R.N.Coate & Co. Ltd Round Tin

R.N.Coate & Co. Ltd tin tray dating from the 1970s. A Somerset man, Redvers Norman Coate, founded his firm in 1925. He acquired modest premises between Nailsea and Wraxhall, and was joined by his brother, W.O.Coate, and five employees. Redvers Coate insisted on using only Somerset apples for his cider, but despite the quality of his products sales proved to be very slow. Several times during the 1930s Coate's almost went out of business but gradually it began to recover and started to make a small profit. The outbreak of the Second World War, in 1939, proved to be the turning point for the business. The government introduced a zoning policy which restricted Coate's larger competitors to sell their products in certain areas. Coate's was allocated Somerset, Wiltshire and South Gloucestershire, which included Bristol and Bath. The influx of American soldiers to the area benefitted the Company considerably. A.V.Lister joined the firm as a director after the war, and he had connections with London brewers Mann, Crossman & Paulin Ltd. A London office was opened to help service Mann's tied houses. Arrangements were made to sell its products to other brewers including Flower & Sons Ltd of Stratford-upon-Avon, Ansells Ltd of Birmingham, and Whitbread & Co. Ltd of East London, with pubs across Britain. Its products were also sold abroad, in many parts of Africa, South America, the West Indies, and Scandinavia. Coates also won a NAAFI contract and by the end of the 1950s was a highly profitable enterprise. In 1954 Coates agreed to assist Showerings Ltd with the milling of pears for its highly successful 'Babycham' brand. In 1956 Showerings Ltd purchased a controlling interest in Coate's Nailsea works with the intention of transferring its own cider production there. and enabling its Shepton Mallet operations to concentrate on 'Babycham'. The success of Showerings advertising campaigns enabled the Nailsea factory to double its cider production within two years. Showerings invested in the buildings, plant and equipment, enabling it to expand during the 1960s. In 1966 Redvers Coate retired from the business. In 1971 Showerings merged with William Gaymer & Son Ltd of Norfolk and Whiteways Cider Co Ltd of Exeter. After the merger the Company owned three cider factories and the decision was taken to close Coate's Nalisea site. All production was switched to a newly built plant at Shepton Mallet and the Nailsea factory was closed in 1975. Redvers Coate died in 1985.