Tunnock's
Template:Short description {{#invoke:Infobox|infobox}}Template:Template otherTemplate:Main other{{#invoke:Check for clobbered parameters|check|nested=1|template=Infobox company|cat=Template:Main other|name; company_name|logo; company_logo|logo_alt; alt|trade_name; trading_name|former_names; former_name|type; company_type|predecessors; predecessor|successors; successor|foundation; founded|founders; founder|defunct; dissolved|hq_location; location|hq_location_city; location_city|hq_location_country; location_country|num_locations; locations|areas_served; area_served|net_income; profit|net_income_year; profit_year|owners; owner |homepage; website }}{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:Infobox company with unknown parameter "_VALUE_" | ignoreblank=y | alt | area_served | areas_served | assets | assets_year | aum | brands | company_logo | company_name | company_type | defunct | dissolved | divisions | embed | equity | equity_year | fate | footnotes | former_name | former_names | foundation | founded | founder | founders | genre | homepage | hq_location | hq_location_city | hq_location_country | incorporated | image | image_alt | image_caption | image_size | image_upright | income_year | industry | ISIN | key_people | location | location_city | location_country | locations | logo | logo_alt | logo_caption | logo_class | logo_size | logo_upright | members | members_year | module | name | native_name | native_name_lang | net_income | net_income_year | num_employees | num_employees_year | num_locations | num_locations_year | operating_income | owner | owners | parent | predecessor | predecessors | production | production_year | products | profit | profit_year | rating | ratio | revenue | revenue_year | romanized_name | services | subsid | successor | successors | traded_as | trade_name | trading_name | type | website| qid | fetchwikidata | suppressfields | noicon | nocat | demo | categories }} Thomas Tunnock Limited, commonly known as Tunnock's, is a Scottish confectionery company based in Uddingston, Scotland.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It is headed by Boyd Tunnock, grandson of Thomas.<ref name=times-2010/> In 2013, a joint report by Family Business United and Close Brothers Asset Management named it the 20th oldest family firm in Scotland.<ref>Close Brothers Asset Management: John White & Son named Scotland’s longest established family business after almost 300 years of service Template:Webarchive. 1 October 2013.</ref>
For two seasons, 2019 and 2020, Tunnock's sponsored the Scottish Challenge Cup in Scottish football.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
HistoryEdit
Tunnock's was formed by Thomas Tunnock (b. 1865) as Tunnock's in 1890, when he purchased a baker's shop in Lorne Place, Uddingston.<ref>Made in Scotland, Carol Foreman, Template:ISBN</ref> The company expanded in the 1950s, and it was at this time that the core products were introduced to the lines, when sugar and fat rationing meant that products with longer shelf-lives than cakes had to be produced.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Since 2005, Tunnock's has sponsored the Tour of Mull, an annual car rally held on the Isle of Mull.<ref>"Tunnock's Tour of Mull" 2300club.org. Retrieved 24 April 2011.</ref>
In September 2010, Tunnock's workers in Uddingston, Lanarkshire, conducted two 24-hour strikes during contract negotiations. At main issue were salaries, with management having originally offered an increase of 1%, followed by a second offer of 2%.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The dispute was resolved in October 2010 with agreement on a 2.5% increase backdated to the start of July 2010, followed by a 2.5% increase in July 2011.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In November 2015, Tunnock's made a donation of £250,000 to an appeal for an independent lifeboat station at St Abbs.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Scottish identityEdit
Tunnocks has been described as an iconic Scottish brand <ref name="scotsmanteacakes">https://www.scotsman.com/arts-and-culture/dancing-teacakes-are-recipe-soaring-sales-1530670 "The iconic Scottish company was founded by Thomas Tunnock in 1890"</ref><ref>https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/teacake-car/ "the iconic Scottish company have raised cheers with workers and management".</ref> and its packaging features the Scottish lion rampant.<ref name="recordlion" /> Having been a Scottish, family owned company since it was formed, this remains a feature of its identity.<ref>https://scottishgrocer.co.uk/2022/12/15/scotlands-top-brands-4-tunnocks/ "“Tunnock’s is very much a Scottish company. We believe the fact that the company is privately owned, and now into the fifth generation of the founder’s family, is important to the community in Scotland."</ref>
