Yowies are continuing their comeback with a new range launched for the footy finals.
For anyone under a certain age who doesn’t understand the significance of that, during the 1990s and early 2000s more than a million Yowies were sold in Australia every week. The story of their fall from grace is a lesson in bad food retailing.
Supermarkets had trouble keeping them stocked and collectors’ clubs sprang up around the country.
This river of gold came to an abrupt halt in 2005 when the creators, author Bryce Courtney and illustrator and author Geoff Pike, could not come to an agreement with manufacturers Cadbury about their future.
That must have been an absolute doozy of a corporate battle. No-one in their right mind wants to put an end to a line that’s selling a million units a week. It’s hard to comprehend that sort of self-destruction.
Anyway, a new company was formed in 2012 with a focus on the US market and sales have limped along since then. Yowies re-entered the Australian market in 2017. Things were going okay and then Kinder Surprise hit the supermarket shelves in the US and Yowie sales slumped yet again.
Apparently, the US blocked the sales of Kinder Surprises because small toys in chocolate are dangerous. I always think about that when their gun control measures or lack of them are in the news. US logic: small plastic toys – potentially deadly. Guns for teens – sure, why not?
These latest releases are an attempt to recapture market share. I wish them well, but find it unlikely.
This week’s best deals
Coles
Sensible: Farmers Market Dry Dog Food, $24, save $16. Excellent savings. Thankfully it’s not like most farmers’ markets, that is overpriced, pretentious and hard to get to. Although the packaging does say it’s with ‘farm vegetables’. Is there another sort?
Indulgence: Thins Pie and Sauce chips, half price $2.35. New flavour for Thins. Not sure about this particular combo, but I love that they try. I’ll probably let the kids eat it first and see what they think because I am a bad parent.
See the catalogue here.
IGA
Sensible: Weis Mango and Ice Cream Bars, $7.15, save $3.30. This hits the spot on a hot day. Out-of-the-box use is also tossing them into a blender as part of a smoothie.
Indulgence: Gordon’s Gin, $45. With the warmer coming up, that can only mean one thing, gin and tonics. Great price on an old favourite.
See the catalogue here.
Aldi
Sensible: Jindurra Station Beef Round Steak, $17.99/kg. You’d only serve this as actual steak to people you don’t like. Better off cut up for stir-fry or curries.
Indulgence: Boneless Butterflied Chicken, $8.99/kg. This is the ultimate lazy weeknight dinner. It really is as easy as turning the oven on, slipping it out of the packaging and popping it in. Go for the Greek flavour over the Mango, which is strangely tasteless.
See the catalogue here.
Woolworths
Sensible: Spice Tailor Curry Kits, half price $3.10. Curry purists will be blanching at the suggestion of a kit, but sometimes you just want a curry and not have to spend half an afternoon faffing about with the spice mix. Spice Tailor is a bit different from your usual ‘stir in’ as the wet and dry ingredients are packaged separately for superior freshness. Flavour combos extend well beyond butter chicken and a rogan josh as well.
Indulgence: Lamb midloin chops, $19/kg. It’s a long, long time since I have seen midloin chops below $20/kg. Buy some now before they nudge $30/kg again.
See the catalogue here.
On this week’s don’t buy list: Afourer mandarins. Growers have attempted to extend the mandarin season with this variety and they are frankly awful. Once the Imperial mandarin season is over, give up and look forward to mangoes instead.
Were you part of the Yowie craze? Do you buy them now? What’s your favourite Australian chocolate? Why not share your opinion in the comments section below?
Also read: Food fraud costs Australia billions and can cost lives
Jan – the plural of “gin and tonic” is ” gins and tonic” and NOT “gin and tonics”
I thought you may have fixed it by now.