One of the world’s most famous companies during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries has made its reappearance after an absence of 15 years. Huntley & Palmers was founded in 1822 and, during the next 150 years, came to be "The Most Famous Biscuit Company in the World." As global trade and travel expanded during the industrial revolution and Britain developed the largest Empire the world had ever known, so did this famous company grow, until it became world-renowned for being "Number One in Biscuits and Second-to-None in Cakes."
Like many of Britain’s longest-established food companies, it was started by a Quaker, a religious sect whose members were forbidden by law from entering the established professions. In this case, a man by the name of Joseph Huntley, supported by his son Thomas, opened a shop in Reading, Berkshire, from where he started selling biscuits and confectionery. After 19 successful years he was joined by his cousin George Palmer and, together, they created a business which, at its peak, was trading in 137 countries. Huntley & Palmers success wasn’t just based on producing unique, top-quality products. The brand’s packaging, especially with its tins, and its advertising also achieved unsurpassed standards of excellence and the company won many gold awards at trade fairs in the decades before and after 1900.
Huntley & Palmers was always a family-oriented institution, some might say even paternalistic in its employee relations. But there is little doubt that workers’ housing and hygiene in nineteenth century Reading would not have been of the same high quality if it hadn’t been for the Palmer family. Fittingly, the company and its trademarks have now been acquired by two families who also value its heritage and believe in its huge potential.
The new owners and directors include Nigel McCrea, formerly marketing director of Jacobs Bakery, which owned Huntley & Palmers, and Helen Sandom, founder of Vibrandt, one of the UK’s most successful packaging design companies. "Our aim is to return Huntley & Palmers to its position as one of the most respected biscuit companies in the world," says managing director Nigel McCrea. "We’ll focus on product excellence and superb packaging design to achieve this. Of course, the brand’s heritage is its strength, but we aim to ensure that our packs appeal to younger and older consumers alike."