Tim Tam is a brand of

chocolate biscuit A chocolate biscuit is a biscuit (called "cookie" in the US) which is covered in chocolate, or which has been made by replacing some of the flour with cocoa powder. Chocolate biscuits are quite popular in places all over the world, particularl ...

introduced by the Australian biscuit company

Arnott's Biscuits Holdings Arnott's Group is an Australian producer of biscuits and snack food. Founded in 1865 by William Arnott, they are the largest producer of biscuits in Australia and a subsidiary of KKR. History In 1847, Scottish immigrant William Arnott ope ...

in 1964. It consists of two malted biscuits separated by a light hard chocolate cream filling and coated in a thin layer of textured chocolate.

History

The biscuit was created by Ian Norris. During 1958 he took a world trip looking for inspiration for new products. While traveling in

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

, he found the

Penguin biscuit Penguins are milk chocolate bars filled with biscuit and chocolate cream. They are produced by Pladis' manufacturing division McVitie's at their Stockport factory. History William Macdonald founded Macdonald Biscuits in Glasgow in 1928. After se ...

and decided to try to "make a better one". Tim Tam went on the market on 10 September 1964. They were named by Ross Arnott, who attended the 1958

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby () is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is run by three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of . Colt (horse), Colts and geldin ...

and decided that the name of the winning horse,

Tim Tam Tim Tam is a brand of chocolate biscuit introduced by the Australian biscuit company Arnott's Biscuits Holdings in 1964. It consists of two malted biscuits separated by a light hard chocolate cream filling and coated in a thin layer of textur ...

, was perfect for a planned new line of biscuits.

Pepperidge Farm Pepperidge Farm Incorporated is an American commercial bakery founded in 1937 by Margaret Rudkin, who named the brand after her family's 123-acre farm property in Fairfield, Connecticut, which had been named for the Black Tupelo, pepperidge tree. ...

, a sister company of Arnott's, began importing the Tim Tam to the United States in 2008. Tim Tams are still "Made in Australia" and packaging in the US bears the slogan "Australia's Favorite

Cookie A cookie is a sweet biscuit with high sugar and fat content. Cookie dough is softer than that used for other types of biscuit, and they are cooked longer at lower temperatures. The dough typically contains flour, sugar, egg, and some type of ...

Production

The original Arnott's bakery, opened in 1865, was located in

Newcastle, New South Wales Newcastle, also commonly referred to as Greater Newcastle ( ; ), is a large Metropolitan area, metropolitan area and the second-most-populous such area of New South Wales, Australia. It includes the cities of City of Newcastle, Newcastle and Ci ...

. To date, manufacture of Tim Tams and other Arnott's products has remained largely within

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, including bakeries in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

, and

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

. In 2009, Arnott's invested A$37 million in a state-of-the-art production line at its Brisbane facility, expecting to boost productivity and increase jobs. At the Huntingwood bakery in

Western Sydney Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US * Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia * Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that ...

, the production line turns out about 3,000 Tim Tams per minute and uses 20 tonnes of the biscuit's cream filling and 27 tons of chocolate coating each work day. Biscuit dough, containing sugar, flour, colours and flavours, is mixed for 20 minutes. Biscuits are then cut to 1mm thick, 11 holes are punched per biscuit and they are baked in gas ovens for 90 minutes. Freezing air cools the biscuits before they are flipped and filled with cream, dunked in chocolate and cooled again.

Varieties

Since the 2000s Arnott's has released many different varieties of the product, some as limited edition runs. Varieties include double coat, dark chocolate, white chocolate, caramel, dark chocolate mint, honeycomb and choc orange. In 2004, Arnott's caused a controversy when they released limited edition Tim Tam

Tia Maria Tia Maria is a dark coffee liqueur made in Italy using Jamaican coffee beans. The main ingredients are coffee beans, South Jamaican rum, vanilla, and sugar, blended to an alcoholic content of 20%. History Tia Maria was originally made in ...

and Kahlua Mint Slice varieties, flavoured with the popular alcoholic liqueurs. The

Australian Drug Foundation The Alcohol and Drug Foundation, created in 1959 as the Alcoholism Foundation of Victoria and formerly called the Australian Drug Foundation and the Alcohol and Drug Foundation of Victoria is a non-government, not-for-profit organisation based i ...

suggested selling the biscuits in

supermarket A supermarket is a self-service Retail#Types of outlets, shop offering a wide variety of food, Drink, beverages and Household goods, household products, organized into sections. Strictly speaking, a supermarket is larger and has a wider selecti ...

s was "potentially dangerous" by "normalising" the taste of alcohol for children. An Arnott's spokesperson observed that a customer "would need to consume

heir Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Offi ...

body weight of biscuits every hour to reach a blood-alcohol content of .05". In 2011, a cheese flavoured variety of Tim Tam was developed for the Indonesian market, where they are manufactured by Halo Arnotts. In February 2014, Arnott's launched a limited edition range of three new Tim Tam flavours created by Australian dessert chef

Adriano Zumbo Adriano Zumbo (born 6 November 1981) is an Australian pâtissier and television presenter. He opened his first patisserie in 2007 before rising to prominence as a frequent guest on ''MasterChef Australia.'' Zumbo is the titular host of the Aust ...

