There are a lot of sweet memories at Regina's Lolly Factory for the Diver family.
Three generations returned to the Oamaru plant, where patriarch Charles created the original famous pineapple lolly, trade-marked Pineapple Chunks, with the help of his kids, including son Peter.
"We used to basically test all the products and we were subjected to the first pineapple chunks that were brought out," Peter says.
The popular home-grown sweet was invented in 1953, as a use for off-cuts of other marshmallow lollies in the factory.
Charles' original recipe is the basis of the 2013 version, with a few tweaks ensuring it has no artificial colours or flavours.
His face even features on the back of the pack, much to the delight of Charles Divers' granddaughter, Cindy.
"I remember when I first saw the photo on the back of the thing, I almost burst into tears. It was actually just the most amazing feeling, because when my granddad was alive he never got recognition for it," says Cindy.
The Oamaru factory was reopened in 2001, after being closed by Nestle. Now the original Regina brand has been brought back, with a focus on kiwi candy.
That includes a proudly parochial party mix, featuring Huhu grubs, jandals, Pavlovas, and silver ferns.
And there's some kiwi honesty when it comes to the classic "chocolate fush", says Regina's marketing manager Simon Williams.
"Yeah I think Kiwis like to have a laugh at themselves sometimes, and we get a bit of stick for our accent. So we thought we might as well celebrate that with the baby fush," Mr Williams explains.
Charles' old recipe book will feature in a Regina museum being built beside the factory shop.
And the new creations have certainly passed the taste test with his young descendents.
3 News
source: newshub archive
