Huntley & Palmers
Encyclopedia
Huntley & Palmers was a British
firm of biscuit
makers originally based in Reading, Berkshire
. The company created one of the world's first global brands and ran what was once the world’s largest biscuit factory. Over the years, the company was also known as J. Huntley & Son and Huntley & Palmer.
A biscuit business of the same name has recently been re-established in Sudbury, Suffolk
. Since 1985 the New Zealand
firm Griffin's Foods
, make Huntley and Palmers biscuits under licence.
as J. Huntley & Son. Initially the business was a small biscuit baker and confectioner shop at number 72 London Street. At this time London Street was the main stage coach route from London
to Bristol
, Bath and the West Country
. One of the main calling points of the stage coaches was the Crown Inn, opposite Joseph Huntley's shop and he started selling his biscuits to the travellers on the coaches. Because the biscuits were vulnerable to breakage on the coach journey, he started putting them in a metal tin. Out of this innovation grew two businesses: Joseph's biscuit shop that was to become Huntley & Palmers, and Huntley, Bourne and Stevens, a firm of biscuit tin manufacturers founded by his younger son, also called Joseph.
, a distant cousin and member of the Society of Friends. George Palmer soon became the chief force behind its success, establishing sales agents across the country. The company soon outgrew its original shop and moved to a factory on King’s Road in 1846, near the Great Western Railway
. The factory had an internal railway system with its own steam locomotive
s and one of these has been preserved
near Bradford
.
Thomas Huntley died in 1857, but George Palmer continued to direct the firm successfully aided by his brothers, William Isaac Palmer
and Samuel Palmer, and subsequently by his sons, as heads of the company. They became biscuit makers to the British Royal Family
and in 1865 expanded into the European continent, and received Royal Warrant
s from Napoleon III
and Léopold II of Belgium
. At their height they employed over 5,000 people and in 1900 were the world's largest biscuit firm. The origins of the firm's success lay in a number of areas. They provided a wide variety of popular products, producing 400 different varieties by 1903, and mass production enabled them to price their products keenly.
The Palmers were notable local figures in Reading who generously gave money and land to Reading, including Palmer Park
and the town was often known as "biscuit town". Reading football team were also known as the "biscuit men".
s. The tins proved to be a powerful marketing tool, and under their easily recognizable image Huntley & Palmer's biscuits came to symbolise the commercial power and reach of the British Empire
in the same way that Coca Cola did for the United States
. The tins found their way as far abroad as the heart of Africa
and the mountains of Tibet
; the company even provided biscuits to Captain Scott
during his ill-fated journey to the South Pole
. During the First World War they produced biscuits for the war effort and devoted their tin-making resources to making cases for artillery shells.
In 1960 Jacob's
joined Associated Biscuit Manufacturers, and in 1969 ABM was reorganised as Associated Biscuits.
Manufacturing in Reading ceased in 1976. In 1982 Nabisco
acquired Associated Biscuits. Production continued at Huyton until 1983. After the closure of the Peek Frean factory at Bermondsey
in 1989, Nabisco sold the Associated Biscuit brands (Huntley and Palmers, Peek Frean, and Jacobs) to Danone.
The firm manufactured over 400 different types of biscuits over the years and innovated many new types of biscuits including the famous Nice biscuit.
, where there is a gallery devoted to the company.
Some very interesting archive films of the Huntley and Palmers Factory are available for viewing in the special Huntley and Palmers gallery in Reading Museum situated in the Town Hall.
Since 2008, Huntley and Palmers has been owned by the Freeman family, with three generations in the biscuit business. Their aim is to bring the name of Huntley and Palmers back into the mainstream, with several product ranges focusing on different market sectors, and including once again, biscuit tins.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
firm of biscuit
Biscuit
A biscuit is a baked, edible, and commonly flour-based product. The term is used to apply to two distinctly different products in North America and the Commonwealth Nations....
makers originally based in Reading, Berkshire
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
. The company created one of the world's first global brands and ran what was once the world’s largest biscuit factory. Over the years, the company was also known as J. Huntley & Son and Huntley & Palmer.
A biscuit business of the same name has recently been re-established in Sudbury, Suffolk
Sudbury, Suffolk
Sudbury is a small, ancient market town in the county of Suffolk, England, on the River Stour, from Colchester and from London.-Early history:...
. Since 1985 the New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
firm Griffin's Foods
Griffin's Foods
Griffin's Foods Limited is an Australasian owned biscuit, snack food and confectionery manufacturer operating in New Zealand. The company has sales of approximately $NZ300 million...
, make Huntley and Palmers biscuits under licence.
