The company was famous for making chocolate brands, such as Kit Kat, Aero and Quality Street.

The factory is still in use, located next to Halifax railway station, for production of Quality Street and other confections.

[6] Rowntree entered the continental Europe market in the 1960s, establishing production facilities in Hamburg, Dijon, Elst and Noisiel.

[2] In 1969, Rowntree's merged with John Mackintosh and Sons Ltd. to form "Rowntree Mackintosh plc" The company signed a long-time agreement with Hershey Foods Corporation to market and even produce some of its products in the U.S., starting with Kit Kat.

[7] Between 1981 and 1987, Rowntree invested nearly £400 million in upgrading its manufacturing facilities and developing high volume, product dedicated equipment for several of the company's brands, including Kit Kat, After Eights and Smarties.

[7] They also bought Scunthorpe snack maker Sooner Foods, known for inventing Nik Naks and for making Murphy's Crisps, Seyshells and Wheat Crunchies.

[7] In 1987, Swiss company Nestlé purchased Rowntree Mackintosh Confectionery, re-branded all of its products and took over the Halifax and York headquarters and factories.