Spillers facts for kids
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| Industry | Food |
|---|---|
| Fate | Acquired |
| Founded | 1829 |
| Defunct | 1997 |
| Headquarters | New Malden, Surrey |
|
Key people
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Joel Spiller (founder) |
Spillers Ltd was a British company that made flour, ran bakeries, and sold food for pets and horses. It was a big name in the food industry for many years.
Contents
The Story of Spillers
How It All Began
Spillers started in 1829. A man named Joel Spiller opened a flour mill in a town called Bridgwater, in England. His business quickly grew and spread to other parts of England and Wales.
In 1855, Spillers began making special biscuits for ships. These were important for sailors on long journeys.
Growing Bigger
By 1854, Joel Spiller and his business partner, Samuel Browne, opened another flour mill in Cardiff, Wales. This mill sadly burned down in 1882. But they rebuilt it in 1887, making it even bigger by adding two other mills.
In 1893, a new, very large mill was built in Cardiff. It was part of a group of mills powered by steam. This complex could produce a huge amount of flour, about 100,000 tons each year!
In 1889, Spillers joined forces with another company, William Baker and Sons of Bristol. They formed a new company called Spillers and Bakers Ltd.
Famous Products
Turog Bread
At the start of the 1900s, Spillers introduced a new brand of brown bread called Turog. Spillers made the flour, and then they allowed other bakeries to use their special recipe to make Turog bread. Spillers helped promote the bread with lots of advertising. Turog was a competitor to another popular bread brand called Hovis.
Winalot Dog Biscuits
Spillers launched Winalot dog biscuits in 1927. At first, these biscuits were sold as food for racing greyhounds. But soon, pet owners loved them too! Winalot became a very popular brand in the 1930s. Later, after another company bought Spillers, the Winalot brand grew to include many different types of dog food and snacks.
Kennomeat Dog Food
In 1964, Spillers also took over the Kennomeat dog food brand. They did this by buying a company called Scottish Animal Products Ltd.
Later Years
In 1947, Spillers bought Foster Mill, a mill located near the Cambridge railway station.
In 1978, Spillers expanded even further by buying a company in the USA called Modern Maid Food Products Inc.
In 1979, a company called Dalgety plc bought Spillers. This happened after a tough competition to take over the company. Spillers' bakery business was then sold to another company called Allied Bakeries.
In the late 1990s, after a health issue with cattle in the United Kingdom (called the BSE outbreak), Dalgety started selling off parts of Spillers. In 1997, they sold Spillers' flour milling business to Kerry Group plc. Then, in 1998, they sold the pet food business to Nestlé.
