‘This is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory for grown-ups.
Inside are treats for all: nostalgia freaks, social historians, machinery nerds – and anyone interested in marketing, manufacturing or the history of British tooth decay.’
‘This is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory for grown-ups.
Inside are treats for all: nostalgia freaks, social historians, machinery nerds – and anyone interested in marketing, manufacturing or the history of British tooth decay.’
Britain’s industry once rose on the back of family firms like Trebor – plucky, private ventures that punched above their weight. From hard roots in the Victorian East End of London, this tiny sugar-boiling enterprise grew to become the nation’s biggest maker of sugar confectionery.
Many Trebor sweets are legendary. Refreshers. Extra Strong Mints. Black Jacks. Fruit Salad. Over time the Trebor family added other iconic names: Sharps Toffees, Clarnico Mint Creams, Topps Bubble Gum and Maynards Wine Gums.
The Trebor Story brings back the world that made those sweets: the factories and sales vans, the darts teams and work outings – all the ecosystem of a thriving family business, from a time when managers could tend a firm rather than simply feed shareholders.
Matthew Crampton lives in London and works as a writer, storyteller and singer. The Trebor Story is a personal story for him. As he writes in the introduction, ‘My uncle ran sweet factories. He was the man who made Refreshers and Black Jacks and those huge Sharps chocolate eggs that arrived at Easter.’ Matthew’s uncle was John Marks, chairman of Trebor. Read more about Matthew, including an excerpt from his introduction to the book.