Long lost tin of Rowntree cocoa from Scott's ill–fated last expedition recovered …
A Nestlé archivist has rediscovered a long lost tin of Rowntree cocoa found in the abandoned camp of Scott of the Antarctic. The tin was spotted among artefacts at Nestlé's Croydon base more than 15 years after going missing. York's Rowntree workers were amongst the biggest supporters of Scott and Shackleton and production line staff clubbed together to help pay for vital expedition equipment.
Scott took supplies of Rowntree cocoa on his final, ill–fated journey. When a rescue party found his remains months later, there were at least two tins of Rowntree's Cocoa in the tent. The tins were brought back to England and as a thank–you for Rowntree staff's kindness one was presented to the factory.
Heather Lane, chair of collections at the Scott Polar Research Institute in Cambridge was delighted to hear the news of the tin's recovery: "these things represented a taste of home," she said. “They were the things most representative of comfort in the Antarctic remoteness for the men who were on those early expeditions. Cocoa in particularly was a great favourite."
