Terry's
British chocolate and confectionery brand best known for Terry's Chocolate Orange and Terry's All Gold.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
Terry's is a British chocolate and confectionery brand whose origins reach back to a sweet shop established near Bootham Bar in York in 1767. The business began with medicinal-style and traditional confectionery, including cough lozenges, candied fruit, rock, gum products, jellies and other sweets. Its later association with the Terry family began when Joseph Terry, a York chemist and trained apothecary, joined the Berry confectionery business in the 1820s. After becoming sole proprietor, Joseph Terry and Company expanded through product development and increasingly sophisticated distribution. By 1840, its goods were being sold in more than 75 towns and cities, helped by the growing railway network. The company moved production from its central York premises to Clementhorpe beside the River Ouse in the nineteenth century. The location allowed raw materials and fuel to be brought in by river and supported the adoption of steam-powered manufacturing. The business diversified beyond sweets into marmalade, marzipan, sauces and jellies, while retaining a strong reputation for presentation and boxed confectionery. After the death of Joseph Terry, his sons continued the company, which became Joseph Terry & Sons and later a limited company. Terry's Neapolitans, introduced in 1899, were among the early products to establish the manufacturer as a mass producer of individually wrapped chocolate pieces. The brand's most important physical and commercial development was Terry's Chocolate Works on Bishopthorpe Road in York. Built in the 1920s in an Art Deco style, the factory incorporated a distinctive clock tower and large production buildings. It became the centre of the company's modern identity. The Chocolate Apple was introduced in 1926, followed by Terry's Chocolate Orange in 1932 and Terry's All Gold boxed chocolates in the 1930s. These products combined recognizable formats with decorative packaging and helped position Terry's as an accessible but premium-leaning British chocolate name. During the Second World War, the York facilities were partly converted for aircraft-propeller work and other contract manufacturing. Confectionery production continued in restricted form, including products made for other companies and military rations. Post-war rationing and limited cocoa supplies constrained output, and the Chocolate Apple was discontinued in 1954 as the business concentrated more heavily on Chocolate Orange. Terry's was sold out of family ownership several times. Forte Group acquired the company in 1963, Colgate-Palmolive bought it in 1977, and United Biscuits acquired it in 1982. Under United Biscuits, Terry's became the core of a wider confectionery division that also incorporated businesses such as Callard and Bowser and Chocometz. United Biscuits sold the group to Philip Morris and Kraft Foods in 1992, and the business was combined with Chocolat Suchard as Terry's Suchard in 1993. The brand was gradually shortened from Terry's of York to Terry's from 2000, reducing its explicit geographic designation even as its York heritage remained central to its public image. Kraft Foods closed the York factory on 30 September 2005, with the loss of 316 jobs, and transferred production of key remaining lines to factories in continental Europe. After Kraft divided its business in 2012, Terry's became part of Mondelēz International. Eurazeo acquired the brand in 2016, placing it within the French confectionery group Carambar & Co. Production of Terry's products subsequently became associated with Carambar facilities in Strasbourg. In 2019, Carambar & Co established Terry's Chocolate Co in London to market the range in the United Kingdom. The brand therefore remains commercially active, but its current manufacturing base is separate from the historic York factory. The former Chocolate Works site has been redeveloped for residential, commercial and care uses, preserving significant listed elements of the former factory complex.
