Carr's
{{Short description|British biscuit and cracker maker}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2017}}
{{Infobox company
|name = Carr's
|logo = Carr%27s_logo.png
|logo_size = 120
|image = McVities Biscuit factory - geograph.org.uk - 5858324.jpg
|image_size = 250
|image_caption = McVities/Carr factory in Carlisle
|trading_name =
|native_name =
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|romanized =
|type = Private (1831–1964)
Subsidiary (1931–)
|traded_as =
|industry =
|fate =
|predecessor =
|successor =
|foundation = {{Start date and age|1831}} in Carlisle, Cumberland
|founder = Jonathan Dodgson Carr
|defunct =
|location_city = Carlisle
|location_country = United Kingdom
|locations =
|area_served =
|key_people =
|products = Biscuits (United Biscuits)
Flour (Carr's Flour Mills Ltd)
|production =
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|parent = {{plainlist|
- Cavenham Foods (1964–71)
- United Biscuits (1972–)
}}
|divisions =
|subsid =
|homepage = {{URL|https://www.carrscrackers.com/en_US/home.html|carrscrackers.com}}
|footnotes =
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}}
Carr's is a British biscuit and cracker manufacturer, currently owned by Pladis Global through its subsidiary United Biscuits. The company was founded in 1831 by Jonathan Dodgson Carr and is marketed in the United States by Kellogg's.
History
In 1831, Carr formed a small bakery and biscuit factory in the English city of Carlisle in Cumberland; he received a royal warrant in 1841.{{Cite web |url=http://www.carrscrackers.com/history.aspx |title=The Story of Carr's |publisher=United Biscuits (UK) |accessdate=4 December 2013 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140829130335/http://www.carrscrackers.com/history.aspx |archivedate=29 August 2014}} Within 15 years of being founded, it had become Britain's largest baking business.{{Cite web |url=http://www.carrs-milling.com/company-history/ |title=Company History |publisher=Carr’s Milling Industries |accessdate=4 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150331181645/http://www.carrs-milling.com/company-history/ |archive-date=31 March 2015}}
File:Carr's-table-water-biscuits-1922-guardian.jpeg
Carr's business was both a mill and a bakery, an early example of vertical integration, and produced bread by night and biscuits by day.{{Cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/books-baking-business-history-at-the-biscuit-factory-1235183.html |title=Baking business history at the biscuit factory |last=Brendon |first=Piers |date=11 October 1997 |accessdate=4 December 2013 |location=London |work=The Independent}} The biscuits were loosely based on dry biscuits used on long voyages by sailors. They could be kept crisp and fresh in tins, and despite their fragility could easily be transported to other parts of the country by canal and railway.
Jonathan Carr protested against the Corn Laws, which placed steep tariffs on imported wheat to keep the price of British wheat artificially high. This meant bread was expensive even in times of famine.{{Cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/cumbria/hi/people_and_places/nature/newsid_8561000/8561992.stm |date=11 March 2010 |publisher=BBC |title=A story of Carrs biscuit factory and an old waistcoat |accessdate=4 December 2013 |first=Belinda |last=Artingstoll}} Carr died in 1884, but by 1885, the company was making 128 varieties of biscuit and employing 1000 workers.{{Cite web |url=http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Carr_and_Co |title=Carr and Co |publisher=Grace's Guide |accessdate=4 December 2013}}
In 1894, the company was registered as Carr and Co. Ltd., but reverted to being a private company in 1908. Carrs Flour Mills Limited was incorporated after acquiring the flour-milling assets. Jonathan's four sons were less skilled at managing the business, but biscuit production remained in the family. It became part of Cavenham Foods in 1964 until 1972, when it was sold to United Biscuits group, along with Cavenham's other biscuit brands Wright's Biscuits and Kemps for $10{{spaces}}million.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k3aIAgAAQBAJ&dq=united+biscuits+cavenham+foods&pg=PA194|title=The Structure of British Industry|author=Peter Johnson|isbn=9781134999019|date=2002|page=194|publisher=Routledge }}{{cite journal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IwFBAQAAIAAJ&q=united+biscuits++%22cavenham%22+1972|title=Cavenham Ltd|journal=The Wall Street Journal|date=1972|page=99}} United Biscuits was sold by its private equity owners to the Turkish-based multinational Yıldız Holding in 2014; in 2016, all UB brands including Carr's were combined with Yıldız's other snack brands to form pladis.
Among members of the Carr family who worked for the business was former Commando Capt. Richard Carr MBE. He was decorated for repeated escape attempts from Italian and German prisoner-of-war camps in the Second World War.{{Cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/5559761/Army-captain-was-real-life-Cooler-King-from-The-Great-Escape.html |title=Army captain was real life 'Cooler King' from The Great Escape |work=The Telegraph |date=17 June 2009 |accessdate=4 December 2013 |location=London}}
Business
Since 1972, the Carr's biscuit factory has been part of United Biscuits, and the Carr's branded products are marketed in the US by Kellogg's. The factory today is known officially as McVitie's, but still known locally as Carr's.
Carr's Flour Mills and the later established agricultural supplies and feeds businesses became Carr's Milling Industries plc, which is still based in Carlisle and now known as Carr's Group PLC. Its products have since the 1990s appeared in UK supermarkets through the Carr's Breadmaker flour range. Carr's Group also own companies involved in light engineering. In 2016, Carr's Group sold the flour-milling division to Whitworths Holdings Ltd.
In March 2012, it was announced that Carr's Table Water Biscuits had lost its royal warrant due to 'changing tastes' in the Royal Households.{{Cite news |url=http://www.cumberlandnews.co.uk/news/Carrs-Table-Water-biscuits-lose-Royal-stamp-of-approval-6a30aa25-09ed-4bd6-a406-4ba348c5bcb8-ds |title=Carr's Table Water Biscuits Lose Royal Stamp of Approval |work=Cumberland News |date=2 March 2012 |last=Story |first=Chris |accessdate=4 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160309202959/http://www.cumberlandnews.co.uk/news/Carrs-Table-Water-biscuits-lose-Royal-stamp-of-approval-6a30aa25-09ed-4bd6-a406-4ba348c5bcb8-ds |archive-date=9 March 2016 |url-status=dead}} Carr's promptly licensed the coat of arms of the City of Carlisle to replace the coat of royal arms on their packaging.
Flooding
In 2005, the Caldewgate factory in Carlisle lost two months' production due to flooding. Production resumed after a £1 million government grant.
The Caldewgate factory was flooded again on 6 December 2015, with levels exceeding five feet (over 150{{spaces}}cm). The floodwater damaged the brick ovens and resulted in product shortages on retail shelves.[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/carr-s-water-biscuit-shortage-looms-after-factory-hit-by-uk-floods-a6827311.html Carr's water biscuit shortage looms after factory hit by UK floods], The Independent, 22 January 2016[https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/jan/21/too-wet-water-biscuits-carrs-pauses-production The Guardian, 21 Jan 2016, Too wet for water biscuits as Carr's pauses production.] After closure of the works for a month to repair and clear flood damage, production and distribution gradually resumed in spring 2016.{{Cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/apr/01/carrs-water-biscuits-carlisle-factory-flooding-united-biscuits |title=Flood-hit Carlisle factory resumes production of Carr's water biscuits |work=The Guardian |date=1 April 2016 |first=Sarah |last=Butler |accessdate=6 May 2016}}
See also
{{portal|Food|Companies}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{official website}}
- [http://www.carrs-milling.com/ Carr's Milling Industries plc corporate site]
{{United Biscuits}}
{{Yıldız Holding}}
{{Kellanova}}
Category:United Biscuits brands