Joseph Huntley
Huntley & Palmers was founded in 1822 by Joseph HuntleyJoseph Huntley
Joseph Huntley was a 19th century biscuit maker and innovator, who lived in the English town of Reading. In 1822 he founded a small biscuit baker and confectioner shop at number 72 London Street.-Business:...
as J. Huntley & Son. Initially the business was a small biscuit baker and confectioner shop at number 72 London Street. At this time London Street was the main stage coach route from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, Bath and the West Country
West Country
The West Country is an informal term for the area of south western England roughly corresponding to the modern South West England government region. It is often defined to encompass the historic counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset and the City of Bristol, while the counties of...
. One of the main calling points of the stage coaches was the Crown Inn, opposite Joseph Huntley's shop and he started selling his biscuits to the travellers on the coaches. Because the biscuits were vulnerable to breakage on the coach journey, he started putting them in a metal tin. Out of this innovation grew two businesses: Joseph's biscuit shop that was to become Huntley & Palmers, and Huntley, Bourne and Stevens, a firm of biscuit tin manufacturers founded by his younger son, also called Joseph.
George Palmer
In 1838 Joseph Huntley was forced by ill-health to retire, handing control of the business to his older son Thomas. In 1841, Thomas took as a business partner George PalmerGeorge Palmer (businessman)
George Palmer was a proprietor of the Huntley & Palmers biscuit manufacturers of Reading in England. He was born in Long Sutton in Somerset, the son of William Palmer and his wife, Mary, the daughter of William Isaac of Sturminster Newton in Dorset...
, a distant cousin and member of the Society of Friends. George Palmer soon became the chief force behind its success, establishing sales agents across the country. The company soon outgrew its original shop and moved to a factory on King’s Road in 1846, near the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
. The factory had an internal railway system with its own steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
s and one of these has been preserved
Bagnall fireless locomotives (preserved)
Six Bagnall fireless locomotives have been preserved in Great Britain. This is a surprisingly large number since W. G. Bagnall of Stafford, England, built only 14 fireless locomotives in total....
near Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
.
Thomas Huntley died in 1857, but George Palmer continued to direct the firm successfully aided by his brothers, William Isaac Palmer
William Isaac Palmer
William Isaac Palmer was a member of the Palmer family, proprietors of the Huntley & Palmers biscuit manufacturers of Reading in England...
and Samuel Palmer, and subsequently by his sons, as heads of the company. They became biscuit makers to the British Royal Family
British Royal Family
The British Royal Family is the group of close relatives of the monarch of the United Kingdom. The term is also commonly applied to the same group of people as the relations of the monarch in her or his role as sovereign of any of the other Commonwealth realms, thus sometimes at variance with...
and in 1865 expanded into the European continent, and received Royal Warrant
Royal Warrant
Royal warrants of appointment have been issued for centuries to those who supply goods or services to a royal court or certain royal personages. The warrant enables the supplier to advertise the fact that they supply to the royal family, so lending prestige to the supplier...
s from Napoleon III
Napoleon III of France
Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte was the President of the French Second Republic and as Napoleon III, the ruler of the Second French Empire. He was the nephew and heir of Napoleon I, christened as Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte...
and Léopold II of Belgium
Leopold II of Belgium
Leopold II was the second king of the Belgians. Born in Brussels the second son of Leopold I and Louise-Marie of Orléans, he succeeded his father to the throne on 17 December 1865 and remained king until his death.Leopold is chiefly remembered as the founder and sole owner of the Congo Free...
. At their height they employed over 5,000 people and in 1900 were the world's largest biscuit firm. The origins of the firm's success lay in a number of areas. They provided a wide variety of popular products, producing 400 different varieties by 1903, and mass production enabled them to price their products keenly.
The Palmers were notable local figures in Reading who generously gave money and land to Reading, including Palmer Park
Palmer Park, Reading
Palmer Park is a public park in Reading, England. The land for the park was given to the town in 1889 by the Palmer family, proprietors of the Huntley & Palmers biscuit factory, and contains a statue of George Palmer....
and the town was often known as "biscuit town". Reading football team were also known as the "biscuit men".
Exports
Another important part of their success was their ability to send biscuits all over the world, perfectly preserved in locally produced, elaborately decorated, and highly collectable biscuit tinBiscuit tin
Biscuit tins are utilitarian or decorative containers used to package and sell biscuits and some confectionery. They are commonly found in households in the United Kingdom and commonwealth countries.- Origin and history :...
s. The tins proved to be a powerful marketing tool, and under their easily recognizable image Huntley & Palmer's biscuits came to symbolise the commercial power and reach of the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
in the same way that Coca Cola did for the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The tins found their way as far abroad as the heart of Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and the mountains of Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
; the company even provided biscuits to Captain Scott
Robert Falcon Scott
Captain Robert Falcon Scott, CVO was a Royal Navy officer and explorer who led two expeditions to the Antarctic regions: the Discovery Expedition, 1901–04, and the ill-fated Terra Nova Expedition, 1910–13...
during his ill-fated journey to the South Pole
South Pole
The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is one of the two points where the Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on the surface of the Earth and lies on the opposite side of the Earth from the North Pole...
