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After Eight

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For the band formerly known as Aftereight, see Capital Lights. For the Taco album, see After Eight (album).

After Eight
Product typeChocolate confection
OwnerNestlé (1988–present)
CountryUK
Introduced1962; 62 years ago (1962)
Previous ownersRowntree's (1962–1988)
Websitenestle.co.uk/aftereight

After Eight Mint Chocolate Thins, often referred to as simply After Eights, are a brand of mint chocolate covered sugar confectionery. They were created by Rowntree Company Limited in the UK in 1962 and have been manufactured by Nestlé since its acquisition of Rowntree in 1988.[1]

Manufacturing

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The mints were originally manufactured at Rowntree's York factory, before production transferred to Castleford, West Yorkshire, in 1970. For the UK market they are now manufactured in Halifax following Nestlé's closure of the Castleford factory in 2012, with over one billion After Eights produced every year.[2]

After Eights were originally made from dairy-free dark chocolate. In 2002, however, Nestlé started adding butterfat to After Eights made at certain production facilities so as to increase resistance to chocolate bloom. This practice expanded to all production facilities in 2009. Nestlé has also made special editions of After Eights, including orange After Eights and milk chocolate After Eights.

The fondant in the centre of After Eights is made from a stiff paste of common sugar, water, and a small amount of the enzyme invertase. This fondant can readily be coated with dark chocolate. After manufacture, the enzyme gradually splits the common sugar into the much more soluble sugars glucose and fructose, resulting in a more liquid consistency.[3] Once manufactured, each completed chocolate is packaged in a sheath and then loaded into a box.[citation needed] After Eights are certified kosher dairy by the Orthodox Union.[2]

Notes

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  1. ^ Hyde, Dana (March 1991). "The Nestlé takeover of rowntree: A case study". European Management Journal. 9 (1): 1–17. doi:10.1016/0263-2373(91)90044-q.
  2. ^ a b Treanor, Jill (10 December 2010). "40 years and billions of mints later, Nestlé to close After Eight factory". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
  3. ^ Dziedzic, S. Z.; Kearsley, M. W. (1995). Handbook of starch hydrolysis products and their derivatives. London: Blackie Academic & Professional. p. 62. ISBN 0-7514-0269-9. Retrieved 13 April 2008.
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