Frank Cooper's facts for kids
Three jars of Frank Cooper's products
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| Owner | Hain Celestial Group |
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| Introduced | 1874 |
| Website | Official website: https://www.frankcoopers.co.uk/ |
Frank Cooper's is a British company famous for its delicious marmalades and jams. It is currently owned by a company called Hain Daniels. They are especially famous for their "Oxford" Marmalade. They even have a special award called a Royal Warrant, which means they supply products to the Royal Family!
The brand was started by Sarah Cooper way back in 1874. Since 2012, it has been part of the Hain Celestial Group.
Contents
The Story of Frank Cooper's
How it All Began (1874-1919)
The story of Frank Cooper's began with Francis Thomas Cooper. He first owned a hat and sock shop in High Street, Oxford. Around 1845, he changed his shop into a grocery store.
In 1856, Francis Thomas Cooper bought the buildings at 83 and 84 High Street. He used number 84 as his grocery shop and family home. In 1867, his son, Frank Cooper, took over the business. He made the shop bigger by adding number 83 next door.
In 1874, Frank Cooper's wife, Sarah-Jane, made a large batch of marmalade. She used her own special recipe. This marmalade became very popular! Until 1903, it was made right there at 83–84 High Street.
Frank Cooper then moved the marmalade making to a new factory. This factory was built just for them at 27 Park End Street. He kept the High Street shop open until 1919. Then, he sold it to another company called Twinings.
The Park End Street Factory (1920-1950)
The factory on Park End Street was designed by an architect named Herbert Quinton. It was a four-story building. It had different floors for cutting fruit and bottling the finished products. There was even a special dining room for employees. The marmalade and jam were boiled in a separate building behind the main factory.
The factory was built in a smart location. It was close to the train stations in Oxford. This made it easy to get fruit and sugar delivered. It also made it simple to send out the marmalade and jam. The business grew, so the factory was made bigger several times. This happened in 1912, 1915, 1924, and 1925.
Frank Cooper's marmalade was a favorite among students and teachers at Oxford University. It even traveled to Antarctica! Explorer Robert Falcon Scott took it on his trip to the South Pole. Years later, a jar was found buried in the ice.
The marmalade also appeared in a children's book by Arthur Ransome. In Missee Lee, a character named Miss Lee enjoyed Cooper's Oxford Marmalade. She said, "We always eat Oxford marmalade at Cambridge. Better scholars, better professors at Cambridge but better marmalade at Oxford."
New Locations and Owners (1951-Present)
After the Second World War, Frank Cooper's bought a new site. It was on Botley Road, west of the train stations. A new factory was built there, and the company moved its production from Park End Street.
The company also made other sauces, like mint sauce and horseradish sauce. In the summer, they would make fruit jams, such as strawberry jam. You could even buy their marmalade and jam in special "fancy jars." These were china jars with lids, often painted with pretty designs.
In 1964, a company called Brown & Polson Ltd. bought Frank Cooper's. They moved the production away from Oxford in 1967. However, they kept the "Oxford" name for the marmalade.
Between 1984 and 1987, Frank Cooper's rented 84 and 85 High Street again. They used number 85 as a museum and number 84 as a shop. This lasted until about 1990. Since 2001, a special blue plaque has been placed at 84 High Street. It remembers Sarah Cooper and how she started Oxford Marmalade.
The old factory at 27 Park End Street is still standing today. It is now called "The Jam Factory." It is an arts center, restaurant, and bar. "The Jam Factory" also hosts a charity called "My Life My Choice." This charity is run by and for people with learning disabilities.
Heinz bought Frank Cooper's in 1997. Later, it was sold to Rank Hovis McDougall. That company was then bought by Premier Foods in 2006. The brand was sold again in 2012, this time to Hain Celestial Group.
