Peek Freans

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Peek Frean is a brand of biscuits and related confectionery. The brand is owned in the UK by United Biscuits, although the Peek Frean name is no longer used in the UK. In the USA and Canada the brand is owned by Kraft Foods.

Contents 1 History 2 See also 3 External links 4 References

[edit] History

The company was founded in 1857 in Bermondsey, London, England by James Peek and George Hender Frean. In 1861, the company started exporting biscuits to Australia and later to other overseas destinations. They moved to a larger plant in Bermondsey in 1866 where they continued baking until the brand was discontinued in 1989 ^{[1] [2]}

In 1861, they introduced the Garibaldi biscuit. In 1910, the company introduced their first cream sandwich biscuit, now known as a Bourbon biscuit, and in 1924 they established their first factory outside the UK, in Dum Dum, India

In 1921, Peek Frean entered into an amalgamatation agreement with rival biscuit firm Huntley and Palmers, resulting in the creation of a holding company, Associated Biscuit Manufacturers Ltd. However, both biscuit firms retained their own brands and premises.

1949 saw the establishment of their first bakery in Canada. The bakery, located on Bermondsey Road in East York, Ontario, is still in production.

Until the late 1990s, Peek Freans had a Royal Warrant with the British Royal Family, so all biscuit packages featured the Queen's coat of arms, as well as a message "BY APPOINTMENT TO HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN. BISCUIT MANUFACTURES. PEAK FREAN & CO.. LTD. LONDON S.E. 16. ENGLAND."^{[3] [4]} This distinctive mark no longer appears on packages since the 2000s, so it appears that Peek Freans is no longer an official supplier to the Royals. In the early 2000s, Peek Freans packages had the slogan "Founded in 1857 by James Peek and George Hender Frean".

[edit] See also

• As the Cookie Crumbles

[edit] External links

• Peek Freans - Kraft Foods
• Peek Freans history
• Southwark Council Blue Plaques 2005
• Records of Peek Frean - University of Reading
• Peak Frean Permanent Exhibition - The Pumphouse Educational Museum - Rotherhithe

[edit] References