Ernest Hillier. You've heard that name before haven't you? Go on, have a think where. I am sure you'll remember.
No?
Well let me put you out of your misery.
Ernest Hillier is an Australian chocolatier, but not just any old Australian chocolatier. Founded in 1914 it is Australia's first chocolate manufacturer no less and remains the oldest privately owned chocolatier still in business today. Impressive huh?
Well it should be. They set very high standards don't you know?
Originally from England, Ernest Hillier moved to Australia, after a five year period of learning the confectionery ropes and managing restaurants in San Francisco. That he managed to become successful again on the back of the extreme adversity of seeing many of his restaurants destroyed by a devastating earthquake is testament to the man's entrepeneurial spirit. But then Ernest Hillier was no fool. He knew the secret to business success, certainly within the chocolate manufacturing industry at any rate. 'We will make quality chocolate, at a profit if we can, at a loss if we must, but we will make quality chocolate' he once famously decreed. For he knew, quit astutely, that if priced correctly, top notch and great tasting chocolates would sell.
In 1914, Hillier set about trying to achieve this dream by opening a shop at 162 Pitt Street in Sydney. It wasn't long before his hard work started to pay dividends as his business quickly forged an excellent reputation for making premium quality chocolate at a price people could afford. So successful did the shop become that often was the case that all 600 seats in the store were occupied by customers tucking in to his fine confections whilst marvelling at the magnificent 42 foot long fountain which served as its main feature.
Where Hillier's genius lay was in spotting a gap in the market. Prior to his venture the only chocolate that was available in Australia was imported overseas from the likes of the USA and Europe. However due to a combination of factors including the vast shipping distances involved, inclement weather and the often questionable conditions these chocolate were transported in they usually always arrived in poor condition. By promising customers the highest grade confectionery however, that most crucially was made fresh each day, Hillier exploited Sydney's demands for decent chocolate. A true visionary, he was the first chocolate manufacturer in Australia to utilise newspaper advertising to promote his products. He was also the first to grasp the vast potential for mail order.
Over the course of 14 years he opened another half a dozen stores in Sydney as well as a chocolate factory in Surry Hills, an ice cream factory and a bakery that employed 400 people. However when the Great Depression hit, so did a dramatic drop in sales within the Sydney area, so with the need to lay stronger foundations he relocated the business to Melbourne in 1934, on the back of the belief that its cosmopolitan, predominantly European based, population would provide a stronger and more constant demand. It was a smart move as the famous store he opened in the Regent Theatre in Collins Street proved to be a massive success that would drive the business to a higher level.
Although Hillier eventually sold the business several years later to a private owner his legacy lives proudly on in the products they sell today. Currently there are over 600 chocolate brands in their range including their iconic Yard of Chocolate and Signature Foil Wrapped Chocolate Centres. Both of which taste just as good today, I am sure, as good old Ernest first promised they would.
Article posted by Spencer Samaroo, Managing Director, Moo-Lolly-Bar
http://www.moolollybar.com.au/
The best online chocolate, lolly and confectionery store on the web!
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