Standing on the site occupied today by the Manhattan Lofts, on the rounded corner of Hopton and Holland Streets, was Epps’ Cocoa Powder Factory. This magnificent building once processed half of Britain’s cocoa imports at its peak between 1878 and 1898.  Instant cocoa powder had its origins in homeopathy in the early Victorian era when James Epps and his brother John began making cocoa for patients for whom tea and coffee were restricted. In 1855 it began using the slogan “Grateful & Comforting” as the product became increasingly popular. Production began in north London but the product’s success led to the opening of a new steam-powered factory at Holland Street where it produced 5 million pounds of cocoa powder a year. Epps’ cocoa powder factory was acquired by Rowntree of York in 1926 but the site itself closed four years later in 1930. The building was severely damaged during the blitz in 1941 and eventually pulled down.