Twix has been around for over fifty years and combines multiple treats in a pair of bars to tantalize your taste buds. But what was Twix originally called?

Hardly anyone can resist cookies, caramel, and chocolate. All three of them can easily trigger our mouthwatering senses, and Twix combines all three of them into a pair of bars.  

Twix was originally called Raider. The name Twix was an attempt by Mars Inc. to revive a brand suffering from stagnant sales. Over the years, Twix has gained popularity, especially thanks to the innovation in flavors and variants. One of the most successful of which is the Twix ice cream.

Years of research and development have made Twix what it is now. It was first launched in 1967 and has seen a fair share of ups and downs. However, it continues to flourish today and is among the most popular chocolate brands worldwide.

According to chocolate experts, Twix has remained unique due to its cookie core. Most chocolate candy bars use caramel and wafers, but only a few can achieve success with a butter or chocolate base cookie bar concealed within them. The name Twix has become a household name worldwide thanks to its rich flavor, loved by people of all ages.  

A Little About Twix

Twix is essentially a butter cookie topped with a coat of caramel and milk chocolate. It is a Candybar that is crunchy, chocolaty, and asks for a drink whenever you eat it. It was first produced in the United Kingdom in 1967 under a different name.

It comes in an aluminum wrapper in the setting of two or four semi-cylinder-shaped chocolate bars. The classic Twix has a flat bottom and a ridged top with a cookie (or biscuit) at the center with a coating of caramel, peanut butter, and other sweet treats around it. It might not be the most demanded candy bar, but it stands well against some of the most popular brands of candy bars around the world.

History

Back in the day, two brothers, Seamus and Earl, came up with the extraordinary idea of combining chocolate, caramel, and biscuit into one candy bar. However, as their idea flourished, rifts began to develop between them. Since both brothers were perfectionists, they began to clash on every small and big thing, from recipes to techniques.

These rifts grew stronger, but the last straw came on the day of the Grand Unveiling of their product. On this huge day, their product, the chocolate bar, broke. The two brothers precisely knew who they had to blame. They quickly snapped at each other for causing the product to fail. With both equally demanding, and neither of them willing to compromise, the brothers decided it would be best to divide the company.

Earl and Samuel both rode away from the town to find a place very far away from each other. Coincidentally, they both ended up purchasing plots that were only a few yards away from each other. Both planned to design a unique building for their factory, but both buildings also evolved to be quite similar. Left and Right Twix were born.

With their factories completed, both brothers could apply their own recipes and techniques to their manufacturing. The product from the Left Twix comprised a cookie base on which caramel was poured before it was bathed in chocolate. The product from the Right Twix consisted of a cascade of caramel on a cookie base coated with chocolate.

Who Invented Twix?

Forrest Mars decided to market the two chocolate bars together under a different brand name working with the two brothers. They were similar and different at the same time. Mars' strategy seemed to work. The Twix we know now was first created in 1967 by Forrest Mars in the Mars Slough factory in the UK.

Forrest Mars, who we now know as the founder of Twix, was the son of the original owner of Mars Inc. The company's foundation was laid in 1932 in the United Kingdom. Due to several disagreements Forrest Mars had with his father, he decided to take the company globally and work in another country. He was the first to invent the world-renowned Mars chocolate bar.

Who Owns Twix?

Mars Inc. is a global manufacturer of candy, pet food, and other food products. It not only owns Twix but a wide array of other candy and chocolate brands such as Skittles, Starburst, Snickers, Extra, Orbit, M&Ms, etc.

When Was Twix Invented?

The Twix by Forrest Mars was invented in 1967. Even though we now know Twix to have a global presence, initially, It was sold solely in the United Kingdom and did not have much global presence for the years to come.

How Was the Name Twix Born?

It was not until a decade after its invention that the candy bar named Raider found its way to the American market, where it was marketed as a combination of cookie crunch, caramel, and chocolate. It was sold in a golden wrapper, printed with orange text. In nearly all ads, they displayed the bar's cross-section to flaunt the layers of cookie, caramel, and chocolate.

