An exclusive look at the production line of M&S Colin the Caterpillar, which is made at Oldham’s Park Cakes Bakeries. Keep up to date with the latest stories with our WalesOnline newsletter. Observing a mesmerising assembly of chocolate caterpillar cakes, foot by foot and spot by spot, being meticulously crafted is almost hypnotic. However, this isn’t any ordinary cake; it’s the beloved national favourite – Marks and Spencer’s Colin the Caterpillar Cake. Greater Manchester, specifically Park Cakes factory in Oldham, is the official birthplace of Colin since its inception over 30 years ago.
Every single one of the millions of Colin cakes sold by M&S since 1990 has been created at this historic factory. An astonishing 15 million Colins have been produced here. Yet, the factory’s expertise extends beyond only crafting chocolate caterpillars – it churns out over 200 other delectable baking products for M&S, with a dedicated team of approximately 1,800 workers. Apart from Colin, another hundred creations are currently under development, reports the Manchester Evening News.
I was extended an invitation for an exclusive tour inside Park Cakes. We were able to witness the creation of one of M&S’s newest desserts, the triple mousse cake as well as the memorable process of bringing Colin to chocolatey life. There’s a palpable sense of pride among the factory staff who contribute to creating one of the nation’s treasured indulgences. Bev Nolan, an industry veteran with 38 years of service, guided us through the factory giving us insights into the process.
“Welcome to the home of Colin,” she warmly greeted us as she led us into an atmosphere permeated with infectious chocolatey enthusiasm impacting us the moment we stepped inside. Hygiene reigns supreme at the factory – before setting foot inside, we’re required to don special footwear, a protective jacket, and not one but two hair nets (plus an additional net for any facial hair). The full 40-minute journey of each Colin cake’s creation is mesmerising, starting from the massive bowls of batter being poured into mixers to the smooth layers of chocolate ready to enrobe the sponge.
A dedicated team of 39 staff work tirelessly to produce Colins around the clock at this factory. Operating non-stop, they bring the iconic smiley-faced treat to life, ensuring it reaches M&S stores throughout the UK. Annually, about a million Colins roll off the production line, while his counterpart Connie is crafted approximately 310,000 times. Additionally, there are close to half a million “seasonal” Colins and Connies produced for occasions like Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Easter, and the much-anticipated Christmas special. Park Cakes also produces the mini Colins and the bespoke giant Colins available through M&S’s Food to Order service.
The factory walls are adorned with Colin murals, reflecting the evident pride in their product, and there’s even a Colin wall inside the factory showcasing various special editions made over the years. Bev, the business unit manager who began her journey on the shop floor at 16 and worked her way up, shares her passion: “People care about what they do here. I love it – it’s the products, the people, it’s a challenging, fast-paced business but the products we make are amazing, and as you can see it’s almost all done by hand.”
To my surprise, I discovered just how much of these M&S cakes are meticulously handcrafted by a devoted team for our enjoyment. It’s quite mesmerising to observe them rolling up all the Colins before they’re lavishly coated in chocolate. Next, we move on to the hand decoration area where a group of women carefully place the smartie spots on his back, position his cheerful white chocolate face, and attach each of those sought-after large chocolate feet precisely in place. Watching over the team with pride, Bev remarks: “People just see Colin on the shelf – they may not realise we’ve got 39 people in a multi-skilled team here making him every day.”
The margin for error is slim – each Colin is scrutinised by a quality controller at every stage of the production line. Any Colins with slightly askew feet or faces, or if the chocolate appears creased, are sorted into separate trays. The slightly imperfect Colins are all dispatched to Park Cakes’ renowned Factory Shop (which also houses all the factory seconds), open to both the public and factory workers, where you can snag a real bargain if you’re not fussed about a cracked cake or a slightly flawed custard tart.
Park Cakes has been a staple of Oldham life since 1937, when it first opened its doors in a “two up two down cottage” on Hathershaw Lane, specialising in Eccles cakes. By the 1940s, the owners had carved out a reputation for quality cakes, securing their inaugural cake order from M&S and have been growing ever since. These days, the Oldham factory primarily bakes cakes for M&S, although it does supply a select few others. The partnership between Park Cakes and M&S continues to be collaborative as they jointly develop new products.
M&S’ latest popular product is their new Mousse Cakes – we get a behind-the-scenes look at the creation process of the indulgent Triple Chocolate brownie mousse cake. It’s an impressive production line (which we access by crossing an extraordinary bridge of egg custards circling past). It feels like being in Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory, but with cakes. A team of workers are positioned along a conveyor belt, with each stage of the cake meticulously crafted – from the creamy ganache piped into each hollowed-out cake to the drizzle of chocolate sauce and addition of brownie pieces. Once boxed up, each pair of cakes are weighed before being sent off for packaging. The mousse cakes might be the latest addition, but Park Cakes is already buzzing with plans for a variety of new treats in the coming weeks and months.
With Christmas being the peak season for M&S, the factory is constantly in a state of preparation. Jason Warner, commercial controller at Park Cakes, shared insights into their partnership with M&S: “It’s a pretty collaborative relationship. M&S will brief us, they have product developers working on site weekly. We are roughly working a year in advance so Christmas for example never stops for us – as soon as one is over, we are working on the new products for the year ahead. “We create 200 products here with M&S and we have more than 140 potential products in development. There is then the continuous churn of upgrading and redesigning too.”
Colin the Caterpillar, meanwhile, is gearing up to celebrate his 34th birthday this month. The team at Park Cakes reminisces about Colin’s original look when he debuted in 1990. Bev recalls with a chuckle: “I remember him having yellow boots and little chocolate matchsticks for his antenna. He used to have hand-piped buttons too.” Jason also commented on Colin’s significance: “Colin was originally launched as an avenue to character cakes at M&S, because there weren’t many character cakes at the time. They launched this caterpillar and it ended up a huge success.”
According to Park Cakes, the success hinges on their Colin. M&S take pride in being “first to market with the enrobed caterpillar format”, a tantalising chocolate process that I’ve revelled in observing, thoroughly captivated. There are also certain production nuances that, regrettably, I cannot disclose and they remain shrouded behind the gates of Park Cakes. We concluded our day on an undoubtedly positive note as we joined quality control in confirming the flawless taste of Colin emerging from the assembly line. I can share one significant secret though – freshly-baked Colin tastes like an absolute delight.