Smarties
Product brand
UnclaimedA British chocolate confectionery brand recognized for small milk-chocolate pieces covered in brightly colored sugar shells.
Last updated August 31, 2026
Overview
Smarties is a British chocolate confectionery brand owned by Nestlé. The product consists of small, flattened, approximately oblate milk-chocolate pieces enclosed in crisp colored sugar shells. Its modern assortment is commonly associated with eight colors—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, pink, and brown—although the palette has changed over time. In the United Kingdom, orange pieces have an orange-flavored center or flavor profile, while most other contemporary pieces use plain milk chocolate. The brand is distinct from the American Smarties tablet candy made by Smarties Candy Company and is generally not distributed through normal channels in the United States, where the Smarties name is held by that company. Smarties is also visually comparable to other sugar-coated chocolate products, including M&M's, but it has its own British heritage, packaging traditions, and trademark history. The product's roots predate the Smarties name. Rowntree's had manufactured chocolate beans from at least the late nineteenth century, and in 1937 H. I. Rowntree & Company renamed the confectionery Smarties Chocolate Beans, later shortening the name to Smarties. The sweets were initially sold loose, but Rowntree's developed the distinctive tube format after testing the packaging in Scotland. The tube gave the product a recognizable identity and was valued by consumers because it could be reused for crafts. Its plastic caps, each marked with a letter, also became collectible and reinforced the brand's educational and playful character. Nestlé acquired Rowntree Mackintosh in 1988, bringing Smarties into the Nestlé portfolio. In the United Kingdom, a major packaging change followed in 2005, when the traditional cylindrical tube was replaced by a lighter, more compact hexagonal cardboard package with an integrated hinged lid. The redesign retained the letter-based interaction but converted it into a question-and-answer feature printed on the lid. The change reflected Nestlé's effort to refresh the brand while preserving its recognizable format. Color and ingredient policy have been important parts of Smarties' identity. Blue pieces were temporarily replaced with white pieces in the United Kingdom after Nestlé removed artificial colorings and initially lacked a suitable natural blue source. Blue returned in 2008 using spirulina-derived coloring. Similar changes were made in Canada, where artificial colors were removed in 2009 and blue pieces returned the following year using a natural coloring approach. Earlier color changes included the replacement of light-brown pieces with blue ones in 1988. Historically, the range also included different centers, such as dark chocolate and coffee flavors, but the contemporary product is primarily associated with milk chocolate. Production has also moved. British manufacture was transferred from York to Germany in October 2007, with Hamburg becoming the principal European production location. Nestlé's Toronto facility has served as an important production site outside Europe and has manufactured Nestlé confectionery since the early twentieth century. Smarties remains an active international brand marketed through Nestlé's confectionery business, with a positioning centered on colorful fun, family sharing, collectability, and accessible everyday chocolate.
History
Smarties developed from the chocolate beans made by Rowntree's in York from at least the 1880s. In 1937, H. I. Rowntree & Company renamed the product Smarties Chocolate Beans, a name that was soon shortened to Smarties. The confectionery was designed as small chocolate pieces with colored sugar coatings. The initial color assortment included red, orange, yellow, green, mauve, pink, dark brown, and light brown. The early centers were not entirely uniform: dark-brown pieces contained dark chocolate and light-brown pieces were coffee-flavored, while later versions became predominantly milk chocolate. The brand's packaging helped distinguish it from loose confectionery. Rowntree's had already found success with cardboard tubes for other products and, after testing Smarties in Scotland, adopted the tube as a principal format. The package was compact, reusable, and highly recognizable. Consumers often repurposed the tubes for crafts, while the alphabet-marked plastic lids encouraged collecting and gave the brand an educational dimension. This combination of portability, color, and play helped Smarties become a durable British children's and family confectionery brand. A 1947 agreement between Rowntree's and Mars affected Smarties' geographic development. Rowntree's agreed to keep Smarties out of the United States, where the product would have competed with Mars's M&M's, in return for rights connected with the manufacture