Thomas Caffrey:THOMAS CAFFREY, who has died aged 92, was a confectioner whose creations included the Snowball, the Marshmallow Mouse and the Big Time. Often referred to as Ireland's Willie Wonka, he set up his first chocolate factory in Dublin in 1930. Today Caffrey's Confectionery is the oldest Irish family-owned chocolate company trading under its family name.
Thomas Caffrey was born in Dublin in 1917 and as a young man spent his summers working in the Isle of Man where his brother William, a chocolatier and sugar boiler, worked as the manager of a chocolate factory.Thomas returned to Dublin and set up his first factory in Harold's Cross in 1930. He later moved the business to Walkinstown, from where the company still operates.
Having started out making rock candies and marshmallows, the company's big break came in 1953 when it was contracted by Woolworths to manufacture souvenir confectionery to mark the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.
Caffrey invented products indelibly etched on the memories of generations of Irish schoolchildren, including such evocative brand names as the Snowball, Chocolate Mallow, Tea Cake and Whipper, as well as Macaroon, Big Time and Mint Crisp bars.
He was always on the lookout for new ideas and found inspiration all around him. The idea for one of his most fondly remembered treats came when he saw his son Neville playing with a wind-up toy mouse as a child. He asked if he could borrow the toy and made moulds from it, resulting in countless Irish children happily biting the heads off marshmallow mice.
He loved chocolate and ate it every day. He would often say that lecithin, an emulsifier used in chocolate manufacturing, was good for you. His longevity may be a testament to this view. According to his son Neville, his preferred treat was also one of the nation's favourites - his own Snowball.
He had a great awareness of people and this trait influenced how he treated his employees. He observed a strict code that his workers should be treated well, as he believed that his staff were key to the success of the business.
He had a passion for his job and continued working in the company until his 70s. Even after his retirement, he remained involved and inquired about the company every day up until his death.
Caffrey's is one of the few remaining independent chocolate manufacturers in Ireland. It employs 50 to 60 people at peak periods such as Easter.
In his spare time, Thomas Caffrey enjoyed tending to his garden and loved to read books about exotic plants. He was rugby-mad and followed Ireland and Leinster, taking great pleasure in witnessing the province's journey to Heineken Cup victory in 2009. He was conscious of his own fitness and kept a skipping rope and weights in his garage.
He was predeceased by his wife Eileen and is survived by Neville, Elizabeth, daughter-in-law Rachel, son-in-law Paul, grandchildren Neville jnr, Natasha and Daniel and great-grandchildren Josh, Alison and Cillian, brothers and sisters.
Thomas Andrew Caffrey, born: September 12th, 1917; died: May 15th, 2010