After the revival of popular Cadbury’s chocolate bar Top Deck earlier this year, we asked you which discontinued treat you would like to see brought back – and we got so many responses that we’ve decided to make a weekly feature of it called Bring It Back.
Every Tuesday, we’ll pick one from our comments box and look at why it was so beloved and, crucially, find out whether the companies in question might consider reintroducing them.
The first product in our new series is one that was only discontinued a relatively short time ago – Nestle Caramac.
The gold-coloured confectionary first hit the shelves in the UK in 1959 after being rolled out by its original creator, Mackintosh’s.
However, sales had “steadily declined” over recent years, according to Nestle, which bought the brand as part of a takeover in 1998.
It announced it was withdrawing the product altogether in November – triggering a heady combination of horror and distress among its many fans.
Indeed, on asking readers about now discontinued items they most wanted to see back on sale, the Sky News Money blog received a deluge of responses expressing their dismay at the sudden disappearance of Caramac.
Among them was Jacqueline, who said: “Please bring back the Caramac bar!
“It was by far my favourite and there’s really nothing like it in the shops any more. I’d do anything to get my hands on one again!”
Hainan Gal, meanwhile, said: “Bring back Caramac! It was totally different to anything else you can get.”
In this case, we can exclusively reveal there is some good news for the army of diehard Caramac fans – with the bar to make an imminent comeback, albeit for a limited time only.
Lisa Butterworth, chocolate classics brand manager for Nestle UK and Ireland, told the Money blog: “The calls for the return of Caramac were heard loud and clear, and for this unique bar we wanted to create a special opportunity for fans to enjoy it once more.
“We hope that this limited release gives people the opportunity to savour and stock up on Caramac as a gesture of our appreciation for the longstanding support of our confectionery fans throughout the years.”
She said the range will include the classic Caramac single bar, a convenient three-bar multipack and a sharing bag of Caramac buttons.
The confectionery treats will be available in retailers nationwide starting from this month – while stocks last.
She added that since the bar’s discontinuation, Nestle has launched a range of new products, including the ice cream-inspired Neapolitan flavour Aero Melts, Munchies Cookie Dough and Milkybar Raspberry Ripple pieces, Rowntree’s Randoms Fizzy Cactuz, KitKat Chunky White with Lotus Biscoff and Aero Choco-Hazelnut flavour.
Which discontinued chocolate bar, crisps, sweets – or any other food product – would you like to see brought back, and why? Let us know in the comment box at the top!