: salted caramel, choc brownie and raspberry white choc.

Point of sale The point of sale (POS) or point of purchase (POP) is the time and place at which a retail transaction is completed. At the point of sale, the merchant calculates the amount owed by the customer, indicates that amount, may prepare an invoice f ...

displays featured Zumbo pink in contrast to traditional chocolate brown Tim Tam brand colours. Red Velvet was the fourth Zumbo Tim Tam creation, launched in July 2014. Also in July 2014, Arnott's launched peanut butter-flavoured Tim Tams. Arnott's was awarded a

CHOICE A choice is the range of different things from which a being can choose. The arrival at a choice may incorporate Motivation, motivators and Choice modelling, models. Freedom of choice is generally cherished, whereas a severely limited or arti ...

"Shonky Award" for the offering, which did not contain peanuts (paprika was used as a flavour substitute) and included two fewer biscuits than the original variety Tim Tam packet. During the

Valentine's Day Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring a Christian martyrs, martyr named Saint Valentine, Valentine, and ...

period of 2015, Arnott's launched Choc Raspberry and Coconut Cream flavours, again collaborating with Zumbo. In October 2015, Arnott's launched Tim Tam Choc Banana. A limited edition "mocktail" Tim Tam range was launched in February 2016 with piña colada, espresso martini and strawberry champagne variants. Arnott's told media in May 2016 that sales of the Tim Tam mocktail range had not met their expectations. Arnott's introduced toffee apple and pineapple flavours to the market in June 2016. In October 2016 they added a mango variety to the range, and in February 2017 they launched four new flavours—including chocolate mint, salted caramel and vanilla, coconut and lychee, and black forest—in partnership with Gelato Messina. In April 2024, Arnott's released a Tim Tam flavour inspired by Jatz crackers. The collaboration was originally the subject of an

April Fools' Day April Fools' Day or April Fool's Day (rarely called All Fools' Day) is an annual custom on the 1st of April consisting of practical jokes, hoaxes, and pranks. Jokesters often expose their actions by shouting "April Fool " at the recipient. ...

joke by the company in 2023. In the United States, the original, dark chocolate, and caramel varieties are available for sale. In the United States, in 2017, an additional flavour, dark chocolate-mint, was produced for the American market.

Marketing

In 1994, Arnott's cast a pre-fame

Cate Blanchett Catherine Élise Blanchett ( ; born 14 May 1969) is an Australian actor and producer. Regarded as one of the best performers of her generation, she is recognised for Cate Blanchett on screen and stage, her versatile work across stage and scre ...

in a television commercial as a woman who asks for "a packet of Tim Tams that never runs out" from a wish-granting

genie GEnie (General Electric Network for Information Exchange) was an online service provider, online service created by a General Electric business, GEIS (now GXS Inc., GXS), that ran from 1985 through the end of 1999. In 1994, GEnie claimed around ...

. Arnott's has sporadically continued to use the genie concept in subsequent ad campaigns; in a 2001 commercial the genie was played by hip-hop artist

N'fa N'fa (born N'fa Deynde Jo Jo Forster-Jones; Note: user may have to enter the title/performer for other tracks to access further information. also known as N'fa Jones, 21 March 1979) is a British-born African Australian Hip hop music, hip hop rec ...

, while a 2021 campaign cast actor and former ''

The Bachelor Australia ''The Bachelor Australia'' is a reality television adaptation of the U.S. series of the same name. The series, hosted by Osher Günsberg, first premiered on Network 10 on 8 September 2013. Its success resulted in spin-offs '' The Bachelorette ...

'' star

Tim Robards Timothy Robards (born 1 October 1982) is an Australian actor, chiropractor, model, and television personality. Robards worked as a chiropractor for seven years, before he was cast in the first season of ''The Bachelor Australia''. He chose Ann ...

as the "Tim Tam Genie". A female genie has also appeared in some campaigns. In October 2006, Arnott's partnered with the National Breast Cancer Foundation to launch a limited-edition pink Tim Tam to coincide with that year's

pink ribbon The pink ribbon is an international symbol of breast cancer awareness. Pink ribbons, and the color pink in general, identify the wearer or promoter with the breast cancer brand and express moral support for people with breast cancer. Pink rib ...

campaign. Responding to a fan's Facebook post wishing that Tim Tams grew on trees, in 2012 Arnott's "planted" a Tim Tam orchard in

Martin Place Martin Place is a pedestrian mall in the Sydney central business district, New South Wales, Australia. Martin Place has been described as the "civic heart" of Sydney.

