There are two key challenges across our current packaging: 1: Plastics Our packaging sustainability team is focused on reducing our current use of plastics through: - Reducing the amount of plastic used within current packaging by unit weight. This can be done by removing layers of plastic and reducing the thickness of plastic we use. We have also implemented a program to reduce waste. https://lnkd.in/gVBWFdcw - Replacing plastic packaging in our supply chain with more sustainable alternatives as they become available and are able to be validated. For example, we are currently looking at paper alternatives for some of our singles bars, but have not yet been able to validate a recyclable paper material to the point we’re able to launch it on the market. - Process improvements in Chocolate Making gained with new technology. We are currently looking at new chocolate wrapping machinery from Europe which is looking very promising during testing for running new types of packaging material. 2: Block Foil Our current block foil is a paper and foil laminate which is not able to be recycled. Our packaging sustainability team are working on: - Research and development in partnership with our suppliers of new recyclable paper and aluminium foil materials. - Supporting change to the recycling infrastructure in New Zealand to enable new solutions. Over the last five years, we have trialled 90 sustainable packaging materials, running trials on over 115 Whittaker’s products in total. Read more about our journey towards more responsible packaging here: https://lnkd.in/gpuPHSsF

We never take New Zealanders' unique relationship with Whittaker's for granted. We’re constantly innovating to connect with our Chocolate Lovers in new ways, via new stories. In the spirit of creating better chocolate experiences for Chocolate Lovers, everyday, we have made these new films with Bastion Shine to celebrate the special relationship our Chocolate Lovers have with their Whittaker's chocolate. Be it the piece eaten in the pantry, the moment they first tasted Whittaker's, or the time they whispered an offer to share. We hope Chocolate Lovers can see a part of themselves in this work. Thanks to the wider team who brought these stories to life for us including Jesse James McElroy, Flying Fish, Flux Animation Studio , Peter van der Fluit – Liquid Studios, Kieran Scott, MBM and of course, Chocolate Lovers. https://lnkd.in/gkxMX87V

There’s one thing we work extra hard to earn, and that’s your trust. So, winning New Zealand’s Most Trusted Brand for the thirteenth consecutive year means as much as ever. We’d like to thank you, our Chocolate Lovers, for your unwavering support. It’s a true privilege to earn your trust, year after year. Thanks for helping to make thirteen a lucky number in our eyes.  

New Zealand will always be our home, but ever since we sent the first batch of our world class chocolate across the ditch to Australia, the love and appreciation we've received has been extraordinary. This year, we are humbled to have won the title of "Most Satisfied Customers" in Canstar Blue's latest Chocolate Blocks rating. Aussies have spoken, and we earned a five-star rating across key categories, including taste, texture and consistency, variety and range, packaging, and overall satisfaction. We couldn’t be prouder of this accomplishment, and it just goes to show that making chocolate the Good Honest way doesn't go unnoticed. Thank you, Australian Chocolate Lovers, for your support. It’s a true privilege to hold a special place in your pantry. Cheers to the love from both sides of the Tasman!

Porirua is the heart and home of Whittaker's, and we're proud to have been supporting our local community here for more than 50 years. From school fundraisers, to community initiatives we are thrilled to be able to contribute to incredible fundraising initiatives and causes in our Wellington region and across New Zealand. Read more in the article below.