The Aero bar is a well-known treat in the UK as well as in Canada, but here in the United States, it remains relatively unknown. But that almost wasn’t the case, back in the late 1980’s. [Edit: The US release of Aero actually took place in 1993.]
While I plan to delve into the deeper history of Aero at some point, today I want to focus on one aspect of Aero history I never knew about until recently – that being that in the late 1980’s, Nestle briefly produced and sold the Aero bar for US markets.
I’m not sure if this was a regional test market release, or if it was available across the country and simply didn’t catch on. I don’t recall seeing it back then, and I’ve never come across a wrapper for one before, so it couldn’t have been around too much.
Without further discussion, today it is my pleasure to reveal a wrapper for the brief American run of Nestle’s Aero.
It’s interesting to consider that Nestle had only owned the Aero brand for a short time when this US release was launched. Neslte had only acquired the brands of Rowntree-Mackintosh (creators of the Aero, originally) a year or two before this.
It’s also wild to think that earlier in the 80’s, Nestle had its own similar aerated style bar, the Choco’lite, discontinued. [I will remind readers that a Choco’lite is not the same exact bar as an Aero. An Aero is smooth, but a Choco’lite had crispy chips/bubbles.]
Does anyone recall coming across the American Aero during its brief appearance in the late 1980’s? If you do, I’d love to hear about it. I suspect that this is one of those Sasquatch like wrappers that was only glimpsed by a few.
One final piece of history I’d like to share today is that in America in 1937, Hershey released a bar called Aero. The Wikipedia states that Hershey licensed the formula from the Rowntree company, though I could find no evidence of that on the 1937 Aero wrapper scans I’ve seen. In spite of that, they might well have been licensed from the UK Aero owners at the time. Make the jump over to the CandyWrapperArchive.com, to check them out:
I hope you’ve enjoyed this look into the short-lived and mostly-unknown release of a UK/Canadian favorite into American stores. And that’s everything today – see you next time!
I was in Chicago last year and came across Aero bars at a supermarket whose name I forget. I believe it’s a major Chicago chain.
Anyway, I gleefully picked up a couple of Aero bars thinking they were the same at Choco Lite. You can imagine my disappointment when I discovered that the Aero bar is more like a chocolate sponge than anything else. Just nasty.
“Just nasty”…seriously!?! It’s milk chocolate with holes in it (!!), which still tastes delicious.
The release of the Aero Bar you show here was in 1993. I found a few miniatures in Eagleville, Missouri. The Hi-Vee grocery chain and Casey’s convenience stores carried them. It was a very hot summer with much flooding across the Midwest. Aero is a fragile product, and it didn’t survive well in the heat.
I drove around Kansas and Missouri buying everyone I could find when I knew they had been discontinued. Still have two put away. Used to send money to Canada and had some sent to me during the winter months. Later found Aero at British theme import stores in Lawrence, Kansas and Westport, Missouri.
Unfortunately, for health reasons, I can no longer indulge in much chocolate. The Hershey Air-Delight is a good bar, but doesn’t come close to the real Aero. Ever had a Suflair from Brazil?
Thanks for the recollection, Patrick. Indeed you are correct – the American Aero saw release in the USA in 1993.
After posting this article, I found a trade ad that also indicated the same time frame you recall, though I’d never made it back to update the piece. I’ll make a note of it today.
I used to get Aero bars at a Fry’s in Phoenix, AZ (it was located at 35th Ave. & Northern, but has since shut down). That had to be the late 80’s/early 90’s, as I was still a kid then and living at home right down the street from that grocery store. My mother and I absolutely loved these chocolate bars! I have not been able to find them in any other stores from Phoenix to Surprise, AZ since. I hope Nestle redistributes them in our region in the future!
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I used to eat these all the time when I was a little girl. I don’t remember what town but I do remember how good they were which is why I searched it in the first place ☺️ It was the early 90’s in Texas !!
I found them in two places in Florida as late as 2014. One location was in Miami and the other was at a shop called News Street Corner at the Florida Mall in Orlando. But the News Street Corner shop closed up and was out of business last January, so no more Aero candy bars in Florida that I know of.
Now, it seems you must go to Canada to get them. Bring your passport because that is what is required to cross the border into Canada.
By the way, you can also get rum from Cuba in Canada, but U.S. Customs will not allow you to bring it into the U.S.