Aero is an aerated chocolate bar manufactured by the Vevey-based company Nestlé. Originally produced by Rowntree's, Aero bars were introduced in 1935 to the North of England as the "new chocolate". By the end of that year, it had proved sufficiently popular with consumers that sales were extended throughout the United Kingdom.
By 1936, sales of the chocolate had reached New York City, and later spread to many other countries including Canada, South Africa and Japan. Aero has been manufactured by Nestlé since 1988, after a takeover of Rowntree's. Known for its unique "bubbly" texture that collapses as the bar melts, it is available in many different flavours, and various forms including Aero Bubbles and Aero Biscuits.
History
The process of manufacture was patented in 1935 by Rowntree's in York, England. The patent describes how the chocolate is heated and then aerated to create small bubbles. It is poured into moulds of the solid outer chocolate shell. As the chocolate cools, reduced air pressure allows the bubbles to expand inside the bar's filling.
In 1935, Rowntree's launched Aero into the United Kingdom, followed by the Peppermint Aero from 1959. The wrapping was brown (green in the mint version) and displayed the "Rowntree's" script logo and the large word "AERO", along with the slogan "Hold on tight or I'll fly away!" below the "AERO" name. In 2014, the historical 1935 Aero packaging was placed online by historians at Rowntree's to help trigger nostalgic memories in people with dementia. The vintage packaging from the Nestlé UK & Ireland Archive was later released as a "reminiscence pack" on advice from the UK Alzheimer's Society. It included a 1950s Aero label to transform modern products. The 1953 Aero packaging commemorated the Queen's coronation.
During July 1983, the heatwave in the United Kingdom caused the bubbles in Aero bars to collapse due to the chocolate melting.
In 1997, Unilever sued Nestlé, stating that Nestlé infringed Unilever's patent for aerated chocolate ice cream products.
In 2004, three workers at the York factory were dismissed for intentionally misprinting rude messages on the packaging of 20 pallets of Aero bars.
In 2008, the old Nestlé York factory on Haxby Road was closed, and a new £15 million Aero factory was opened next door, with the capacity to make 183 million chocolate bars per year. That same year, Aero's packaging was updated with metallised laminate film to improve freshness. In 2015, the factory was making more than one billion Kit Kats and 200 million Aero bars each year. Nestlé invested over £1 million in new factory equipment in 2015 to manufacture the new Aero Mousse bars.
In February 2015, York's Chocolate Story museum celebrated the 80th anniversary of the launch of the Aero bar with demonstrations and activities. In September 2015, fashion designer Matthew Williamson collaborated with Nestlé to release a limited edition wrapper design for Aero Milk Chocolate and Aero Peppermint bars. The packaging was in soft pink and mint shades with metallic highlights and Williamson's butterfly motif.
The Aero flavoured McFlurry frozen desserts were available up until 2015, and brought back in the UK in May 2019. The flavours include Aero Chocolate and Aero Mint Chocolate, with chocolate pieces and sauce.
In Brazil, the bar is known as Suflair, but in 2014 Nestlé launched Aero in Brazilian market through subsidiary Garoto; in Hungary, Aero is known as Boci Aero and in the Netherlands as Bros (meaning "brittle"). Aero enjoys a large market following in South Africa with Aero, Aero Mint, and recently White Aero and Cappuccino Aero.
The Aero bar was made available for a short time in the United States by Nestlé during the 1980s, though it seems not to have been a commercial success. However, they are still available at certain speciality vendors or supermarkets such as Big Y, Wegmans and Publix that import the bars. Previously, The Hershey Company sold Aero bars in the United States under licence from Rowntree Chocolate Company from 1937 until 1939. Hershey recently marketed a similar bar called Hershey's Air Delight but has since been discontinued.
Manufacturing
Aero bars were produced in Australia from the early 1970s until 1996. From 1996, the Aero bar was produced in Britain. In 2011, Nestlé recommenced manufacturing Aero bars in Australia at their Campbellfield factory in Victoria, with a capacity of up to 1000 tonnes per year. The bars had a different formula for Australian tastes with a smoother, creamier taste. The Aero bars sold in Britain would retain the older recipe.