J.H. Whittaker & Sons, Ltd, trading as Whittaker's, is a New Zealand confectionery manufacturer specialising in palm oil-free[1] chocolate. Whittaker's is the largest chocolate brand in New Zealand. Approximately 30% of their production is now exported.[2] The company controls its entire manufacturing process in its facility in Porirua, identifying itself as a "bean-to-bar" manufacturer.[3] James Henry Whittaker (1868–1947) started the business in Christchurch in 1896;[3] it was later moved to Wellington, and then to its current location in Porirua.
History
James Henry Whittaker (1868–1947) worked in the British confectionery industry from the age of 14 and moved to New Zealand with his wife Leah Alice in 1890.[4]