Halloween increases demand for Uncle Joe’s Mint Balls

The world famous brand, which produces the iconic Uncle Joe’s Mint Balls, said the rise was down to the increasing popularity of Halloween and newly-introduced clip strip packs, which allow the toffee to be sold from aisle ends in stores where there is limited shelf space.

Royal visit

Manufacturer William Santus and Co Ltd is a privately-owned traditional sweet company established in 1898 and the ownership has been passed down through family generations. In April this year HRH Prince Charles visited Uncle Joe’s Mint Balls factory in Wigan to celebrate the centenary of The Toffee Works.

The 10% sales increase comes on the back of sales of 3.4million pieces of treacle toffee last year. The company records 90% of its treacle toffee sales in the six weeks leading up to bonfire night and Halloween.

John Winnard, Joint managing director of Uncle Joe’s, said: “There is no doubt that Halloween continues to grow as a market and, although treacle toffee was traditionally seen as a favourite in the North of the country, we are seeing an increase in demand from other areas too​.

“This year is also the first year we have sold our treacle toffee on clip strips, of the kind you see hanging off the shelves in supermarkets. They are a great way of increasing sales space when there is little availability on the shelves and can be used effectively for seasonal sales, as there doesn’t need to be any temporary shelf space allocation​.”