Bertie Beetle

A Bertie Beetle is a small Australian chocolate bar manufactured by Nestlé. It consists of a chocolate coated bar containing small pieces of honeycomb, that is shaped like an anthropomorphised beetle. It was created as a way to use up honeycomb left over from the production of their Violet Crumble bars.[1]

Bertie Beetle
A Bertie Beetle Showbag.
TypeChocolate bar
Place of originAustralia
Created byHoadley's Chocolates
Invented1963
Main ingredientsChocolate, honeycomb

First production

The Bertie Beetle was first produced in 1963 by Hoadley's Chocolates who were later taken over by the Rowntree Company and became Rowntree Hoadley Ltd.,[2] when it was launched by VFL footballer Ron Barassi,[3] and was sold in shops until 1970, when manufacturer Nestlé entered an exclusive agreement with 'Showbag Marketing' to only sell the chocolate at shows and exhibitions in showbags.[4]

Showbag-only era

Bertie Beetles are most well known for their inclusion in the reliably cheap Bertie Beetle showbag, available around Australia at various shows. The 'Bertie Beetle Showbag' is one of the most popular showbags ever made.[5] When the bag was withdrawn from sale at Royal Shows, Nestlé bowed to the resultant community pressure and recommenced sale of the bag.[6]

The bag traditionally cost $2 and came with a few Bertie Beetles and some Allens lollipops.

The 'Bertie Beetle Bonanza' was created to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Bertie Beetle in 2003, which came with many Bertie Beetles as well as some other products. In 2006, there were four variations in existence: a small red bag, a medium-sized blue bag, a large gold bag and the '1-2-3' bag, which contains the three bags as well as some extras. The price for the classic blue 'Bertie Beetle' showbag was increased in 2006 to $3. For the 2007 Royal Shows, however, the price has returned to its traditional price of $2.

In the 2009 Royal Easter Show, there were a number of bags, including a Bertie Beetle Blue, Gold, Platinum along with a Bertie Beetle Bonanza Bag and a Bertie Beetle Triple Deal.

Ingredients

The standard sizing for both versions is 10 grams. Bertie Beetles do not contain gelatine and are suitable for vegetarians They do contain glucose from wheat. Bertie Beetles contain milk, soy and wheat. They are manufactured on equipment that processes products containing peanuts and tree nuts.

Ingredients: Sugar, Vegetable Fat, [Emulsifiers (Soy Lecithin, 492)], Milk Solids, Toffee Pieces (8%) - Sugar, Glucose Syrup (Derived from Wheat), Vegetable Fat, Raising Agent (Sodium Bicarbonate) - Cocoa, Emulsifier (Soy Lecithin), Salt, Flavours.[7]

Special editions

In 2013 a 50th Anniversary special edition of the Bertie Beetle showbag was made available, consisting of 50 Bertie Beetle chocolates and a mask.

In 2016 the Bertie Beetle bag cemented its status as a favourite showbag at the Brisbane Ekka, with more than 100,000 bags sold by the Brisbane Show Day (10 August 2016) [8]

In 2019, the Bertie Beetle Retro Showbag was produced for the various shows that year. It included a retro paper bag, Bertie Beetle chocolate bars and 2 collectors mugs.

Online

In 2016, a range of Bertie Beetle showbags and other products were made available online. The Bertie Beetle Biggest Showbag includes 80 Bertie Beetle chocolates. The Bertie Beetle Bounty Box includes 150 Bertie Beetle chocolates and comes in a gift box. The Bertie Beetle Bulk Bundle is a carton of 250 Bertie Beetles and the Bertie Beetle Huge Haul includes 350 Bertie Beetle chocolates. The products are sold via Showbag Shop.[9]

Other varieties

No longer available is Lady Beetle, Bertie's white chocolate equivalent, which had its own, slightly more expensive showbag.

References
  1. Cockington, J. 'It's in the bag', The Age, 7 March 2006.
  2. Violet Crumble, Violet Crumble manufacture.
  3. Edmonds, M et al. 'Watch this space', The Herald Sun, 13 September 2005.
  4. 'Mr Beetle brings smiles', Northern News, 7 August 2003.
  5. 'Bertie Beetles a hit with nation's chocolate lovers', The Advertiser, 15 November 2006.
  6. Dyer, B. 'The big loot is in the bag', Gold Coast Bulletin, 15 February 2003.
  7. Nestlé Ingredient List PDF, Nestlé Australia, 2014
  8. Honnery, C. 'Ekka 2016: Things that go on after dark are ‘unpublishable’.' The Courier-Mail, August 11, 2016
  9. "Showbag Shop". Showbag Shop. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
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