Introduced in the UK in 1938 (as a competitor to Quality Street launched by Mackintosh's in 1936), they were named after the English packaging equipment company "Rose Brothers" based in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, that manufactured and supplied the machines that wrapped the chocolates.
[1][2][3] In 2020, an alternative origin of the name was given in a text panel printed on the side of tubs of Roses.
It notes they were named after the favourite flowers of Dorothy Cadbury, a director of the company and renowned botanist, which grew in the gardens of the original factory at Bournville.
[5] They are an extremely common gift on Mothering Sunday and sell well throughout the Christmas period.
[6] They are available in plastic tubs, boxes and special edition tins at Christmas and in the UK, Isle of Man and Ireland currently contain 9 different varieties of chocolate.