of Mars bars in Canada, Ireland, and South Africa. The arrangement contributed to the continuing separation between the British and American products that share the Smarties name. In the United States, Smarties refers primarily to the tablet candy made by Smarties Candy Company, while Nestlé's chocolate product is not normally distributed there except through parallel imports. Nestlé acquired Rowntree Mackintosh in 1988. Around the same time, the Smarties color range became the subject of a brand-related campaign: blue pieces were introduced to replace the former light-brown pieces, and supporters of the acquisition opposition used blue Smarties imagery and “I Support Blue Smarties” badges. The color became a recognizable part of the product's identity. In 1998, Nestlé obtained a trademark relating to a tubular Smarties package. A subsequent dispute in Denmark involving Master Foods and M&M's minis resulted in the Danish Supreme Court rejecting protection for the basic geometric tube shape, leading to removal of the trademark from the Danish register. Packaging was redesigned in February 2005. The cylindrical tube was replaced with a hexagonal cardboard package that was lighter and more compact. Its hinged lid retained an alphabet feature but used a printed question-and-answer device instead of a separate plastic cap. The redesign was intended to refresh the brand for younger consumers while preserving the interactive packaging tradition. Coloring policy became another significant turning point. Nestlé announced in 2006 that it would remove artificial colorings from Smarties in the United Kingdom. Because a natural blue coloring was not initially available in the required form, blue pieces were temporarily replaced with white ones; mauve pieces were also replaced by violet pieces. Blue Smarties returned in February 2008 using coloring derived from spirulina, a cyanobacterium. Red coloring also changed: cochineal, historically derived from insects, was replaced in the United Kingdom by pigment from red cabbage. In Canada, artificial coloring was removed in 2009, and blue pieces returned there in 2010. Manufacturing subsequently became more centralized. British production moved from York to Hamburg in October 2007. Toronto remained an important facility outside Europe, building on Nestlé's long-standing Canadian manufacturing presence. In 2021, production of Lentilky, a related Czech confectionery product, was also moved to Hamburg and its ingredients were harmonized with Smarties. Today Smarties remains an active Nestlé brand sold in multiple international markets, with its identity built around colorful chocolate pieces, playful presentation, family consumption, and a long association with British confectionery culture.
- 2021
Lentilky production transferred to Hamburg
[1]Nestlé moved Lentilky production from Czechia to Hamburg and harmonized ingredients with Smarties.
- 2010
Blue Smarties return in Canada
[1]Blue pieces were restored to the Canadian assortment after a natural coloring solution was adopted.
- 2009
Artificial coloring removed in Canada
[1]Nestlé reformulated Canadian Smarties to remove artificial colorings.
- 2008
Blue Smarties reintroduced in the United Kingdom
[1]Blue pieces returned using a natural blue coloring based on spirulina.
- 2007
United Kingdom production moves to Hamburg
[1]Smarties manufacture was transferred from York to Germany, with Hamburg becoming the main European production site.
- 2006
Artificial coloring removal announced
[1]Nestlé announced a United Kingdom reformulation removing artificial colorings from Smarties.
- 2005
Hexagonal package replaces the classic tube
[1]The traditional cylindrical tube was replaced in the United Kingdom by a lighter hexagonal cardboard package with an interactive lid.
- 1998
Tubular packaging trademark obtained
[1]Nestlé obtained a trademark relating to a tubular Smarties package, later challenged in Denmark.
- 1988
Nestlé acquires Rowntree Mackintosh
[1]Smarties became part of Nestlé following its acquisition of Rowntree Mackintosh.
- 1988
Blue pieces replace light-brown pieces
[1]Blue Smarties were introduced as part of a campaign associated with opposition to the Nestlé acquisition.
Showing the 10 most recent.
Products and positioning
Colorful, playful, family-friendly chocolate confectionery with a strong British heritage and an emphasis on collectable packaging and natural coloring.
Chocolate confectionery · 1937
Smarties Original
The core Smarties product consists of small, flattened milk-chocolate pieces covered in crisp sugar shells. The pieces are sold in a multicolor assortment, traditionally including red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, pink, and brown. In the United Kingdom, orange pieces are orange-flavored, while the remaining pieces are generally associated with plain milk chocolate. The product has been sold in both the classic cylindrical tube and the later hexagonal cardboard format.
