Iconic Kiwi lolly has been quietly discontinued by manufacturer

Iconic Kiwi lolly the Jaffa has been discontinued and will disappear from shop shelves for good.

Today sweetmaker RJ’s, who manufacture the orange chocolate balls, confirmed the treat has been pulled, with a company representative saying: “we are unfortunately unable to keep making Jaffas due to declining sales”.

“We know this will be disappointing news for many Kiwis and loyal Jaffas fans around New Zealand. Many of us have grown up enjoying the classic flavour combo of the crispy orange shell and smooth chocolate centre.

“However, there have sadly not been enough people buying Jaffas in recent times to support its continued ranging on shelves.”

The choc-orange balls no longer appear on the product page of the RJ’s website and the manufacturer last promoted the sweets on their social media in January.

A search on the New World website on Tuesday afternoon showed the candy was still stocked in their online store but Jaffas did not appear in searches on Woolworths’ website.

RJ’s said today “While it is extremely tough for us to say goodbye to Jaffas, we are committed to continuing to innovate across our extensive RJ’s range with delicious new products to excite and delight consumers”.

Though considered iconically Kiwi, the treat is Australian, invented in 1931 by James Stedman-Henderson’s Sweets Ltd of Sydney under the brand Sweetacres.

In 2018, RJ’s announced the signing of a deal with Mondelez International to take over the manufacturing and production of Jaffas after Mondelez confirmed the closure of its Dunedin factory, which was then making its local NZ Cadbury’s products.

Until 2018, Dunedin hosted The Jaffa Race, an annual event that saw upwards of 20,000 of the spherical sweets released down Baldwin St– the world’s steepest residential street, according to the Guinness World Records.

In Australia the chocolate, produced regionally by Allen’s, made headlines in December 2023 when they were quietly removed from shelves in Woolworths stores, a decision the supermarket said was also due to declining sales.

RJ’s, a Levin based company, also manufactures Licorice Allsorts, Oddfellow Spearmints and Heards Toffees.

This article was first published by Tyson Beckett in the NZ Herald and is republished here with permission.