Haigh's Chocolates
Encyclopedia
Haigh's Chocolates is a company selling high quality chocolate
products to customers in South Australia
, Victoria
and New South Wales
. The company is based in Adelaide
, South Australia, where it was founded in 1915 by Alfred E. Haigh. Haigh's conducts free tours of its factory on Greenhill Road
.
, South Australia
. His first shop, on the "Beehive Corner" of Rundle Mall
and King William Street
is still in operation. The décor of the shop remains the same as when it first opened, although now it directly faces a competitor, Darrell Lea
Chocolates. John Haigh (Alfred's Grandson) wanted to expand the chocolate making aspects of the business, and went to learn about chocolate manufacturing with Lindt & Sprüngli
in Switzerland
to bring new techniques back to Australia.
In the 1950s and 1960s, Haigh's chocolates were sold in cinemas by "Tray Girls" and "Tray Boys". When cinema attendance fell, Haigh ventured to Melbourne to expand his already popular business.
including the Beehive Corner store.
Melbourne
currently has six Haigh's stores, four in the CBD, including a flagship store in the Block Arcade
.
A Haigh's store is now also open in Sydney
.
are seen as pests; to better appease the Australian public, Haigh's began offering a chocolate Easter Bilby
in 1993 as an alternative to the popular Easter Bunny
.
Chocolate
Chocolate is a raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America. Its earliest documented use is around 1100 BC...
products to customers in South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
and New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
. The company is based in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, South Australia, where it was founded in 1915 by Alfred E. Haigh. Haigh's conducts free tours of its factory on Greenhill Road
Greenhill Road, Adelaide
Greenhill Road is a major road in Adelaide, South Australia, that provides a vital transport artery for those living in the eastern and hills suburbs. In Adelaide's early days, trams used to run up and down the road...
.
History
Alfred E. Haigh was born in 1877 in AdelaideAdelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
. His first shop, on the "Beehive Corner" of Rundle Mall
Rundle Mall, Adelaide
Rundle Mall is the premiere retail area in the centre of Adelaide, South Australia. It was opened as Australia's first pedestrian street mall in September 1976 by closing Rundle Street to traffic between King William Street and Pulteney Street...
and King William Street
King William Street, Adelaide
King William Street is the part of a major arterial road that traverses the CBD and centre of Adelaide . It was named by the Street Naming Committee on 23 May 1837 after King William IV, the then reigning monarch, who died within a month...
is still in operation. The décor of the shop remains the same as when it first opened, although now it directly faces a competitor, Darrell Lea
Darrell Lea
Darrell Lea Chocolate Shops is an Australian company that makes and sells chocolate.It is privately owned by the Lea family, and is the largest privately owned confectionery manufacturer in Australia. It was established as a company in 1927....
Chocolates. John Haigh (Alfred's Grandson) wanted to expand the chocolate making aspects of the business, and went to learn about chocolate manufacturing with Lindt & Sprüngli
Lindt & Sprüngli
Lindt & Sprüngli AG, more commonly known as Lindt, is a luxury Swiss chocolate and confectionery company.- History :The origins of the company date back to 1845...
in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
to bring new techniques back to Australia.
In the 1950s and 1960s, Haigh's chocolates were sold in cinemas by "Tray Girls" and "Tray Boys". When cinema attendance fell, Haigh ventured to Melbourne to expand his already popular business.
Haigh's Stores
Haigh's Chocolates have six stores in South Australia, with three in the Adelaide CBDCentral business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
including the Beehive Corner store.
Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
currently has six Haigh's stores, four in the CBD, including a flagship store in the Block Arcade
Block Arcade, Melbourne
Block Arcade is a heritage shopping arcade in Melbourne, Victoria. Melbourne's Golden Mile heritage walk runs through the arcade.It forms a short, narrow laneway, connecting Collins Street to Little Collins Street in the central business district of Melbourne...
.
A Haigh's store is now also open in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
.
Easter Bilby
Rabbits in AustraliaRabbits in Australia
In Australia, rabbits are a serious mammalian pest and are an invasive species. Annually, European rabbits cause millions of dollars of damage to crops.-Effects on Australia's ecology:...
are seen as pests; to better appease the Australian public, Haigh's began offering a chocolate Easter Bilby
Bilby
Bilbies are desert-dwelling marsupial omnivores; they are members of the order Peramelemorphia. Before European colonisation of Australia, there were two species. One became extinct in the 1950s; the other survives but remains endangered....
in 1993 as an alternative to the popular Easter Bunny
Easter Bunny
The Easter Bunny or Easter Rabbit is a character depicted as a rabbit bringing Easter eggs, who sometimes is depicted with clothes...
.