Miniature chocolate confectionery
Smarties Minis
A smaller-format version of the Smarties confectionery intended for sharing, topping, snacking, or use in portions. The format retains the defining colored sugar shells and chocolate center while presenting the pieces in a more compact size.
Chocolate confectionery
Smarties Giant
A larger-format Smarties offering designed to extend the brand's familiar colored chocolate pieces into a more substantial presentation. Specific market availability and formulation can vary by country.
Marketing campaigns
- 2006Removal of artificial colorings
United Kingdom
Nestlé reformulated Smarties to remove artificial colorings. The change temporarily required white pieces to stand in for blue until a suitable natural coloring was developed.
Outcome. Blue Smarties returned in 2008 using spirulina-derived coloring.
- 1988I Support Blue Smarties
United Kingdom
Blue Smarties and supporting badges were used in a campaign opposing Nestlé's acquisition of Rowntree Mackintosh. The initiative helped make blue a prominent symbolic color in the brand's history.
Outcome. Blue became part of the product's established color assortment.
Brand decisions
2021
Harmonize Lentilky production and ingredients with SmartiesStrategyBackground
Nestlé changed the manufacturing arrangement for Lentilky, a related Central European chocolate confectionery.
Action taken
Production moved from Czechia to Hamburg and the ingredients were harmonized with Smarties.
Aftermath
Hamburg's role as a shared production location for related products expanded.
2007
Move British production to GermanyStrategyBackground
Nestlé reorganized Smarties manufacturing across Europe.
Action taken
Production previously located in York was transferred to Hamburg, Germany.
Aftermath
Hamburg became the principal European manufacturing location for Smarties.
2006
Reformulate Smarties without artificial coloringsProduct launchBackground
Nestlé responded to concerns about synthetic food dyes and announced a United Kingdom reformulation.
Action taken
Artificial colorings were removed, requiring changes to the mauve, violet, blue, and red portions of the assortment.
Aftermath
Blue pieces were temporarily white before returning with spirulina-derived coloring in 2008; red coloring also shifted to a plant-based source in the United Kingdom.
2005
Replace the traditional tube with a hexagonal packageStrategyBackground
Nestlé sought to refresh Smarties' presentation for younger consumers and reduce packaging weight and size.
Action taken
The cylindrical tube was replaced in the United Kingdom with a hexagonal cardboard pack featuring a hinged, interactive lid.
Aftermath
The brand retained an alphabet-based packaging feature while moving away from the original plastic-cap format.
1947
Keep Smarties out of the United StatesStrategyBackground
Rowntree's and Mars operated competing chocolate-coated confectionery products and negotiated an agreement concerning market access and manufacturing rights.
Action taken
Rowntree's agreed not to distribute Smarties in the United States in exchange for rights related to making Mars bars in Canada, Ireland, and South Africa.
Aftermath
The Nestlé chocolate product remained largely absent from ordinary United States distribution, where another company owns the Smarties name.
- Mars — Mars secured protection for its United States M&M's market while granting Rowntree manufacturing rights in selected countries.
Recent events
- 2021
Nestlé moves Lentilky production to Hamburg[1]
Product generation
Nestlé transferred production of Czech confectionery brand Lentilky to Hamburg and harmonized its ingredients with the Smarties product.
- 2009
Artificial colors removed from Canadian Smarties[1]
Product generation
Nestlé removed artificial colorings from Smarties sold in Canada; blue pieces returned to the Canadian range in 2010.
- 2008
Blue Smarties return with natural coloring[1]
Product generation
Blue pieces were reintroduced in the United Kingdom after Nestlé adopted a blue coloring derived from spirulina rather than the previously used artificial color.
- 2007
Smarties production moves from York to Germany[1]
Other
Nestlé transferred British Smarties production from York to Germany, where a substantial portion of the brand's production was already located.
Sources2 sources
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