But it was not all up and up for the Raider candy bar. In 1980, Mars noticed that the sales for Raider had become stagnant. It wasn't earning the revenue that the company had expected it to. Therefore, Mars decided to revolutionize the product. It started to look for improvements and alternate flavor additions to the chocolate bar.

The company's efforts paid off when they launched a peanut butter Twix in 1983. The sales started to pick up pace over the next few years but became stagnant again in the 1990s. This time, the marketers at the company proposed a new name for the chocolate, with a slogan meaning: Twix is the new Raider, but everything else is the same.

Over the next ten years, the company strived to change the product's name across the globe. However, the process was not simple. The customers perceived that Mars Inc. was trying to revive a failed product with a different name. This rebranding gained a lot of popularity, and most of it was not good.

With the rebranding, Mars also launched multiple flavors for Twix. The flavors included cookies and cream, white chocolate, coffee, dark chocolate, triple chocolate, fudge, and even orange. The company also launched Twix ice cream to penetrate the market. Frozen Twix was a move that proved to be fruitful for the company. Twix ice cream received global acceptance and helped Mars inc. reap in sales for the Twix brand.

Twix Flavors

Over the years, Twix has evolved to become a world-renowned brand. It is available in a wide array of flavors to suit people with different tastes. Let us look at some of the flavors of the candy bar.

Twix Peanut Butter

The peanut butter flavor removes the caramel layer in the candy bar and replaces it with peanut butter. This flavor was first released in 1983 and remained in production until 1997. From 1997 to 2000, the peanut butter version was taken off the market to upgrade and enhance the flavor.

It was relaunched in 2000 with a better flavor and continued until 2007 when it was rebranded as the Twix PB. The PB used chocolate as the base for the cookie rather than the peanut butter cookie and continued until 2014. In 2014, the Twix Peanut Butter was launched again with a creamier peanut butter variant.

Twix Dark Chocolate

As the name implies, the Dark Chocolate variant replaces the traditional milk chocolate used for coating the cookie and caramel with dark chocolate. This flavor was released in the US in 2005 but was withdrawn from the market at intervals. However, it has become a permanent flavor in the US since 2017.

This flavor is hardly found across the globe. It was only seen in the European and UK markets for a short period between 2008 and 2009.

Twix White Chocolate

The White Chocolate variant, like in the dark chocolate Twix, replaces the traditional milk chocolate used for coating the cookie and caramel with white chocolate. This flavor was released for a limited time for the US and European markets in the years 2005, 08, 2011, 2012, and 2016. However, the flavor became permanent in 2017 and is now readily available in the US markets.

Twix Cookies' n Crème

This variant of Twix removes the caramel layer and replaces it with a special filling consisting of cookies and cream. It was first launched in the early 90s. However, it was discontinued after a few years due to acceptance and flavor issues.

The flavor has now been enhanced, and after significant testing, this variant has been permanently relaunched for some US markets in 2020.

Twix Chocolate Fudge

This variant was an excellent choice for those who love chocolate and fudge. The caramel layer in the traditional Twix has been replaced by chocolate fudge. It was first launched in the UK in the early 90s. However, this variant did not impact the US markets and saw only a limited launch in the year 2010. It is hard to find in US markets because it was pulled from the US markets after only a year. However, you can find imported versions of this Twix in some stores.

Twix Triple Chocolate

Everything becomes chocolate in this Twix. A chocolate-based cookie replaces the butter-based cookie, and the traditional caramel is also replaced with chocolate-flavored caramel. The milk chocolate coating remains the same as one found on the traditional Twix.

This flavor was first released in the UK in 1991 and had a very limited presence in 2003 and '07. It saw a limited launch in the US markets in 2006 and 2010. However, it has become a permanent flavor and has been readily available for the US markets since 2017.

