Kitkat turns 90: 5 billion bars sold annually in 85 countries
The famous Nestlé brand was born in York in 1935 and is now available in 300 flavours. Success also for tablets
2' min read
2' min read
For decades, it has punctuated the breaks of the sweet tooth, accompanied by a claim that has made history and anticipated the anti-stress philosophy of modern times. Today KitKat - Nestlé's leading brand in terms of turnover and brand value - turns ninety.
Sold in more than 85 countries, with over 5 billion bars a year, the flagship of the Swiss multinational's global portfolio originated in 1935 in York, England, as a 'four-finger' chocolate-covered wafer bar. The idea for the divisible snack came from one of the workers at the manufacturing company, Rowntree - one of the UK's leading confectioners - who wanted to create an easily manageable snack for work breaks.
The name derives instead from the Kit-Cat Club, an exclusive London venue frequented by politicians and intellectuals, famous for the mutton pies (meat pies, typical of Scottish tradition) prepared by the manager, Christopher Catling and renamed, precisely, Kit Cats.
Throughout its ninety-year history,' the company says, 'the product has constantly reinvented itself to cater for new consumption occasions, local tastes and cultural preferences in many regions of the world. Today it is available in various formats (ice cream, cereals, hot-cold drinks, chocolate spreads) and over three hundred flavours. Among the most original are those designed for the Japanese market from 2000 to today: green tea, sake, soy sauce, banana and ginger ale.
The vegan version, on the other hand, withdrawn from the market last February, because sales did not meet expectations.
