H.P.Bulmer & Co. Ltd Round Alloy

Owned
SKU
BT1046
H.P.Bulmer & Co. Ltd alloy tray dating from 1953. The Company is based in Hereford, Herefordshire.
H.P.Bulmer & Co. Ltd alloy tray dating from 1953. The business was established in Credenhill, to the West of Hereford city centre, by twenty year old Henry Percival 'Percy' Bulmer in 1887. Using apples from his father's orchard and a press from the farm next door, Percy made his first cider from which the family fortune would be made. He was joined by his brother Edward Frederick Bulmer in 1889. The two brothers built a cider mill on a piece of land they purchased in Hereford in 1890. The Company introduced one of its most famous brands, Woodpecker Cider, in 1894. In the early years Bulmers only produced bottled cider and by 1898 the bottling line employed 37 women. Bulmers growth was rapid and the Company was granted its first Royal Warrant in 1911. Despite Percy's death in 1919 the firm continued its expansion. In 1937 William Magner acquired the rights to produce the Bulmers Cider brand in Ireland. H.P.Bulmer acquired 50% of Magner's shares. After the Second World War, in 1946, Bulmers purchased the remaining 50% of William Magners cider business in Ireland, and formed a new separate Company, Bulmers Ltd Clonmel. In 1948 Bulmers purchased local rival Godwins Cider of Hereford, which included its premium perry brand 'Golden Godwin'. The Company continued to operate Godwins Cider factoty until 1962. Between 1948 and 1960 turnover increased from £1.6m to £3.0m. The site itself had expanded considerably since 1890 and in 1957 the Company constructed a new bottling hall nearby. In 1959 Bulmers acquired a majority shareholding of the Gloucestershire Cider Co. in Wickwar, and through this takeover it acquired an interest in the Creed Valley Cider Co. of Somerset. In 1960 Bulmers purchased the goodwill of William Evans & Co. (Hereford & Devon) Ltd which included the interests of cidermaker Ridler's of Clehonger. This enabled Bulmers to sell its products to the Welsh tied houses of brewer Webb's (Aberbeeg) Ltd which owned the firm. Also in 1960, another famous brand, Strongbow Cider, was introduced to the market. In 1964 H.P.Bulmer Ltd lost a court case in Ireland with Showerings Ltd over its Babycham product, and as a result decided to sell H.P.Bulmer Ltd Clonmel to Guinness and Allied Breweries Ltd., the parent Company of Showerings Ltd. At a time when Bulmers was the largest cider manufacturer in the world, a cash flow crisis forced the Company to go public in 1970. The Bulmer family retained 65% of the firm's shares. By 1985 Bulmers turnover was £138m with a profit of £17m. The Company purchased Symonds & Co. Ltd of Stoke Lacy, near Bromyard in Herefordshire, from brewer Greenall Whitley & Co. Ltd in 1988, and Devon manufacturer Inch's Cider in 1996. Symonds factory was closed by Bulmers in 2000. That year Bulmers acquired The Beer Seller, a wholesale drinks distribution company, giving it direct access to sell its brands to pubs and clubs throughout the UK. In 2002 Bulmers share price collapsed due to over investment abroad, resulting in mass redundancies, sale of overseas businesses, and then its takeover by Scottish & Newcastle Breweries Ltd in 2003. In 2008 the Company was purchased by Heineken which considerably scaled back the Hereford operations. The site still produces cider. The manufacturer's mark states - Made in England MB 8
More Information
Brewery Origin England
County Herefordshire
Reverse Finish Standard
Tray Manufacturer Metal Box Co Ltd
Tray Material Alloy
Year Of Manufacture 1953
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