A Brief History of Addiction !

[flukeman]

History

Aero was launched as 'the new chocolate' by Rowntree in October

1935, at a cost of 2d.(old pennies). Initially it was available only in

the North of England, distribution expanding throughout the UK

the following year. By 1936 Aero had reached New York. It was one

of the first products promoted by Rowntree primarily on the

strength of the brand, rather than the company name.

Aero's success owes much to its unique bubbly texture. From the

first television advertising campaigns screened during the 1950s, the

secret bubbly formula has proved a major success in providing the

inspiration behind the 'Lovely Bubbly Aero' campaign.

Aero has undergone a series of developments in packaging, bar size

and flavour, with the most significant innovations being the 1982

and 1996 relaunches. In 1982, the first countline Aero bar was

introduced. This new 'chunky' bar resulted in sales of Aero almost

doubling in the following few years. In 1996, Aero was reinvented as

a light, indulgent bar marketed directly at the female chocolate

consumer with the successful slogan 'Float away with an Aero'. The

traditional block Aero was redesigned to improve the breakage

quality of the individual chunks. The wrappers of both the

traditional and countline bars were redesigned in 1996, featuring a

new Aero logo.

In August 1999, the Aero pack was redesigned again and a new TV

ad featuring the Aero Hot GospeRers? on air from September. The

title of the gospel song, "Have you ever felt the bubbles melt?" is

also the new strap line for Aero. It is reflected in improved pack

graphics which feature an enlarged 'O' with a stream of chocolate

bubbles issuing from it.
Production

Aero bars, eggs and Christmas pies are all produced at the Nestle'

Rowntree factory in York. There are ten members and one shift

leader in each production team and three shifts per day. Each shift

produces approximately 11% -12 tonnes of chocolate. Aero

production has improved in efficiency since more tonnage is now

produced with ten people in a team than previously with 20 people

in the team.

Output of Peppermint Aero tends to be greater than Milk Aero. The

pepperinint chocolate is harder and breaks less frequently than the

softer, milk variety.

As well as seasonal products such as Aero Nflnt Eggs, approximately

two to three times a year limited edition 3OOg and 6OOg Milk Aero

and Peppermint Aero bars are produced.

The factory at York also produces Aero for the overseas market.

This year has seen an increase in exports to Canada and Australia.

Interestingly, the chocolate used to produce Aero for Australia is

different from the UK market chocolate. To change from UK

production to Australian production takes approximately four to

rive hours. It is acceptable to allow Australian chocolate to flow into

UK chocolate, but not vice versa.

The Aero moulds automatically regulate production. If a solid bar is

produced by mistake, it is rejected and replaced. It takes 17 minutes

for the chocolate to reach the correct temperature for it to be

deposited into the Aero moulds. The mould settings can be changed

according to the different dosage of chocolate required for each

particular size of bar.

The liquid chocolate then passes through a shaker to ensure that all

the moulds are filled to the correct level. Aero production is not

wasteful. If too much chocolate has been poured into the mould, it is

recycled. The machine turns the moulds upside down to shake off

any excess chocolate. Similar recycling processes occur throughout

production.

The next stage of production is cooling. The chocolate shell must be

stiffened before the centre is added. The cooling process takes

approximately 20 minutes before the required temperature has been

reached. The process is delicate since the chocolate shells must not

be completely solidified. Also, they need to be warmed again slightly

before the secret formula, bubbly centre can be added. The way in

which the unique Aero bubbles are added is a top secret, patented

process closely guarded by Nestle' Rowntree.

Once this has been completed, the chocolate bars are once again

passed through the shakers. This is to ensure the centre has been

poured in evenly. The bar shakers are, however, less severe than the

shell shakers.

The bars are then subjected to the licking roller. The roller removes

the very top layer of the bar, leaving a quarter inch gap. This is

necessary to ensure the back casing of the bar can be attached. The

bars must enter a second cooler, again for twenty minutes. The back

of the bar can now be added. The third and final cooling process

ensures the back casing becomes hard. The chocolate is now

tempered and will not turn white.

Vften the bars leave the final cooler, they are twisted to ensure they

are loose. A number of hammers are added to the twister to lift the

bars from the moulds. Milk Aero bars which are soft must only be

hammered once. But Peppermint Aero can take two or even three

blows of the hammer due to its extra strength! The bars are now

released and the moulds return to the very beginning of the

production process.
Wrapping and packing

Approximately three hundred and thirty Aero bars are wrapped per

minute. The wrappers are then gummed and coded. The bars are

then loaded into cartons. Aero destined for the UK market is packed

into cartons containing two dozen bars. Aero cartons, which must

travel to Australia, contain three dozen. Changing cartons between

the UK and Australia takes about forty-five minutes! The machine

itself must be changed when switching to produce Australian bars

or Giant Aero. Whilst twenty-seven moulds can be processed per

minute for traditional bars, Australian and Giant bars can only be

produced in quantities of sixteen to seventeen moulds per minute.

Once the bars have been wrapped and stamped, they must pass

through a metal detector. This is to ensure that no foreign bodies

have, entered the Aero products at any stage of the production

process. The coding machine must be checked every fifteen minutes.

If the labels have not been printed correctly, they cannot be sold!
Chronology

1935 Launch of Aero in the North of England in October 1935.

1936 Aero launched across the UK and exported to New York.

1937 Acrobats used to advertise the new Nut Milk and Fruit &

Nut Milk varieties of Aero.

1950s Television advertising launched for Aero.

1982 Aero countline bar introduced.

1999 Major relaunch of Aero
Packs and varients

* Aero Milk Chunky
* Aero Milk Medium
* Aero Peppermint Medium
* Aero Orange Medium
* Aero Milk Giant
* Aero Peppermint Giant
* Aero Mini Hanging Bags

Limited Editions

* Aero White (launched 1999)
* Aero Cappuccino
* Aero Mint Egg (Easter; debut in 1996)
* Nut Aero
* Fruit & Nut Aero
* Strawberry Aero
* Lime Aero

Special Editions

* Peppermint Aero (launched 1973)
* Orange Aero (launched 1974)

Extensions of Brand

* Aero Milk Drinks
* Aero Mousse
* Aero Ice Cream (Peppermint Aero Ice Cream Chocolate Bar launched in 1996)

[ghostdawgg®]

Dammit man! stop teasing. I want a Aero bar now. [img]frown.gif[/img] [img]wink.gif[/img] [img]tongue.gif[/img]

[toymank]

I got a halloween box with a shitload of mini aeros! [img]biggrin.gif[/img]

[sculpey]

Fuck the Commonwealth. Why can't we get them here?

[flukeman]

I guess because we are not special enough............. [img]graemlins/cry.gif[/img]

[StV]

...I say we invade Canada! KILL ALL CANADIAN'S!!! [img]mad.gif[/img]

...unless, they give us the AERO formula! [img]graemlins/grrr.gif[/img]

[img]wink.gif[/img]