After yet another 200km round trip to to Levin and back today, to put another car full of cartons in our lock-up, we rewarded ourselves with a trip to R J’s Licorice factory shop.
What natural herb is fifty times sweeter than sugar, has been beloved of world leaders from Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamen to Napoleon, has been used to treat most common illnesses, and grows on all five continents? Licorice, of course, a perennial herb belonging to the pea family.
Roger Halliwell founded the company in 1995 after managing, then owning, Granny’s Licorice, which was then sold to Nestle. Roger knew there was a good market for it, so he decided to buy the vacant factory in Levin, and invited his son Regan, who was travelling overseas, the chance to be a founding partner. Regan is now RJ’s Managing Director. The company now has export orders from U K worth several million dollars.
Inside the factory shop
The factory shop offers a full range of licorice products, including licorice rolls stuffed with chocolate, and raspberry and blackcurrant licorice. But I’m a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to food, (or just a fuddy duddy, Robin says) and was quite happy to purchase a couple of bags of licorice allsorts off cuts. That’s more to my taste. Robin can eat all the weird and wonderful bits in the bags which I won’t touch!
Yum, licorice allsorts!
How nice to find that our new home town has a thriving licorice factory. No doubt we will find all sorts of other interesting places in the town once we move into our new home - we will keep you posted.
2 comments:
Licorice, my all time favorite! I was born in Pontefract Yorkshire THE home of licorice, particularly Pontefract Cakes. I can remember chewing on a licorice root, and apparently the surrounding countryside was where all the licorice was grown. (I was only a wee young thing when we emigrated!!).
My Mum's neighbour works at the factory so when I'm visiting I get given bags of off cuts. I don't like the coloured bits, I eat just the licorice, but my hubby loves the coloured stuff and won't eat the licorice! It's like Jack Sprat and his wife so it works out well :-)
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