Tim Tams Go Global

Who can resist a layer of whipped chocolate cream sandwiched between two chocolate biscuits and dipped in chocolate fudge? Not an Australian, that's for sure!  With over 30 million packets of these chocolate bikkies sold Down Under there is no denying that Australian love their Tim Tams.  I have to admit that even I, who tends to shun processed foods, have become a fan of this Aussie Household name.
I have come to like the scrumptious munchie so much that last week I carefully packed a handbag full of Tim Tams and hand carried them with me on my long journey across the Pacific Ocean.  I wanted to share my new found love with friends and family.  You can only imagine the shock I felt when, on my first visit to an American grocery store, there at the head of isle 1 was a display of Tim Tams!!  But wait, the name was correct but the packaging different. A closer look at the package showed that the cookie was not being produced by Arnotts's. "How dare Pepperidge Farm bastardize one of "Australia's National Icons," quickly passed through my mind.  Actually, I can not comment on the quality of this American biscuit because I have yet to try them.

In Australia Tim Tams are produced by Arnott's. Over the past year I have repeatedly read and heard about Arnott's and its importance in Australian history.  After all it has been around since 1875.  Of course my shock and anger caused me to come home and investigate how and why an Australian Company came to sell out.  You can imagine my horror when I discovered that, yes, the company is originally Australian, but even after resisting a buy out by Nabisco in 1964, it succumbed to globalization in 1997 when it was acquired by Campbell Soup Company. Aren't they tricky by not including any mention of Campbell Soup on their label (yes I am one of those label readers.)  I don't need to tell you who is the parent company of Pepperidge Farm.
Oh well Mark, you better get your fill of Tim Tams while I am away, because in addition to their delicious taste, one of the reason I would buy it was because it was Australian owned, or so I thought.   As for friends and family, if I get you hooked on Tim Tams, welcome to the globalized world and now you can buy them yourselves here in the States.  But beware, they are seasonal and only available in the USA from October to March.