Whittaker's
A family-owned New Zealand chocolate manufacturer known for bean-to-bar production, palm-oil-free chocolate and strong domestic consumer trust.
Last updated August 27, 2026
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Overview
Whittaker's is a New Zealand confectionery brand and manufacturer operated by J.H. Whittaker & Sons. James Henry Whittaker began making chocolate confectionery in Christchurch in 1896 after working in the British confectionery trade and later selling Cadbury chocolate in New Zealand. The business initially sold products directly to customers from a horse-drawn van. In 1913, James Henry formed a partnership with his sons Ronald and James, establishing the family structure that remains central to the company’s identity. The business later moved to Wellington and became a limited liability company in 1937. Third-generation members of the Whittaker family remained the company’s sole shareholders. In 1969, production moved from Wellington to Porirua, where the company still manufactures its chocolate. The relocation provided additional space and avoided the effects of planned motorway development near the former Vivian Street premises. Whittaker’s presents itself as a vertically integrated, bean-to-bar producer. Its Porirua facility controls the principal stages of manufacture, from processing cocoa beans through to finished chocolate products. The company is particularly associated with large chocolate blocks, filled and flavoured bars, novelty products and gift formats. Its range includes Creamy Milk, Dark Ghana, Peanut Slab and numerous block and mini-slab varieties. The company has also produced legacy products such as Santé Bars, Toffee Milk Bars and K-Bars. The brand’s commercial positioning combines traditional craftsmanship, family ownership, straightforward ingredients and New Zealand provenance. Its promotional language has included “A passion for chocolate since 1896,” “good honest chocolate” and “from bean to bar.” Whittaker’s is known for making chocolate without palm oil and for maintaining control over manufacturing rather than outsourcing production. Approximately 30% of its output is exported, with overseas activity extending to Australia, Malaysia and other international markets. Export development began with products such as Peanut Slab reaching overseas markets in 1985. The company expanded into Malaysia in 2014 and has continued to develop its international presence while retaining New Zealand as its core market. Its reputation has benefited from consumer concerns about competing chocolate brands’ palm-oil use, product downsizing and factory closures. From 2012 through 2023, Whittaker’s was voted New Zealand’s most trusted brand in the cited consumer trust survey series, and it also received confectionery and iconic-brand recognition in 2023. The company has pursued sustainability and cocoa-sourcing initiatives, including a programme established in 2014 to support cocoa production in Samoa. This work expanded in 2017 with involvement from New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. In 2020, products made with Ghanaian cocoa were announced as Rainforest Alliance Certified. The company has also acknowledged that its sugar is primarily sourced from Thailand, where concerns about child labour in sugar-cane production have been reported, making supply-chain transparency an ongoing issue. Whittaker’s has invested in cultural and promotional activity through motorsport sponsorship, support for the All Blacks, celebrity advertising and community-oriented limited editions. It created Māori-language packaging initiatives for Māori Language Week, introduced a conservation-linked chocolate kiwi product and worked with singer Ed Sheeran on a flood-relief fundraising promotion. The company remains active, family-owned and privately held, with its identity closely tied to New Zealand manufacturing and local consumer loyalty.
History
James Henry Whittaker was born in 1868 and entered the British confectionery trade at the age of 14. He moved to New Zealand with his wife, Leah Alice, in 1890. Before and after the move, he worked as a chocolate salesman for Cadbury. In 1896, he began producing chocolate confectionery in Christchurch and sold it directly to customers using a horse and van. In 1913, James Henry entered into a partnership with his sons Ronald and James. The company was based in Wellington and developed as a family enterprise. It was incorporated as a limited liability company in 1937. The Whittaker family continued to hold all of the company’s shares through its third generation, preserving private ownership and a strong connection between the family name and the consumer brand. Whittaker’s manufacturing operations later moved from Wellington to Porirua. The 1969 relocation was prompted by the need for more production space and the threat of motorway development near the company’s former premises at 167 Vivian Street. Porirua became the company’s long-term manufacturing base and remains the centre of its bean-to-bar production model. The company developed a variety of confectionery products during the twentieth century. Peanut Slab was introduced in the 1950s and became one of the brand’s best-known products. During the 1970s and 1980s, the range included Santé Bars, Toffee Milk Bars and K-Bars. Whittaker’s began exporting Peanut Slab in 1985 and began making large chocolate blocks in the 1990s. J. H. Whittaker New Zealand Ltd was formed in 1992. In the twenty-first century, Whittaker’s expanded its export footprint while maintaining New Zealand as its principal market. Malaysia was added in 2014, and around 30% of production is reported to be exported. The company has also used cocoa from Ghana, Samoa and Nicaragua. Its Samoa programme, launched in 2014 and expanded with New Zealand government involvement in 2017, sought to support and improve cocoa production. In 2020, products using Ghanaian cocoa were announced as Rainforest Alliance Certified. Whittaker’s brand reputation has been built around family ownership, New Zealand production, control of the manufacturing process and palm-oil-free chocolate. Its trust rankings rose as competing brands faced criticism over palm oil, reduced product sizes and the closure of Cadbury’s Dunedin factory. Whittaker’s was named New Zealand’s most trusted brand in the cited survey series from 2012 to 2023. It also received the Exporter of the Year award at the 2021 ExportNZ ASB Wellington Export Awards and the Supreme Award at the 2022 Wellington Gold Awards. Marketing has included sponsorship of New Zealand motorsport and the All Blacks. Nigella Lawson appeared in a 2014 advertisement filmed at Wellington’s former railway station. In 2022, Karl Urban portrayed a fictional, time-travelling version of James Whittaker in a campaign filmed in Wellington’s Civic Square. The company has also connected products with conservation, Māori Language Week and disaster-relief fundraising. Whittaker’s has faced questions about the social conditions associated with parts of its supply chain. In 2019, it acknowledged that its sugar was primarily sourced from Thailand despite ethical-cocoa claims on some products; reports of child labour in Thai sugar-cane production made sugar sourcing a public issue. The company has also adjusted selected products and packaging. Its chocolate kiwi product was not produced in 2024 or 2025 because of production-capacity constraints and a global cocoa shortage. The Māori-language label was discontinued in 2024, and Toffee Milks was discontinued the same year. The company remains an active, privately held New Zealand chocolate manufacturer.
