Balfours is an Australian bakery which produces pies, pasties and cakes for sale in
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...
,
Victoria, and
New South Wales
New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
.
History
Balfours began when Scottish immigrant James Calder and Margaret née Balfour opened a bakery at 130
Rundle Street,
Adelaide
Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...
in 1853. As Calder's bakery became very successful, he opened the City Steam Biscuit Factory in Twin Street, Adelaide in 1872. Balfours became a household name and in 1867, when Prince Alfred, the
Duke of Edinburgh
Duke of Edinburgh, named after the capital city of Scotland, Edinburgh, is a substantive title that has been created four times since 1726 for members of the British royal family. It does not include any territorial landholdings and does not pr ...
, visited South Australia, James Calder was made the official biscuit baker for the royal visit.
Around this time, Calder took on his nephew John Balfour and began trading as Calder & Balfour.
Margaret Balfour died on 1 November 1887 and James Calder died two years later on 1 October 1889, aged 71.
In the 1890s a new factory was built off Carrington Street.
From 1914 Balfours expanded their business to cake shops, cafes and tearooms. They acquired Jackman's Grand Cafe in the T&G Building in
King William Street, and Balfour's Cafe was an Adelaide institution on this site for half a century.
In recognition of the significant contribution of then chairman, Charles Wauchope, the company was re-registered under the name Balfour Wauchope Pty Ltd.
In 2001, the state government provided funds to relocate the main production facility from
Morphett Street to
Dudley Park under a buy and lease back agreement. The company continued to struggle financially and faced imminent closure.
Balfours was acquired by the
San Remo Macaroni Company in 2008.
As of 2018 Balfours have a second factory at
Milperra
Milperra, a suburb of Local government in Australia, local government area City of Canterbury-Bankstown, is located 24 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district in the state of New South Wales, Australia, and is a part of the South ...
in
Sydney
Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
.
See also
*
Australian meat pie
In Australia and New Zealand, a meat pie is a hand-sized pie containing diced or minced meat and gravy, sometimes with onion, mushrooms or cheese and is often consumed as a takeaway food snack.
This variant of the standard meat pie is conside ...
*
Frog cake
The frog cake is an Australian dessert in the shape of a frog's head, composed of sponge cake and cream covered with Fondant icing, fondant. It was created by the Balfours bakery around 1923, and soon became a popular treat in South Australia. ...
*
Pasty
A pasty () or Cornish pasty is a British baked turnover pastry, a variety of which is particularly associated with Cornwall, but has spread all over the British Isles, and elsewhere through the Cornish diaspora. It consists of a filling, ty ...
*
South Australian food and drink
References
External links
*
Australian pie brands
Bakeries of Australia
Companies based in Adelaide
Food and drink companies established in 1853
Manufacturing companies based in Adelaide
Retail companies established in 1853
Restaurants established in 1853
1853 establishments in Australia
Australian pies
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