Be-Ro facts for kids
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| Private | |
| Industry | Food Manufacturing Flour Milling Recipes |
| Founded | 1875 |
| Headquarters | St Albans, England, UK |
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Key people
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Thomas Bell, Founder, Inventor |
| Products | Bells Royal Flours, Baking Powder and wholesale. Be-Ro Flours and other food produce. |
| Parent | Premier Foods |
Be-Ro is a well-known food company in the UK. It started by making the world's first self-raising flour. Today, Be-Ro is famous for its baking products and its popular recipe book.
Contents
The Story of Be-Ro
How It All Started
Be-Ro was founded by a clever person named Thomas Bell. He started his business in 1875 in a small town called Longhorsley, near Newcastle upon Tyne in England. At first, it was just a shop that sold groceries and tea.
Thomas Bell loved to experiment with baking. He wanted to find a way to make flour rise easily. After many tries, he invented something amazing: the world's first self-raising flour! This meant people could bake cakes and bread more easily at home.
From Bells Royal to Be-Ro
Thomas Bell called his new company and flour "Bells Royal." It became very popular. In 1907, he decided to give his product a new, catchier name. He combined parts of "Bell" and "Royal" to create "Be-Ro." This new name was officially registered.
The company started in a small place in Newcastle. Besides self-raising flour, they also made baking powder. They even sold other food items like dried fruit, cereals, tea, and coffee.
Growing Bigger
As Be-Ro became more successful, the company moved to bigger buildings in Newcastle. Thomas Bell passed away in 1925. But his family continued to grow the business.
Be-Ro started selling its products in more places across the UK. They expanded to areas like Carlisle, County Durham, and Teesside. Soon, they built or rented warehouses in big cities like Leeds, Edinburgh, Sheffield, and Birmingham. By 1931, they even opened a base in Nottingham to reach the middle of England. Over time, Be-Ro had many locations all over England and Scotland.
Joining Bigger Families
In 1958, another large company called Rank-Hovis Ltd bought Be-Ro. A few years later, in 1961, Be-Ro became part of an even bigger food group called RHM.
Then, in March 2007, a company called Premier Foods took over RHM. This meant Be-Ro became one of the many well-known brands owned by Premier Foods.
The Famous Be-Ro Recipe Book
When Be-Ro first introduced its self-raising flour, they had a brilliant idea. They created a special recipe book to show people how to use their new flour. This book was full of delicious recipes for cakes, biscuits, and more.
This recipe book became incredibly popular. It is still sold today and has been updated many times. The latest version is its 41st edition! Over 40 million copies of the Be-Ro recipe book have been sold, making it one of the most loved cookbooks in the UK.
