Franklin Baker Company facts for kids
The current Franklin Baker Company logo
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Number of locations
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2 (United States and the Philippines) |
The Franklin Baker Company makes and sells coconut products all over the world. They are known for their "Baker's Coconut" brand, which you might find in stores. The company started way back in 1897.
Their main coconut products are made in the Philippines, in cities like San Pablo City and Davao del Sur. Franklin Baker also has offices in Memphis, United States, and Northolt, United Kingdom.
Contents
How the Company Started
From Flour to Coconut
The company was founded by a man named Franklin Baker (1846–1923). He used to be a flour miller in Philadelphia. In 1894, he got a shipment of fresh coconuts from Cuba. This happened because someone paid him in coconuts instead of money for the flour he had sent them.
Franklin Baker didn't know what to do with all these coconuts at first. But then he realized that many people might want to buy coconut products. He found a small business in Philadelphia that was closing down. He bought it and started his coconut business with his new supply of coconuts.
Growing the Coconut Business
By 1897, Franklin Baker's coconut business was doing so well that he decided to sell his flour business. He wanted to focus only on coconuts. Later, his son, Franklin Baker Jr., joined him. Together, they built the company that became known as the Franklin Baker Company.
Their brand, Baker's Coconut, became very popular. It grew to be the top supplier of coconut products in the United States.
Company Locations Over Time
Early Moves and Philippine Connection
In 1913, the company moved its manufacturing to Brooklyn, New York. A few years later, in 1921, Franklin Baker and his son opened a new plant in Santa Mesa, Manila, in the Philippines.
Franklin Baker wanted a steady supply of coconuts. So, in 1922, he began processing coconuts directly in the Philippines. This led to the creation of the Franklin Baker Company of the Philippines. The idea was to process coconuts there and send them to their plant in New Jersey. This was easier than bringing whole coconuts from places like the Caribbean.
In 1924, the business moved its main operations to Hoboken, New Jersey.
Changes and Growth with New Owners
In 1927, a big company called General Foods Corporation bought the Franklin Baker Company. Operations moved to a larger, more modern factory in San Pablo City, Laguna, Philippines. This location was perfect because it was close to many coconut farms.
During World War II, the San Pablo plant was badly damaged by bombings. So, the company moved its operations back to the United States to keep the business going. They brought fresh coconuts from Puerto Rico and Jamaica to the Hoboken plant for processing. The San Pablo plant was rebuilt in 1947 and is still there today.
In 1964, the U.S. processing facility moved from Hoboken to Dover, Delaware. By this time, most of the basic coconut processing was done in the Philippines. The Dover plant would then add sugar, toast, or cream the coconut for different customers.
In 1968, General Foods opened another plant for Franklin Baker in Davao, Philippines. This helped make sure they always had enough coconuts for their products.
Recent Ownership Changes
In 1987, Philip Morris, which owned General Foods, bought Kraft. The Franklin Baker coconut products then became part of the Kraft Food Ingredients Group. The coconut products were still sold under the "Baker's" brand. In 2004, Kraft sold the industrial product lines of Franklin Baker to an investment company called Andorra Investments Corporation.
