McVities’ brand has become a household name worldwide, but do you know the story behind the name of their biscuits Hobnobs? It’s so British – but it has caused some confusion.
The inventor of the iconic and beloved tea-dunking biscuit, McVities’ Hobnobs, has revealed the meaning behind the iconic biscuit’s name.
Fans have been left baffled by the unlikely reason behind the rugged-edged treat’s name, but it’s genius. All was revealed in Channel 4’s The Secret World of Biscuits when the creator was quizzed over the Hobnob’s name, which launched in supermarkets in 1985.
Pam Langworthy, who helped develop and market the British delight, said: “[The focus groups] said [the biscuit] was knobbly, because, you know, it wasn’t a very smooth finish in the way, for instance, Digestive or Rich Tea are. And they said it looked as if somebody had made it at home, maybe made it on a hob.”
She added: “And so, I wanted a name that was very easy to say and just rolled off the tongue. And so, ‘Hobnob’.”
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These biscuits have become hugely popular since the 80s, but arguably not as much as McVities’ most popular biscuit worldwide, which is the unbeatable digestive. However, according to British Corner Shop, McVities Hobnobs are available in physical stores in France, USA, Italy, Germany, Canada, Spain, Austria and Denmark.
The name Hobnob also derrives from the British verb ‘to hobnob’. It means to spend time being friendly with someone important or a celebrity. Mindblowing, right?
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Hobnobs had a hard time at first
Despite focus groups almost steering biscuit makers towards the name all those years ago, it wasn’t a done deal from the off. Andrew Easdale, a co-worker of Pam, explained that their superiors wanted to keep it more ‘homely’.
He explained: “There was a sort of I wouldn’t say a stunned silence, but there was a, um, hmmm, followed by, ‘couldn’t you call it something a bit more descriptive, like ‘oaty crunchies? I said, ‘No, it’s gonna be Hobnobs. We need a brand.” Thankfully, the name ‘Hobnobs’ was agreed and it has become a household name ever since.
McVities has now become a popular brand, especially in the UK. The brand has climbed the biscuit ladder, and has been recognised for its iconic Jaffa Cakes, Rich Tea, as well as the famous digestives. Their brand is often the top choice by shoppers and a staple in many UK households as their go-to tea-dunking biscuits.
As reported by Statista, it was estimated that 8.7 million people in the UK consumed McVities Chocolate Digestives, with 6.5 million plain McVities Digestives being consumed every day in the UK. Those numbers just prove how delicious these biscuits are, and how have they continue to be a household staple since their launch.