History
Terry's originated in York in 1767 as a shop selling lozenges, candied fruit and other sweets. The business moved to St Helen's Square by 1818 and was reshaped in the 1820s when Joseph Terry joined the Berry family confectionery operation. Joseph's background as a chemist influenced the development of new confectionery lines, while railway distribution allowed the business to reach markets across northern England and London. By the middle of the nineteenth century, Terry's sold a broad assortment of sweets, preserved foods and confectionery products. Following Joseph Terry's death in 1850, his sons took control. Production moved to a larger Clementhorpe factory in 1858, where river access supported deliveries of sugar, cocoa and coal. The company later became Joseph Terry & Sons and introduced increasingly industrial methods. Its central York shop remained an important commercial address, while manufacturing expanded beyond the city-centre premises. The company became a limited liability business in 1895, and Terry's Neapolitans were launched in 1899. The twentieth century brought both family continuity and modernization. After the First World War, the business acquired land on Bishopthorpe Road and built Terry's Chocolate Works, an Art Deco factory opened in 1926. The site included a clock tower, offices and extensive production facilities. The Chocolate Apple appeared in 1926, Chocolate Orange in 1932 and All Gold in the 1930s. Their packaging, gift-oriented presentation and recognizable shapes helped define Terry's as a premium British confectionery brand with mass-market reach. Wartime requirements interrupted normal production. The York works were used as a shadow facility for aircraft-propeller manufacture, while confectionery output continued in limited and contract forms. After 1945, rationing and shortages of imported cocoa made production difficult. The company eventually discontinued the Chocolate Apple in 1954 and focused more strongly on Chocolate Orange and boxed assortments. Ownership left the Terry family in 1963 when Forte Group acquired the business. Colgate-Palmolive followed in 1977, and United Biscuits bought the company in 1982. United Biscuits expanded the confectionery operation through acquisitions and distribution agreements, making Terry's the centre of a wider group. The business was sold to Philip Morris and Kraft Foods in the early 1990s and combined with Chocolat Suchard. The identity was simplified from Terry's of York to Terry's around 2000. Kraft Foods decided in 2004 to close the York works and move production to European factories. The factory closed in 2005, ending the brand's historic manufacturing connection with York. Terry's later became part of Mondelēz International following Kraft's 2012 corporate split. In 2016, Eurazeo acquired the relevant brands and created Carambar & Co, under which Terry's is now operated. Manufacturing is associated with Carambar facilities in Strasbourg, while Terry's Chocolate Co was established in London in 2019 to support UK marketing and sales. The former York factory has since been redeveloped, but its listed architecture and cultural significance continue to anchor the brand's heritage.
- 2019
UK subsidiary established
[1]Terry's Chocolate Co is established in London to market the range in the United Kingdom.
- 2016
Brand joins Carambar & Co
[1]Eurazeo acquires Terry's from Mondelēz and places it in the newly formed Carambar & Co group.
- 2005
York factory closes
[1]Terry's Chocolate Works closes and remaining production moves to European facilities.
- 1993
Terry's Suchard formed
[1]Following the Kraft and Philip Morris transaction, Terry's is combined with Chocolat Suchard.
- 1982
United Biscuits acquisition
[1]United Biscuits acquires the business and makes Terry's the principal brand in its confectionery division.
- 1977
Colgate-Palmolive acquisition
[1]Colgate-Palmolive acquires Joseph Terry & Sons from Trust House Forte.
- 1963
Forte Group acquires the company
[1]Terry's leaves family ownership and becomes part of the Forte Group.
- 1932
Chocolate Orange introduced
[1]Terry's launches its signature orange-shaped chocolate product, initially called Terry's Dessert Chocolate Orange.
- 1926
Terry's Chocolate Works opens
[1]The new Art Deco factory on Bishopthorpe Road in York begins operation, later becoming the brand's defining manufacturing site.
- 1899
Terry's Neapolitans launched
[1]The company introduces Neapolitans and becomes an early mass producer of individually sized chocolate pieces.
Products and positioning
A heritage British confectionery brand built around distinctive chocolate formats, giftable boxed chocolates and strong associations with York, festive occasions and nostalgic advertising.
Chocolate confectionery · 1932
Terry's Chocolate Orange
Terry's signature product is a chocolate sphere shaped and segmented to resemble an orange. Originally introduced in 1932 as Terry's Dessert Chocolate Orange, it became the brand's best-known product and a major part of its advertising identity. The traditional version uses orange flavouring, while later extensions have included alternative coatings, bars, seasonal formats, ice-cream products and other variations.
Boxed chocolates · 1930
Terry's All Gold
All Gold is Terry's classic assortment-box line. Developed in the 1930s, it presents a selection of filled and flavoured chocolates in a gift-oriented format. The product helped establish Terry's presence in the British boxed-chocolate market and historically represented the company's more formal and premium-facing offer alongside the more playful Chocolate Orange.
Shaped chocolate · 1926
Terry's Chocolate Apple
The Chocolate Apple was a shaped chocolate product introduced at the York Chocolate Works in 1926. It formed part of Terry's early twentieth-century strategy of using recognizable fruit shapes to distinguish its products. Production was phased out in 1954 as the company concentrated more heavily on Chocolate Orange.
Chocolate pieces · 1899
Terry's Neapolitans
Terry's Neapolitans were launched in 1899 and are associated with the company's early industrial-scale chocolate production. Individually sized chocolate pieces allowed the brand to serve hospitality, gifting and assortment markets while demonstrating the move from traditional sweets toward modern chocolate manufacturing.
