Trebor (confectionery)
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Trebor ( ) is a British confectionery brand-name owned by
Mondelez International Mondelēz International, Inc. ( ) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational confectionery, food industry, food, Holding company, holding, drink industry, beverage and snack food company based in Chicago. Mondelez has an annual rev ...
, and formerly a company of the same name.


History

Trebor was founded on 4 January 1907 in south west
Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...
by W.B. Woodcock, Thomas Henry King, Robert Robertson and Sydney Herbert Marks from
Leytonstone Leytonstone ( ) is an area in East London, England, within the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It adjoins Wanstead to the north-east, Forest Gate to the south-east, Stratford to the south-west, Leyton to the west, and Walthamstow to the nor ...
and was located on Katherine Road in Forest Gate, London. The name ''Trebor'', the spelling of "Robert" backwards, was registered as a trademark four days after the end of
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. On 18 April 1944, the factory in Katherine Road was hit by a German bomb. It bought
Moffat toffee Moffat toffee is a boiled sweet originating from and made in the Scottish town of Moffat Moffat is a burgh and parish in Dumfriesshire. Part of the Dumfries and Galloway local authority area in Scotland, it lies on the River Annan, with a p ...
in 1959, and Jamesons Chocolates in 1960. By the end of the 1960s, the company was exporting to over fifty countries; 20% of its output from its three factories was exported. The largest export market was the United States. By 1966, it had doubled its exports in four years. In the 1967 Birthday Honours, the Chairman John Marks (son of the founder) was appointed a
CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
for the company's exports; he was president from 1956 to 1959 of the Cocoa, Chocolate and Confectionery Alliance. By the end of the 1960s, it was the fourth largest confectionery manufacturing group in the United Kingdom; its main competitors were
Rowntree Mackintosh Confectionery Rowntree Mackintosh plc (file no. 00051491) ( ), Trade name, trading as Rowntree Mackintosh Confectionery, was an English confectionery company based in York, England. It was formed by the merger of Rowntree's#History, Rowntree's and Mackintosh ...
and
Cadbury Cadbury, formerly Cadbury's and Cadbury Schweppes, is a British multinational confectionery company owned by Mondelez International (spun off from Kraft Foods) since 2010. It is the second-largest confectionery brand in the world, after Mars. ...
. Early advertising used the jingle, "Trebor mints are a minty bit stronger". In January 1969, it bought the confectionery interests of Clarnico. In 1970, John Graham Marks, the grandson of the company's founder, became chairman of the company, and owned the company with his brother Ian; the company was family run and also had a Christian
paternalistic Paternalism is action that limits a person's or group's liberty or autonomy against their will and is intended to promote their own good. It has been defended in a variety of contexts as a means of protecting individuals from significant harm, s ...
ethos. In 1981, the company discontinued night shifts, as it believed that night shifts were possibly damaging to family life. In December 1985, it bought Maynards for £7.5 million. In the middle of the 1980s, the company was the British market leader in branded
mints A mint or breath mint is a food item often consumed as an after-meal refreshment or before business and social engagements to improve breath odor. Mints are commonly believed to soothe the stomach, given their association with natural byproducts ...
and boiled sweets.


Acquisition by Cadbury

On Thursday 14 September 1989, Cadbury Schweppes bought the company for £147 million. The company was run as a subsidiary company of Cadbury. At the time, the company employed around 3,000 people. From 1 March 1990, the company was known as Trebor Bassett, a division of Cadbury. Production would eventually move to North
Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...
, off the A61.


Structure

The company was headquartered in what was south-west Essex, in Woodford, Greater London. It initially had a factory at
Forest Gate Forest Gate is a district of West Ham in the London Borough of Newham, East London, England. It is located northeast of Charing Cross. The area's name relates to its position adjacent to Wanstead Flats, the southernmost part of Epping Forest. ...
called the ''Trebor Works'' from 1935 in what is now the
London Borough of Newham The London Borough of Newham () is a London borough created in 1965 by the London Government Act 1963. It covers an area previously administered by the Essex county boroughs of West Ham and East Ham, authorities that were both abolished by ...
. Its main headquarters were at
Clayhall Clayhall is a district of Ilford in the London Borough of Redbridge in east London, England. It is a suburban development. The name is derived from an old manor house that stood within the current area. It is first mentioned in a document of 1203 ...
. In 1939, a factory on a five-acre site was opened on Brimington Road in Chesterfield, on the site of a former brewery next to Chesterfield railway station; the factory closed in 2005. The Trebor Bassett national distribution centre was in Holmewood,
North East Derbyshire North East Derbyshire is a Non-metropolitan district, local government district in Derbyshire, England. The council is based in the large village of Wingerworth. The district also includes the towns of Dronfield and Clay Cross as well as numerou ...
. In 1978, a £15 million factory was opened in
Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in northeastern Essex, England. It is the second-largest settlement in the county, with a population of 130,245 at the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 Census. The demonym is ''Colcestrian''. Colchester occupies the ...
. It closed in March 2000.


Awards

In April 1966, Trebor won the
Queen's Award to Industry The King's Awards for Enterprise, previously known as The Queen's Award for Enterprise, is an awards programme for British businesses and other organizations who excel at international trade, innovation, sustainable development or promoting oppor ...
.''Times'', 21 April 1966, page 19


Products

* Refreshers, launched in 1935 * Extra Strong Mints, known as ''Extra Strong Peppermints'' when launched in 1937 * SoftMints, peppermint or spearmint flavours * SoftFruits, orange, lemon and strawberry flavours


See also

* CAOBISCO * Maynards * Bassetts * Barratt (confectionery)


References

{{reflist


External links


Britain from Above in 1950

Trebor Story
British companies established in 1907 Cadbury brands Chesterfield, Derbyshire Confectionery companies of the United Kingdom Economy of Derbyshire Manufacturing companies based in Sheffield Food and drink companies established in 1907 Forest Gate History of the London Borough of Newham History of the London Borough of Redbridge Cadbury