- 1992
J. H. Whittaker New Zealand Ltd is formed
[1]The company establishes J. H. Whittaker New Zealand Ltd.
- 1990
Large chocolate blocks enter the range
[1]Whittaker's begins producing large-format chocolate blocks.
- 1985
Peanut Slab exports begin
[1]The company begins exporting Peanut Slab.
- 1969
Production moves to Porirua
[1]Whittaker's relocates manufacturing from Wellington to its current Porirua facility.
- 1950
Peanut Slab is introduced
[1]The Peanut Slab is developed and becomes a signature Whittaker's product.
- 1937
Business becomes a limited company
[1]The company adopts a limited-liability structure while remaining under Whittaker family ownership.
- 1913
The next generation joins the business
[1]James Henry establishes a partnership with his sons Ronald and James in Wellington.
- 1896
James Henry Whittaker starts making chocolate
[1]James Henry Whittaker begins manufacturing chocolate confectionery in Christchurch and sells it directly to customers.
Products and positioning
Premium, family-owned, New Zealand-made and bean-to-bar chocolate with an emphasis on traditional production, palm-oil-free formulations and transparent sourcing.
Chocolate block
Creamy Milk
A core milk-chocolate block and one of the brand’s principal products. Creamy Milk has also been used for special packaging initiatives, including a Māori-language label during Māori Language Week and a personalised Ed Sheeran edition.
Dark chocolate block
Dark Ghana
A dark chocolate offering made using Ghanaian cocoa. It represents Whittaker’s emphasis on cocoa origin and its wider range of darker chocolate products.
Chocolate bar · 1950
Peanut Slab
A chocolate-and-peanut confectionery product introduced in the 1950s. It became one of Whittaker’s best-known products and was among the first products the company exported internationally.
Chocolate bar
Toffee Milks
A legacy milk-chocolate confectionery product that formed part of Whittaker’s historic range. The company announced its discontinuation in 2024.
Seasonal novelty product · 2016
Chocolate Kiwi
A hollow chocolate kiwi holding an egg, introduced as an Easter product. Twenty cents from each purchase supported a charity connected with kiwi conservation. Production was paused in 2024 and 2025 because of capacity constraints and global cocoa shortages.
Controversies
2019
Ethical-sourcing questions concerning sugar
Whittaker's acknowledged that its sugar was primarily sourced from Thailand while some products carried ethical-cocoa claims. Reports of child labour in Thailand's sugar-cane industry prompted scrutiny of the distinction between cocoa and sugar supply chains.
Marketing campaigns
- 2023Ed Block flood-relief fundraising
New Zealand
Whittaker's created a Creamy Milk block featuring Ed Sheeran after the singer commented positively on New Zealand chocolate, then partnered with him to auction signed shirts and chocolate for victims of the Auckland Anniversary Weekend floods.
Outcome. Combined celebrity engagement with charitable fundraising.
- 2022Māori Language Week packaging
New Zealand
Whittaker's released Creamy Milk packaging using the Māori name “Miraka Kirīmi” and distributed it nationwide during Māori Language Week.
Outcome. The initiative generated praise and criticism; the company later discontinued the label while retaining other Māori Language Week support.
- 2022Karl Urban time-travelling James Whittaker
New Zealand
Karl Urban appeared as a fictionalised, time-travelling version of founder James Whittaker in an advertisement filmed in Wellington's Civic Square.
Outcome. Reinforced the connection between the modern brand and its historical founder.
- 2014Nigella Lawson advertising campaign
New Zealand
Celebrity chef Nigella Lawson appeared in a Whittaker's advertisement filmed at Wellington's former railway station.
Outcome. Expanded the brand's national advertising profile.
Brand decisions
2024
Discontinuation of Toffee MilksOtherBackground
Toffee Milks was part of Whittaker's legacy product portfolio.
Action taken
Whittaker's announced that Toffee Milks would no longer be produced.
Aftermath
The product left the active range.
2024
End of the Māori-language product labelStrategyBackground
The Māori-language Creamy Milk label had been used during Māori Language Week and attracted both positive and negative public responses.
Action taken
Whittaker's announced that it would stop producing the label and support Māori Language Week through other means.
Aftermath
The specific packaging initiative ended, while the company stated that its broader support for Māori language and culture would continue.
2020
Rainforest Alliance certification for Ghanaian-cocoa productsStrategyBackground
Whittaker's used Ghanaian cocoa across a substantial part of its product portfolio and had been developing sourcing and sustainability initiatives.
Action taken
The company announced Rainforest Alliance certification for 116 products made with Ghanaian cocoa.
Aftermath
The decision strengthened the sustainability credentials associated with the Ghanaian-cocoa range.
Recent events
Whittaker’s receives Good Egg Award for Australasia[3]
Whittaker’s Chocolate received the Good Egg Award for Australasia in the Easter Chocolate Scorecard. The article says the company was recognized for its policies to prevent and remediate child labour and trafficking, and for its care for the environment and deforestation.
Sources3 sources
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