Henry Thorne & Co Ltd.
Henry Thorne & Co Ltd. were a chocolate and toffee manufacturers based in Leeds. They were first established in 1837, just a few years after the abolition of slavery passed through the UK Parliament. The original shop sold mustard and chicory grown and produced in England, but they soon expanded to make a range of confectionery that needed ingredients from elsewhere. The main factory location was on Lady Lane, in Leeds city centre. The company continued to expand, and by the 1960s they were making over two million pieces of confectionery a day.
The most popular products included extra super creme toffee and Health Cocoa. Both relied on ingredients such as sugar and cocoa.
Like the sugar used in Yorkshire Relish, it is likely that Henry Thorne & Co used sugar from plantations worked by enslaved Africans, although they may not have been aware of this.
Cocoa was shipped into Britain, mainly from countries in the Caribbean. European trading companies made a lot of money controlling the production and trading of cocoa.
Despite their early success, Henry Thorne &Co closed in 1971 and the factory was demolished.