Callard & Bowser-Suchard
Callard & Bowser-Suchard was a Scottish confectionery manufacturer best known for developing the Altoids mint business and for its traditional toffee and butterscotch lines.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Callard & Bowser-Suchard was a long-established British confectionery business founded in 1779 in Maryhill, Glasgow, by the brothers-in-law Richard Callard and John Bowser. It developed from a Scottish manufacturer of boiled sweets, toffees and butterscotch into one of the United Kingdom's major toffee producers. The business operated through several ownership structures and manufacturing locations before its corporate identity was largely absorbed and discontinued. The company's early history was rooted in Scottish confectionery production. By 1881 it employed 41 people, and expanding sales led it to move its operations from Glasgow to Euston in London in 1894. Major Alfred Ernest Allnatt acquired the business in 1933 and subsequently relocated production to Park Royal. Under Allnatt's ownership, the company introduced Cream Line toffee in 1937, one of its most commercially successful traditional products. It also acquired William Nuttall of Doncaster, whose Mintoes hard candies added another established product line and strengthened Callard & Bowser's position in the British confectionery market. Arthur Guinness & Sons acquired the company in 1951, while Allnatt remained chairman. During the following decade, Callard & Bowser expanded through acquisitions, including Riley, known for Toffee Rolls, the Lavells store business, and Rolls Confectionery of Greenford. A plant in Hayes, Hillingdon, was acquired in 1956. By the early 1960s, the company was one of the four leading British toffee manufacturers, alongside Edward Sharp & Sons, J. A. & P. Holland, and Mackintosh. Together, these businesses controlled more than half of the British toffee market. The company encountered financial and operational difficulties in the early 1980s. Its Nuttall factory was closed and production moved to Halifax; in 1981 the business employed 1,186 people. Guinness sold the company to Beatrice Foods in 1982 for £4 million as Guinness concentrated more heavily on brewing. Beatrice Foods then sold it to United Biscuits in 1988 for £21.5 million. United Biscuits combined Callard & Bowser with its Terry's subsidiary to create the Terry's Group. The combined business increased its share of the British toffee market from 29 percent to 34 percent by 1992. Kraft Foods acquired the business in 1993. During the late 1980s and 1990s, Altoids mints became particularly successful in the United States, eventually overshadowing the older toffee portfolio. Altoids were sold in distinctive rectangular tins and were offered in flavors including peppermint, wintergreen, cinnamon and spearmint. In 1997, the brand was reported to be the leading peppermint product in the United States, with sales reaching approximately 40 million tins. The growth of Altoids caused the company to focus increasingly on the mint business: Riley's Toffee Rolls were withdrawn during the mid-1990s, Cream Line was discontinued in 2001, and the remaining non-Altoids lines were progressively eliminated by 2004. Kraft sold the business to Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company in 2004 for $1.48 billion. Wrigley closed the Bridgend plant in 2005, eliminating 173 jobs, arguing that most production was exported to the United States and could be made more economically there. With the exception of Altoids, Callard & Bowser and Nuttall's products were discontinued. After Mars acquired Wrigley in 2008, the Callard & Bowser corporate and product identity was largely withdrawn, while Altoids continued as the surviving major brand associated with the business. The original company is therefore best understood as a historical confectionery manufacturer whose legacy survives most visibly through Altoids rather than as an active standalone brand.
History
Callard & Bowser-Suchard originated in 1779 in Maryhill, Glasgow, where Richard Callard and John Bowser established a confectionery business during the period commonly associated with the Scottish Enlightenment. Its early product focus was on traditional confectionery, particularly toffees, butterscotch and boiled sweets. The company expanded steadily: by 1881 it employed 41 people, and in 1894 it moved its operations to Euston in London to accommodate growing sales. Major Alfred Ernest Allnatt bought the business in 1933 and transferred production to Park Royal. In 1937, the company launched Cream Line toffee, which became an important product. It later acquired William Nuttall of Doncaster, the maker of Mintoes hard candies, helping make Callard & Bowser one of Britain's largest toffee manufacturers. The company also became associated with the production of butterscotch on an international scale. Arthur Guinness & Sons acquired Callard & Bowser in 1951, retaining Allnatt as chairman. Expansion continued through the purchase of Riley, maker of Toffee Rolls, Lavells and Rolls Confectionery. The business also installed new equipment and acquired a Hayes, Hillingdon plant in 1956. By the early 1960s, Callard & Bowser belonged to the leading group of British toffee manufacturers, with the sector's principal companies together controlling more than half of the national toffee market. Profitability weakened in the early 1980s. The Nuttall factory was closed and production moved to Halifax, although the company still employed 1,186 people in 1981. Guinness sold the business to Beatrice Foods in 1982 for £4 million. Beatrice subsequently sold it to United Biscuits in 1988 for £21.5 million. United Biscuits combined Callard & Bowser with Terry's, creating the Terry's Group; by 1992 the group's share of the toffee market had risen from 29 percent to 34 percent. Kraft Foods purchased the company in 1993. Its strategic center then shifted from traditional toffee to Altoids mints, which had achieved major success in the United States from the late 1980s onward. Altoids were distinguished by their rectangular tins and were sold in peppermint, wintergreen, cinnamon and spearmint variants. As Altoids grew, older lines were removed: Riley's Toffee Rolls disappeared in the mid-1990s, Cream Line ended in 2001, and the other remaining Callard & Bowser lines were gone by 2004. Wrigley acquired the business from Kraft in 2004 for $1.48 billion. In 2005 it closed the Bridgend plant, eliminating 173 jobs, and transferred production because the great majority of output was exported to the United States. Callard & Bowser and Nuttall's products were discontinued, leaving Altoids as the principal surviving brand. Mars's 2008 acquisition of Wrigley further reduced the independent visibility of Callard & Bowser. The business is consequently remembered as a historic British confectionery manufacturer and as the former corporate home of Altoids, rather than as an active standalone operating company.