on 2 May 2012. The campaign generated more than 475,000 views on Tim Tam's YouTube channel and the brand experienced a 23% baseline sales uplift over the campaign period. In late 2015, media reported that Coles was attempting to resist price rises to Tim Tam and other Arnott's products. When Coles refused the cost increase, Arnott's refused to supply the chain for two weeks. In 2016, to advertise Tim Tam mocktail flavours, Arnott's recruited

Sophie Monk Sophie Charlene Akland Monk (born 14 December 1979) is a British-born Australian singer, actress, television personality, and model. She was a member of the Pop music, pop girl group Bardot (Australian band), Bardot, winners of the first season ...

to feature in television advertisements as the face of the range. In 2022, Tim Tams were featured in the first episode of the second season of the cooking competition show ''

Snackmasters ''Snackmasters'' is a BAFTA-nominated British television programme, presented by Fred Sirieix and Jayde Adams, and produced by Optomen Television and Channel 4. The programme was broadcast on Channel 4 and streams on All 4. The programme sees t ...

''.

National Tim Tam Day

In order to promote the biscuit, Arnott's has proclaimed 16 February to be National Tim Tam Day. The day has involved a number of publicity stunts; for example, in 2019 the town of

Tamworth, New South Wales Tamworth is a city and administrative centre of the north-eastern region of New South Wales, Australia. Situated on the Peel River (New South Wales), Peel River within the local government area of the Tamworth Regional Council, it is the largest ...

was temporarily renamed "Tim Tamworth". For National Tim Tam Day 2022, Arnott's released through an online store a limited-edition range of Tim Tam merchandise including a perfume, slippers and a mug. The store returned in November 2022 with the release of a Tim Tam-inspired body lotion, diffuser and candle. For National Tim Tam Day 2024, Arnott's distributed samples of the biscuit renamed to "Tay Tam" in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

, in honour of the singer-songwriter

Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Known for her autobiographical songwriting, artistic versatility, and Cultural impact of Taylor Swift, cultural impact, Swift is one of the Best selling artists, w ...

, who was playing a concert at the

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for

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Tim Tam Slam

The Tim Tam Slam (also known as the Tim Tam Shotgun, Tim Tam Bomb, Tim Tam Explosion, Tim Tam Bong and Tim Tam Suck) is the practice of drinking a hot

beverage A drink or beverage is a liquid intended for human consumption. In addition to their basic function of satisfying thirst, drinks play important roles in human culture. Common types of drinks include plain drinking water, milk, juice, smoothie ...

through a Tim Tam. Opposite ends of the Tim Tam are bitten off, one end is submerged in the beverage, and the beverage is sucked through the biscuit as though the Tim Tam itself were a straw. The crisp interior biscuit is eventually softened and the outer chocolate coating begins to melt, at which point the biscuit is eaten. The Arnott's company used the name ''Tim Tam Suck'' in a 2002 advertising campaign. In February 2019, Arnott's released a "Slams"-branded version of the Tim Tam biscuit.

Similar products

Apart from Penguins, products similar to Tim Tams have included Woolworths' home brand product "Choccy Slams", the Coles brand "Chocolate Surrenders",

Aldi Aldi (German pronunciation: ), stylised as ALDI, is the common company brand name of two German multinational family-owned discount supermarket chains operating over 12,000 stores in 18 countries. The chain was founded by brothers Karl and ...

's "Just Divine" line of biscuits under their Belmont Biscuits brand, and various similar "home-brand" products marketed by British supermarkets.

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

Griffin's Foods The Griffin's Foods Company is a New Zealand food industry, food company currently headquartered in Auckland and established by John Griffin as a flour and cocoa mill in the city of Nelson, New Zealand, Nelson in 1864.Jumbo Jumbo (December 25, 1860 – September 15, 1885), also known as Jumbo the Elephant and Jumbo the Circus Elephant, was a 19th-century male African bush elephant born in Sudan. Jumbo was exported to Jardin des Plantes, a zoo in Paris, and then tr ...

supermarkets in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

sold a counterpart under the name "Dip&Nip Cookies". In 2021

Trader Joe's Trader Joe's is an American grocery store chain headquartered in Monrovia, California, with 597 locations across the US. The first Trader Joe's store was opened in 1967 by founder Joe Coulombe in Pasadena, California. In 1979, the chain was s ...

in the United States released their own take on the biscuit, branding them "Aussie-style Chocolate Crème Sandwich Cookies". In 2003, Arnott's sued Dick Smith Foods over their "Temptin" brand of chocolate biscuits, which Arnott's alleged had diluted their trademark as a similar biscuit to Tim Tams, in similarly designed packaging. The case was settled out of court. Dick Smith Foods also previously released a Tim Tam clone under the name "TTs".

References

External links

* * {{Official website, https://www.arnotts.com/brands/tim-tam Australian confectionery Australian brands Australian snack foods Biscuit brands Products introduced in 1964