Joseph Storrs Fry (1767–1835) was an English

chocolate Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cocoa beans that can be a liquid, solid, or paste, either by itself or to flavoring, flavor other foods. Cocoa beans are the processed seeds of the cacao tree (''Theobroma cacao''); unprocesse ...

and

confectionery Confectionery is the Art (skill), art of making confections, or sweet foods. Confections are items that are rich in sugar and carbohydrates, although exact definitions are difficult. In general, however, confections are divided into two bro ...

manufacturer and a member of the Fry Family of

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

Early life

He was born in 1767, son of Joseph Fry (1728–1787), in business as a manufacturer of chocolate and of soap, and as a type founder, and his wife Anna, daughter of Dr Henry Portsmouth, of

Basingstoke Basingstoke ( ) is a town in Hampshire, situated in south-central England across a valley at the source of the River Loddon on the western edge of the North Downs. It is the largest settlement in Hampshire without city status in the United King ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

. His father had started a number of businesses including an experimental chocolate factory, ''Fry, Vaughan and Company''.

Career

In 1795, he assumed control of his parents' chocolate business, now known as ''Anna Fry & Sons''. He patented a method of grinding

cocoa bean The cocoa bean, also known as cocoa () or cacao (), is the dried and fully fermented seed of ''Theobroma cacao'', the cacao tree, from which cocoa solids (a mixture of nonfat substances) and cocoa butter (the fat) can be extracted. Cacao tree ...

s using a

Watt steam engine The Watt steam engine design was an invention of James Watt that became synonymous with steam engines during the Industrial Revolution, and it was many years before significantly new designs began to replace the basic Watt design. The Newcomen ...

resulting in factory techniques being introduced into the cocoa business, building a plant in Union Street, Bristol. He moved to Grove House (now

Riverwood House Riverwood may refer to: Places ;Australia *Riverwood, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney, Australia **Riverwood railway station ;United States * Riverwood, Indiana * Riverwood, Kentucky * Riverwood, Oregon *Riverwoods, Illinois *Riverwood (Nashvi ...

Frenchay Frenchay is a village in South Gloucestershire, England. It is part of the Bristol Built-up Area, located north-east of Bristol city centre. Frenchay was designated as a conservation area in 1975 in recognition of its unique architectural an ...

in 1800. In 1803, his mother, Anna Fry, died and Joseph Storrs Fry partnered with a Dr Hunt and renamed the business Fry & Hunt. He married Ann Allen (1764?–1829) and had seven children. Dr Hunt retired in 1822 and Joseph Storrs Fry took his sons, Joseph (1795–1879), Francis (1803–1886) and Richard (1807–1878) on as partners renaming the firm J. S. Fry & Sons under which name it became the largest commercial producer of chocolate in

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

Death

He died in 1835 and his sons took full control of the firm, ultimately passing to his grandson

Joseph Storrs Fry II Joseph Storrs Fry (6 August 1826 – 7 July 1913) was a member of the Bristol Fry family, head of the family chocolate firm of J. S. Fry & Sons and a philanthropist. He assumed control of the company as chairman in 1878 and built it up from 56 ...

(1826–1913). He was buried behind the Frenchay

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...

Meeting House along with his wife Ann and his daughter Priscilla.

In fiction

Joseph Fry and his family feature as characters in

Sara Sheridan Sara Sheridan (born 7 June 1968) is a Scottish activist and writer who works in a variety of genres, though predominantly in historical fiction. She is the creator of the Mirabelle Bevan mysteries. Personal life Born Sara Louise Goodwin, Sheri ...

's novel On Starlit Seas ''(2025)''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fry, Joseph Storrs English businesspeople Businesspeople in confectionery Joseph Storrs English Quakers 1767 births 1835 deaths