Farley's

Farley's was a British food manufacturing company, best known for the baby product Farley's Rusks but also for baby rice, cereals and breadsticks.

The brand was started in the 1880s, but the company was taken over by Heinz in 1994 in a deal valued at £94 million. The brand logo was a teddy bear.

Administrative History (from the National Archives )

Farley's Health Products Limited started life in 1857 as a baker's shop, run by Mr Samuel Farley, at 90 Cambridge Street, Plymouth. In 1862 he transferred premises to 7, Exeter Street and in 1912 Edwin Farley sold the business, including the secret formula for Farley's rusks to Mr William Bolitho Trahair, prior to emigrating to Canada. William Trahair, a well-known Liberal, and Methodist lay-preacher marketed proprietary lines, such as Globe Metal Polish and John Master's matches, from his shop Globe Stores, 58-59 Notte Street, Plymouth.

In 1915 Trahair moved the Exeter Street bakery to 14 Notte Street and in 1919 the Trahair family formed Farley's Infant Food Limited. During the 1920s, the business transferred to Woolster Street and gave up its agencies to concentrate on rusk production.

Farley's & Sathers Candy Company

Farley's & Sathers Candy Company was created as an umbrella company to roll-up many small companies, brands and products under a common management team. The confectionery business segment is made up of many small companies, often with intertwined relationships and histories.

Catterton Partners formed the Farley's & Sathers Candy Company in 2002 as a vehicle for the purchase of some of the former Farley Foods Company and Sathers Candy Company assets and brands from Kraft.

Since that time, additional brands and businesses have been added to the roster.

In 2012, the owners of Farley's & Sathers, Catterton Partners, purchased Ferrara Pan Candy Company. Catterton Partners retained controlling interest in the company, and the name of the company was changed to Ferrara Candy.

History

Under Favorite Brands ownership, the formerly independent Farley's and Sathers companies were combined with the Dae Julie Company and with Trolli. Under Favorite Brands' management, Dae Julie was rolled into the Farley division while Sathers and Trolli remained as separate divisions. Favorite Brands was eventually acquired by Nabisco, and then shortly afterwards, Nabisco itself was merged with Kraft Foods.