Summary

Metal chocolate mould used by the Red Tulip confectionary company to make chocolates at their factory in Melbourne in the early to mid twentieth century.

This mould is one of two that were purchased by Museum Victoria from a second hand store in 2008, which was selling a large collection of confectionary moulds, consisting of around 300 moulds, that were originally used at the Red Tulip factory in Melbourne. Many of these moulds for sale were stamped with 'Vormenfabriek Tilburg', including this particular mould. This company, Vormenfabriek Tilburg, located in Tilburg in the Netherlands and established in 1921, is considered to be an innovative and influential chocolate mould manufacturer.

Red Tulip was a well known brand chocolate and confectionary company based in Melbourne. The Red Tulip factory was located behind Chapel Street, in the fashionable inner-Melbourne suburb of Prahran. The company was acquired by Cadbury in the 1980s. Cadbury had previously acquired other successful Australian confectionery brands including MacRobertson Chocolates in 1967 and Schweppes Australia in 1969.

Physical Description

Rectangular metal mould consisting of 78 individual identical shapes - oval with geometric lines at the bottom.

Significance

This chocolate mould is significant because it contributes to the important story of Melbourne's role as a major confectionery manufacturer, with companies such as Red Tulip, Rowntree, MacRobertson's, Bush's Confectionary Factory and Cadbury all operating in Melbourne during either the nineteenth or twentieth century. As a product that was made in Melbourne, this chocolate mould represents Melbourne's once prominent status as an influential manufacturing city, and also highlights the importance on food production, and in particular confectionary, in Melbourne.

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