Nestle is discontinuing its caramel chocolate bar, the Caramac, due to a "steady decline" in sales, leaving fans "freaking out" and bakeries stock piling the sweet treat.
The food company confirmed it was withdrawing its Caramac products in an email to a bakery near Edinburgh, which uses the chocolate bars to make eclairs.
Nestle said: "We are very sorry to disappoint fans of Caramac. There has been a steady decline in its sales over the past few years and unfortunately we had to make the difficult decision to discontinue it.
"We know fans will be disappointed to see it go, but this change will enable us to focus on our best-performing brands, as well as develop exciting new innovations to delight consumers’ tastebuds."
Nestle started withdrawing Caramac single bars from the beginning of September. Multipacks of Caramac will be available until the end of this year.
Paula Swan from the Pastel bakery in Dalkeith told the Standard that customers have been "freaking out and asking if we sell the Caramacs for delivery".
She said has stocked up on 12 boxes of Caramacs which she hoped would last until the end of the year but fears there will be a rush to buy her eclairs now.
"They should last a while (I hope) but once they are gone, there will be no more Caramac eclairs!" Ms Swan wrote on Facebook.
"And no, Caramilk or Milkybar Gold are not the same!!!"
Ms Swan said she tried to buy more last night at a local store but they were all sold out.
She said she was notified by her wholesaler a couple of months ago that Caramac bars were being axed, and she had been "hoarding stock for the official announcement", which wholesalers were allegedly given last week.
"We are only a wee village bakery but go through 1-2 boxes a week so confident we won’t have to get rid of any," Paula wrote on Facebook.
Caramac fans have vented their disappointment and frustration on social media, with some even calling for a petition to bring back the sweet.
"Woke up to the news that Caramac is being discontinued and it quite frankly has ruined my day," one person wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Another simply wrote: "Rest in peace Caramac."
One fan wondered if the discontinuation was "some sort of sick joke" while another claimed Caramac was "one of the unsung heroes of the confectionery aisle".
On its website Nestle said the name Caramac is derived from the abbreviation of caramel and Mackintosh's, who originally manufactured the caramel bars.