Flavoured chocolate · 2023
Terry's Chocolate Mint
Introduced as a newer extension of the Terry's range, Chocolate Mint applies the brand's recognizable segmented and sharing-oriented chocolate format to mint flavouring.
Milk chocolate · 2024
Terry's Chocolate Milk
Chocolate Milk is a plain milk-chocolate product presented in the brand's familiar orange-inspired shape. It extends the Terry's visual system beyond the original orange-flavoured recipe.
Marketing campaigns
- 2021Chocolate Orange mayonnaise collaboration
United Kingdom
Terry's and Heinz collaborated on an unconventional Chocolate Orange-flavoured mayonnaise product as a novelty promotional launch.
Outcome. The collaboration generated attention through its deliberately surprising combination of confectionery and savoury-food branding.
- 1997Dawn French Chocolate Orange campaign
United Kingdom
Kraft used comedian and actor Dawn French as the face of Chocolate Orange advertising, popularizing the line 'It's not Terry's, it's mine.'
Outcome. The campaign became strongly associated with the brand until Kraft ended the partnership in 2007.
- 1982Chocolate Orange Jungle advertisement
United Kingdom
Terry's launched a cinematic Chocolate Orange advertisement styled as a playful spoof of Raiders of the Lost Ark and built around the question 'How safe is yours?'
Outcome. The campaign became one of the brand's most remembered television advertising executions and was updated in 1987.
- 1920Decorative luxury packaging
United Kingdom
Terry's promoted elaborate packaging as part of the value of boxed confectionery, presenting the package as a reflection of the quality and character of the chocolates inside.
Outcome. The approach supported the brand's premium and giftable positioning.
Brand decisions
2019
Establish Terry's Chocolate Co in LondonStrategyBackground
Carambar & Co sought a dedicated UK structure for the Terry's range after acquiring the brand.
Action taken
The company established Terry's Chocolate Co as a London-based UK subsidiary focused on marketing the brand.
Aftermath
The move marked the brand's return to a specifically UK-based commercial organization, although manufacturing remained in continental Europe.
2016
Terry's transferred to Carambar & CoM&ABackground
Eurazeo acquired a group of confectionery brands from Mondelēz International.
Action taken
Terry's became part of Carambar & Co, the French confectionery group formed by Eurazeo.
Aftermath
Manufacturing became associated with Carambar facilities in Strasbourg, while the brand continued to be marketed in the United Kingdom.
2016
Chocolate Orange size reductionOtherBackground
Mondelēz changed the product specification for Terry's Chocolate Orange.
Action taken
The size of the Chocolate Orange was reduced.
Aftermath
The change produced substantial consumer criticism and became a prominent example of negative reaction to a perceived reduction in value.
2012
Terry's becomes part of Mondelēz InternationalM&ABackground
Kraft Foods divided its operations into a North American grocery company and Mondelēz International, an international snacks and confectionery company.
Action taken
Terry's was assigned to Mondelēz International after the corporate split.
Aftermath
The brand remained within a large international confectionery portfolio until its later sale to Eurazeo.
2004
Close York manufacturing and transfer productionStrategyBackground
Kraft Foods determined that the historic York factory would not continue producing the remaining major Terry's lines.
Action taken
Production of products including Chocolate Orange and All Gold was transferred to factories in Belgium, Sweden, Poland and Slovakia, and the York site was closed in 2005.
Aftermath
The decision ended Terry's direct manufacturing presence in York, although the Chocolate Works buildings and local heritage remained closely associated with the brand.
Recent events
- 2021
Terry's collaborates with Heinz on Chocolate Orange mayonnaise[1]
Campaign · Product launch
Heinz and Terry's announced a limited collaboration combining the Chocolate Orange flavour profile with mayonnaise in an unusual promotional product.
- 2019
Terry's Chocolate Co established in the United Kingdom[1]
Other
Carambar & Co created a London-based UK subsidiary to market the Terry's range in the domestic market.
- 2016
Terry's Chocolate Orange becomes smaller[1]
Pricing · Other
Mondelēz reduced the size of the Chocolate Orange, prompting a strong negative response from consumers and renewed discussion of shrinkflation and brand expectations.
- 2005
Kraft closes Terry's York factory[1]
Other
The historic Terry's Chocolate Works in York closed on 30 September, ending large-scale Terry's production at the site and eliminating 316 jobs.
Sources1 sources
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