- 2008
Wrigley acquired by Mars
[1]Mars, Incorporated acquired Wrigley; the Callard & Bowser identity was subsequently largely discontinued.
- 2005
Bridgend plant closed
[1]Wrigley closed the Bridgend facility and moved production, citing the high proportion of output exported to the United States.
- 2004
Acquired by Wrigley
[1]Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company bought the business from Kraft Foods.
- 2001
Cream Line discontinued
[1]The traditional Cream Line toffee product was withdrawn as the business concentrated on Altoids.
- 1993
Acquired by Kraft Foods
[1]Kraft Foods acquired the confectionery business.
- 1988
Sold to United Biscuits
[1]United Biscuits acquired Callard & Bowser and combined it with Terry's.
- 1982
Sold to Beatrice Foods
[1]Guinness sold the business to Beatrice Foods.
- 1956
Hayes plant acquired
[1]The company bought a confectionery plant in Hayes, Hillingdon, as part of its manufacturing expansion.
- 1951
Acquired by Arthur Guinness & Sons
[1]Guinness acquired the confectionery company while Allnatt remained chairman.
- 1937
Cream Line introduced
[1]The company launched Cream Line toffee, one of its most successful traditional products.
Products and positioning
Historically positioned as a British and Scottish confectionery maker specializing in premium and traditional toffees, butterscotch and boiled sweets. In its later corporate period, the business became increasingly centered on Altoids, a strongly packaged mint brand with distinctive rectangular tins and substantial United States distribution.
Mint confectionery
Altoids
Altoids became the company's defining late-period product and its principal commercial success in the United States. The mints were sold in distinctive rectangular tins and included peppermint, wintergreen, cinnamon and spearmint varieties. Their growth from the late 1980s onward changed the company's portfolio priorities, leading to the withdrawal of most traditional toffee and candy products. Altoids remained after the Callard & Bowser and Nuttall's lines were discontinued.
Toffee · 1937
Cream Line
Introduced in 1937, Cream Line was one of Callard & Bowser's best-known traditional toffees. It represented the company's historic strength in British toffee and helped sustain the business during its period as a major national confectionery manufacturer. The product was discontinued in 2001 as the portfolio became increasingly focused on Altoids.
Toffee
Riley's Toffee Rolls
Riley's Toffee Rolls came into the Callard & Bowser portfolio through the acquisition of Riley. The product was part of the company's traditional toffee range and reflected its strategy of consolidating established British confectionery businesses. It was discontinued during the mid-1990s as Altoids received greater strategic attention.
Hard candy
Nuttall's Mintoes
Mintoes were hard candies associated with William Nuttall of Doncaster, a business acquired by Callard & Bowser. The acquisition strengthened Callard & Bowser's position in the British confectionery market and added a recognizable boiled-sweet line. Nuttall's products were discontinued after the business passed to Wrigley.
Confectionery
Butterscotch
Butterscotch was a core area of the company's historical manufacturing expertise. Callard & Bowser was described as a leading global butterscotch manufacturer, although the reference material does not identify a single definitive product name or launch date for the range. The business's butterscotch products were ultimately discontinued as its portfolio narrowed around Altoids.
Brand decisions
2005
Close Bridgend manufacturing plantStrategyBackground
Wrigley stated that approximately 90 percent of production was exported to the United States, making continued production at Bridgend less economical.
Action taken
Wrigley closed the Bridgend plant and transferred production elsewhere.
Aftermath
The closure resulted in the loss of 173 jobs and accompanied the discontinuation of the Callard & Bowser and Nuttall's product lines.
1990
Shift toward AltoidsStrategyBackground
Altoids achieved strong growth in the United States and increasingly overshadowed the company's established toffee and butterscotch businesses.
Action taken
The company and its successive owners concentrated resources and portfolio attention on Altoids while reducing the traditional confectionery range.
Aftermath
Riley's Toffee Rolls were discontinued during the mid-1990s, Cream Line ended in 2001, and the remaining non-Altoids products were eliminated by 2004.
Recent events
- 2008
Mars acquired Wrigley[1]
M&A
Mars, Incorporated acquired Wrigley. Following the transaction, the Callard & Bowser identity was largely discontinued while Altoids remained in the portfolio.
- 2005
Wrigley closed the Bridgend plant[1]
Other
Wrigley shut the Bridgend manufacturing plant, resulting in 173 job losses. The company said most production was exported to the United States and could be transferred there more economically.
- 2004
Kraft sold the business to Wrigley[1]
M&A
Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company acquired the business from Kraft Foods for $1.48 billion, with Altoids as its principal surviving growth asset.
- 1997
Altoids became the company's dominant growth line[1]
Product generation · Other
Altoids reportedly became the leading peppermint product in the United States, with sales reaching about 40 million tins.
- 1993
Kraft Foods acquired the company[1]
M&A
Kraft Foods purchased Callard & Bowser, continuing the company's transition into a large packaged-confectionery portfolio.
- 1988
United Biscuits acquired Callard & Bowser[1]
M&A
United Biscuits purchased the business from Beatrice Foods and integrated it with Terry's to form the Terry's Group.
- 1982
Beatrice Foods acquired Callard & Bowser[1]
M&A
Guinness sold the confectionery business to Beatrice Foods as Guinness placed greater emphasis on brewing.
- 1980
Nuttall factory closed and production transferred to Halifax[1]
Other
The company's Nuttall manufacturing site was closed during a period of declining profitability, with production transferred to Halifax.
Sources1 sources
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