In an April 2012 interview with The Herald, Managing Director Boyd Tunnock described himself as "Nationalist British" on the question of Scottish independence.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In the 2014 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony in Glasgow, dancers dressed as Tunnock's teacakes danced around the main performers near the start of the Scottish-themed show. Sales of Tunnock's tea cakes were 62% higher at Waitrose the day after the ceremony.<ref name="theguardian.com">Tunnock's sales take the teacake after Commonwealth Games ceremony, accessdate: 3 December 2016</ref>
In 2016 this association with Scottish identity raised concerns about the company playing down its origins, when an advertising campaign on London Underground chose to omit the Lion Rampant and label their teacakes as "Tunnock’s Great British Teacake". Boyd Tunnock explained "Down south, people wouldn’t know it as Scottish."<ref name="recordlion">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In July 2017 Tunnock's announced it would be branding their wafer creams sold in Japan, as "Made in Great Britain". The company, however, did not have high hopes of success in the Japanese market. "The Japanese don’t like caramel wafers. It’s a cultural thing - they say they are too chewy."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
TeacakesEdit
The Tunnock's Teacake is a sweet food often served with a cup of tea or coffee. It was developed by Sir Boyd Tunnock in 1956.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Tunnock">Template:Cite news</ref> The product consists of a small round shortbread biscuit covered with a dome of Italian meringue, a whipped egg white concoction similar to marshmallow,<ref name=times-2010>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> although somewhat lighter in texture. This is then encased in a thin layer of milk or dark chocolate and wrapped in a red and silver foil paper for the more popular milk chocolate variety, with blue, black, and gold wrapping for the dark.
Retired RAF bomber pilot Tony Cunnane told of how Tunnock's Teacakes became a favourite ration snack of the V bomber nuclear deterrent flight crews based at RAF Gaydon, especially after discovering that they expanded at high altitude. In 1965 this ended after one was left unwrapped and exploded on the instrument panel<ref>Template:Citation</ref> and led to a ban by the RAF.<ref name="cake"/>
In April 2025 the RAF Centre of Aerospace Medicine gave the all-clear for the teacakes to be used in flights again, after tests in an altitude chamber found the teacakes did not explode.<ref name="cake">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Caramel wafersEdit
The Tunnock's Caramel Wafer, officially the Tunnock's Milk Chocolate Coated Caramel Wafer Biscuit, is a bar consisting of five layers of wafer, separated by four layers of caramel. The bar is coated in chocolate, made from cocoa and milk solids. The wafers are wrapped in red and gold coloured foil. Dark chocolate wafers, wrapped blue and gold, are also available.
The University of St Andrews had a Tunnock's Caramel Wafer Appreciation Society, founded in 1982,<ref name=ScotlandOnSunday>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> disbanded in 2016.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In 2022, Tunnock's were the pitch sponsor at Uddingston Rugby Club, turning their padded posts into wrapped Caramel Wafer bars.<ref name="Greenan 2022">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Other productsEdit
The other products in Tunnock's lines are largely based on the core products. The Caramel Log is similar to the Caramel Wafer, but with the addition of roasted coconut to the outside of the bar. Wafer Creams and Florida Orange have chocolate and orange flavoured cream in place of the caramel.
A Snowball is similar to the Tea Cake, with the addition of grated coconut to the exterior of a soft chocolate shell but with no biscuit base.
Despite pressure to do so, Tunnock's does not make any own brand biscuits for supermarkets.<ref name=times-2010/>
In 2013, Tunnocks's entered into an agreement with Tesco to sell a range of branded items produced by Glasgow-based promotional materials firm Orb. Fergus Loudon, sales manager for Tunnock's stated: "As well as teacake tea towels, aprons and china mugs, there will be the ideal gift for the many caramel wafer fans – a ‘yard of caramel wafers’." As of 2015, the products continue to be sold both through Tesco and directly from Orb.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>