Ella Riley wins IP rights to Riley's Toffee Rolls

May 14 2010 by Henryk Zientek, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Ella Riley wins IP rights to Toffee Rolls

A CONFECTIONERY firm with a sweet shop in Holmfirth plans to create 200 jobs by opening a factory in Yorkshire.

Ella Riley Ltd unveiled its plans after securing the intellectual property rights (IP) to Riley’s Toffee Rolls from US confectionery giant Kraft.

Now the company plans to bring the mouth-watering confection back to Yorkshire by opening an environmentally-friendly factory which could create about 200 jobs.

The company is currently in talks about the location of the new site.

The project is being spearheaded by Freya Sykes, the granddaughter of Ella Riley, who created the toffee roll recipe in Halifax for the family business.

Riley Brothers (Halifax) Ltd, founded in 1907, was famous for its Toffee Rolls, which came in several flavours.

Its mill premises in Hopwood Lane, Halifax, featured a 120ft high chimney with the company’s name picked out in glazed white bricks.

In 1953, the company was bought by the Guinness Group and then by Callard & Bowser, before being acquired in turn by United Biscuits, McVities and finally Kraft.

Freya, who set up Ella Riley Ltd a year ago, acquired the rights to Riley’s Toffee Rolls for a “modest” amount, after Kraft made it clear it had no further interest in the product.