. During the First World War they produced biscuits for the war effort and devoted their tin-making resources to making cases for artillery shells.
Merger and after
In 1921, Huntley and Palmers entered into an amalgamation agreement with rival biscuit firm Peek Frean, resulting in the creation of a holding company, Associated Biscuit Manufacturers Ltd. However, both biscuit firms retained their own brands and premises.In 1960 Jacob's
Jacob's
Jacob's is a brand name for several lines of biscuits and crackers. The brand name in the Republic of Ireland is owned by Jacob Fruitfield Food Group and in the United Kingdom it is owned under license by United Biscuits.-History:...
joined Associated Biscuit Manufacturers, and in 1969 ABM was reorganised as Associated Biscuits.
Manufacturing in Reading ceased in 1976. In 1982 Nabisco
Nabisco
Nabisco is an American brand of cookies and snacks. Headquartered in East Hanover, New Jersey, the company is a subsidiary of Illinois-based Kraft Foods. Nabisco's plant in Chicago, a production facility at 7300 S...
acquired Associated Biscuits. Production continued at Huyton until 1983. After the closure of the Peek Frean factory at Bermondsey
Bermondsey
Bermondsey is an area in London on the south bank of the river Thames, and is part of the London Borough of Southwark. To the west lies Southwark, to the east Rotherhithe, and to the south, Walworth and Peckham.-Toponomy:...
in 1989, Nabisco sold the Associated Biscuit brands (Huntley and Palmers, Peek Frean, and Jacobs) to Danone.
The firm manufactured over 400 different types of biscuits over the years and innovated many new types of biscuits including the famous Nice biscuit.
Archives
A history of the company, Quaker Enterprise in Biscuits: Huntley and Palmers of Reading, 1822-1972 by T.A.B. Corley, was published in 1972 on the firm's 150th anniversary. The historic company archive is now housed at the Museum of ReadingMuseum of Reading
The Museum of Reading is a museum of the history of the town of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire, and the surrounding area...
, where there is a gallery devoted to the company.
Some very interesting archive films of the Huntley and Palmers Factory are available for viewing in the special Huntley and Palmers gallery in Reading Museum situated in the Town Hall.
Re-establishment
In 2006, Huntley & Palmers resumed operations from Sudbury in Suffolk. The management team included a former marketing director of Jacobs Bakery, which once owned the company, and a founder of Vibrandt, a successful packaging design company. They targeted the speciality and fine-food sector.Since 2008, Huntley and Palmers has been owned by the Freeman family, with three generations in the biscuit business. Their aim is to bring the name of Huntley and Palmers back into the mainstream, with several product ranges focusing on different market sectors, and including once again, biscuit tins.
See also
- Burton's FoodsBurton's FoodsBurton's Foods is a United Kingdom biscuit manufacturer.The company was formed from the merger of Burton's Gold Medal Biscuits and Horizon Biscuit Company in October 2000...
- Fox's Biscuits
- Jacob Fruitfield Food GroupJacob Fruitfield Food GroupThe Jacob Fruitfield Food Group is an Irish food company. It was formed by Fruitfield Foods' acquisition of the Irish portion of Jacob's Biscuit Group in 2004 from Groupe Danone. The CEO and part-owner is Michael Carey. Other major shareholders include Lioncourt with a 36% stake.It is the owner of...
- Tunnock'sTunnock'sThomas Tunnock Limited, commonly known as Tunnock's, is a family baker in Uddingston, Scotland.The company was formed by Thomas Tunnock as Tunnock's in 1890, when he purchased a baker's shop in Uddingston. The company expanded in the 1950s, and it was at this time that the core products were...
- United BiscuitsUnited Biscuits__FORCETOC__United Biscuits is a British multinational food manufacturer, makers of the BN biscuits, McVitie's biscuits, KP Nuts, Hula Hoops, The Real McCoy's crisps, Phileas Fogg snacks, Jacob's Cream Crackers, and Twiglets...
External links
- Web site of the Huntley & Palmer's Collection at the Museum of ReadingMuseum of ReadingThe Museum of Reading is a museum of the history of the town of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire, and the surrounding area...
- Official website of the British re-established Huntley & Palmer's business
- Official website of Huntley and Palmers of New Zealand