Menz has announced the return of the Polly Waffle, reimagined in bite-sized pieces.
Due to hit shelves in Australia from late April, the new Polly Waffle Bites are reminiscent of the original chocolate bar first created in 1947 and sold up until 2009. The new creation features bite-sized pieces of vanilla marshmallow covered in milk chocolate with crunchy pieces of wafer throughout.
Due to manufacturing complexities, expenses, and additional time required, the confectionery manufacturer says the Bites will replace the original bar permanently.
Menz acquired the rights to produce Polly Waffle in 2019 from Nestlé and has spent the past several years researching and developing how to manufacture the product locally in South Australia.
Progress slowed due to Covid-19 border closures restricting the development team from travelling to source and test critical manufacturing equipment.
The original machinery used to create Polly Waffle was also decommissioned by the previous manufacturer, meaning development was starting from scratch.
In 2020, a Manufacturing Modernisation Fund grant from the federal government was made available to support Menz’s ambitions, with $1,000,000 dollars originally granted. While the project isn’t yet complete, given the changes and scope, the final amount will be less than $350,000.
“We have a long history of saving and supporting nostalgic Aussie brands like Violet Crumble and FruChocs, so we have been excited by the opportunity to bring Polly Waffle back,” says Menz CEO Phil Sims.
“Polly Waffle hadn’t been produced in more than 10 years when we acquired it, so we essentially had to start from scratch to find out how we could produce it at our South Australian factory.
“It was so important to us that we didn’t put a subpar product in the market, especially one as much loved as Polly Waffle. Creating a Polly Waffle Bite was the most responsible way to make bringing back the iconic brand a reality…”
