Although Huntley & Palmers only built one factory outside England (in France), they did allow companies abroad to make their biscuits under licence. This occurred in many countries, including India, France, New Zealand and Australia.
Ceylon Biscuits Ltd Factory in Sri Lanka, 1970s. This photograph was used in an article about the range of biscuits which were to be produced under the Huntley & Palmers brand name and included Huntley & Palmers Cream Crackers (REDMG : 1997.130.959)
Huntley & Palmer imports
As the biscuits became more varied, many of the ingredients were imported from overseas. The process of importing raw materials from the British Empire was crucial to the financial success of the business. Coconuts were purchased from Barbados and the West Indies, cocoa from West Africa and eggs from Ireland. Once the products had been manufactured, many finished goods were then exported back out across the Empire.
This map from the 1950s shows which countries supplied Huntley & Palmers with key ingredients for their biscuit-making. One or two seem rather unexpected - for instance, why did they get honey from Chile? (REDMG : 1997.130.1042)
Exports over the history of the firm
By 1898 Huntley & Palmers' overseas sales accounted for 75% of the total export of biscuits and cakes from the UK. However the rise in import duties in many countries after the Second World War led to a general decline in the export trade. Some of Huntley & Palmers' most important traditional markets, such as India, Sri Lanka and Myanmar, had now vanished mainly due to import restrictions in those countries. Indeed, by 1960 nearly a third of Huntley & Palmers exports went to the United States.
The back cover of the staff magazine from 1959 featured a map of the world showing all the seaports that Huntley & Palmers shipped biscuits to, from the Falklands to Fuji. (REDMG : 1997.82.45)
'The first name in biscuits'
Within 100 years of opening a small shop in Reading, England, Huntley & Palmers biscuits had become famous all over the world. Their association with royalty, explorers and famous battles indicates their great success as an international business. However there were limits to their expansion. Despite a 'Delivery to Mars' cartoon in a 1956 edition of First Name News - the Huntley & Palmers staff magazine, Huntley & Palmers biscuits were never exported to outer space!
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