The Whitaker family business began as a Grocery and Drapery store in the small North Yorkshire village of Crosshills in 1889, which specialized in baking.
It was not until 1903 that chocolates caught their eye. But any real expansion had to wait until after the First and Second World Wars. Whitakers Chocolates Limited was formed in 1961 and by 1964  the family decided to enlarge the chocolate side of the business. It was decided that the route forward was to specialise. They selected a few best sellers and automated their production as far as possible, keeping all processes as simple as possible. One of the chocolates selected was a Mint flavoured product derived from an old recipe used by a founding member of the original company. Eventually this product, made on German machinery, became an international winner and is currently exported to more than 25 countries. Since then the company has gone from strength to strength, now producing coffee and strawberry cream too as well as rose and violet creams and chocolate covered ginger.