Twix Coffee

This is one of the few Twix variants launched outside of US and European markets. It replaces the traditional caramel with a coffee-flavored caramel variant. It was launched for the Asian markets in 2000. It was also seen in Poland in 2007 and was first seen in the US in 2008. Belgium first saw Twix Coffee in 2015.

Twix coffee has further variants, and it has been sold under three different brand names across the globe:

• Twix Cappuccino
• Twix Java
• Twix Macchiato

Twix Wafer

This variant replaces the traditional butter cookie found in Twix with a wafer base. The Twix wafer was available in different variants, including Creamy Caramel, Macchiato, and Milk Cream. It was launched in Europe in 2007. Across the globe, it is branded under two different names, Twix Fino and Twix Topix.

Twix Gingerbread

This variant replaces the traditional butter cookie with a gingerbread cookie. It was usually seen in the US markets during holiday seasons, considered the gingerbread cookie seasons. It was launched for the US market in 2014. However, it was not readily available and was only seen on store shelves during special seasons.

Twix Mint

This variant replaced the traditional caramel in Twix with a specialized caramel with chocolate and mint flavoring. It was also a testing product first launched for the UK markets back in 2001.

Twix Mint Slice Billu

The traditional caramel in this variant is replaced by a specialized chocolate and mint-flavored caramel as in Twix Mint. But the cookie base replaced the traditional butter with chocolate. The milk chocolate coating is also removed in this variant, and it comes covered in dark chocolate. This is one of the rarest Twix variants, as it was released as a limited version in Australia in the years 2006 and 2007.

Twix Choc' n Orange

A unique blend of orange and chocolate flavor was used to replace the traditional caramel in the candy bar. It featured a citrus touch to the chocolaty taste of the bar. However, this variant appeared only in the United Kingdom, under limited release for the years from 1992 to 1999.

Twix Coconut

Something tells us that this variant was inspired by Bounty Chocolate, which comprises a coconut bar coated with chocolate. However, Twix did not forgo the cookie in the middle. Instead, the butter cookie was replaced with a cocoanut base. This variant saw limited distribution in the US markets back in 2011.

Buying Twix

Twix is commonly available at most CVS, Big Y, Wal-Mart, and ShopRite stores. You can also purchase Twix online if there are no stores in your area that sell Twix. Online shopping is a convenient way of having Twix delivered to your doorstep without leaving the comfort of your home.

More Twix Varieties

In addition to the twin-bar chocolate, Twix is also available in other forms.

Twix Top

This was something similar to a granola bar, but with the touch of Twix. It was Twix's recipe in the shape of a single biscuit bar and intended to be consumed for breakfast. It promised to provide the essential nutrients and energy needed to begin your day. It was distributed for UK markets from '99 to '05. It is still available in European countries but can be hard to find.

Twix Miniatures

These were small, bite-size Twix bars that often came in pouch packing. They were ideal for parties with lots of kids. This variety was released back in the '90s. It was renamed and relaunched as Twix Mini Biscuits in 2014.  

Twix Xtra

Twix Xtra was a larger bar than the standard. It was launched in the UK in 1994 and named King Size. This variant quickly made its way to the US and other European countries.

Twix Ice Cream

As discussed above, Twix ice cream revolutionized the market for Twix and proved as a savior for the brand. It comprises a traditional butter cookie covered with caramel and Vanilla ice cream. All of this is enclosed in a milk chocolate shell. This is frozen ice cream and needs to be kept at a low temperature, unlike the non-frozen traditional Twix chocolate.

It was launched as a bar in 1995 for both the US and European markets and is still available today. A larger tub version of the ice cream has also been launched in Europe and has been thriving since 2001.

Twix Chocolate Ice Cream

This variant of the ice cream uses chocolate caramel instead of the traditional caramel found in the Twix ice cream. The cookie also has a chocolate base, and the outer shell comprises dark chocolate instead of traditional milk chocolate. This variant was released in the UK in 1999 and had limited distribution.