Huntley & Palmers Facts for Kids

Huntley & Palmers

Type	Private (1822–1921)
Industry	Food
Fate	Merged with Peek Freans to form Associated Biscuits Ltd. in 1921, which was acquired by Nabisco in 1982; Resumed operations in 2006
Founded	1822; 203 years ago (1822)
Founder	Joseph Huntley
Headquarters	Reading (1822–1970) Sudbury (2006–pres.) , England
Key people	George Palmer (1841–97) William Isaac Palmer George W. Palmer
Products	Biscuits

Huntley & Palmers is a famous British company that makes biscuits. It started in Reading, Berkshire, in 1822. The company was founded by Joseph Huntley.

Huntley & Palmers grew to become one of the world's first truly global brands. This was largely thanks to George Palmer, who joined in 1841. At one point, they had the largest biscuit factory in the world! Their biscuits were often sold in fancy, decorated biscuit tins. By 1900, you could find their products in 172 countries. Their advertisements even showed scenes from all over the world.

The company was also known by names like "J. Huntley & Son" and "Huntley & Palmer" over the years. In 2006, the Huntley & Palmers company started up again in Sudbury, Suffolk. Since 1985, a New Zealand company called Griffin's Foods has made Huntley and Palmers biscuits under a special agreement.

In 2017, something amazing was found: a 106-year-old fruitcake from the company! It was discovered among items from Cape Adare in Antarctica. People believe this cake was part of the food supplies for Captain Robert Falcon Scott's Terra Nova Expedition between 1910 and 1913.

The Story of Huntley & Palmers
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The Story of Huntley & Palmers

How It All Started

The original Huntley & Palmers factory in Reading, pictured in 2011

Huntley & Palmers began in 1822. It was started by Joseph Huntley and was first called J. Huntley & Son. At first, it was just a small shop. It sold biscuits and sweets at 119 London Street in Reading, Berkshire. There's a special blue plaque outside the building today.

Back then, London Street was a busy road. It was the main route for stage coaches traveling from London to places like Bristol and Bath. The Crown Inn was a popular stop for these coaches. It was right across from Joseph Huntley's shop. He started selling his biscuits to the travelers.

To stop the biscuits from breaking during the bumpy coach journeys, Joseph began putting them in metal tins. This clever idea led to two new businesses. One was Joseph's biscuit shop, which became Huntley & Palmers. The other was Huntley, Boorne, and Stevens. This company, started by Joseph's younger son (also named Joseph), made the biscuit tins.

George Palmer's Impact

George Palmer joined the company after Joseph Huntley retired in 1838. He helped lead the business with his brothers and son.

In 1838, Joseph Huntley had to retire because he was unwell. His older son, Thomas, took over the business. In 1841, Thomas brought in George Palmer as a business partner. George was a distant cousin and a Quaker.

George Palmer quickly became the main reason for the company's huge success. He set up sales agents all over the country. The company soon became too big for its first shop. In 1846, they moved to a large factory on King’s Road. This factory was close to the Great Western Railway. It even had its own internal railway system with steam locomotives! One of these old engines is still saved near Bradford.

Thomas Huntley passed away in 1857. But George Palmer kept leading the company very well. His brothers, William Isaac Palmer and Samuel Palmer, helped him. Later, his sons also joined in leading the company. Huntley & Palmers even became biscuit makers for the British Royal Family.

In 1865, the company grew into Europe. They received special royal warrants from leaders like Napoléon III and Leopold II of Belgium. At their busiest, they had over 5,000 employees. By 1900, they were the biggest biscuit company in the world.

Their success came from several things. They made many different popular products. By 1903, they offered 400 different kinds of biscuits! Making so many biscuits allowed them to sell them at good prices. They even got flour from Hambleden Mill, a few miles down the Thames River. A barge called Maid of the Mill brought flour to them every week.

The Palmers were important people in Reading. They gave a lot of money and land to the town. This included Palmer Park. Reading was often called "biscuit town." The local football team, Reading F.C., was even known as the "biscuit men." The company also gave free biscuits to first-class train travelers from Paddington. They encouraged them to look out for the factory in Reading.

Sending Biscuits Worldwide

An advertisement for Opera wafers from around 1890.

Another big reason for their success was their ability to send biscuits all over the world. The biscuits stayed fresh in special, decorated metal biscuit tins. These tins were made locally and are now very popular with collectors. The tins were a great way to advertise. With their easy-to-spot look, Huntley & Palmers biscuits became a symbol of British trade around the world. It was similar to how Coca-Cola became a symbol for the United States.

A Huntley & Palmers biscuit tin on a trading boat on the Upper Congo River, around 1890.

These tins traveled far and wide. They reached places like the heart of Africa and the mountains of Tibet. The company even supplied biscuits to Captain Scott for his 1910 trip to the South Pole. During the First World War, they made biscuits for the soldiers. They also used their tin-making skills to create cases for artillery shells.

In 1921, Huntley & Palmers joined with London's Peek Freans company. They formed a larger company called "Associated Biscuits Manufacturers Ltd." In 1960, W.R. Jacob of Liverpool also joined them.

In 1969, other Scottish biscuit companies merged to form United Biscuits. To compete, Huntley & Palmers, Peek Frean, and Jacobs reorganized their biscuit making as "Associated Biscuits Ltd."

The factory in Reading stopped making biscuits in 1976. In 1982, Nabisco bought Associated Biscuits. Biscuit production continued at Huyton until 1983. After the Peek Frean factory closed in 1989, Nabisco sold the biscuit brands (Huntley and Palmers, Peek Frean, and Jacobs) to Danone.

Over the years, the company made more than 400 different kinds of biscuits. They even invented new types, like the Nice biscuit.

Company Records and History

A book about the company's history was published in 1972. It was called Quaker Enterprise in Biscuits: Huntley & Palmers of Reading, 1822–1972. This was for the company's 150th anniversary.

Today, the old company records are kept at the Reading Museum. There is a special area there just for Huntley & Palmers. You can even watch old films of the factory in the museum's gallery. More company records are at the Special Collections of the University of Reading.

A New Beginning

In 2006, Huntley & Palmers started making biscuits again. They are now based in Sudbury, Suffolk. The new team includes people who used to work for Jacobs Bakery, which once owned Huntley & Palmers. They also have a founder of a successful packaging design company. Their goal is to sell their biscuits in special food stores.

Since 2008, the Freeman family has owned Huntley and Palmers. This family has been in the biscuit business for three generations! Their goal is to make Huntley and Palmers a well-known name again. They are creating different types of biscuits for various markets. And yes, they are making biscuit tins once more!