The business passed to Walter’ son Charles and after his death in 1761, it was taken over by Dr Joseph Fry, an apothecary, a Quaker who purchased patent for steam grinder along with the recipes. He also involved in making soap and candles.
On his death in 1787, the chocolate business passed to his wife, Anna and son Joseph Storrs Fry. The company was then named Anna Fry and Son.
In 1790 the company was selling ‘Churchman’s Patent Chocolate’ and patented cocoa in Bristol. Other items included cocoa nuts and shell, ground cocoa-sago, China cinnamon sticks and refined liquorices.
After Anna’s death in 1803, her son went into partnership with Dr Hunt and the business became Fry & Hunt, but after Hunt’s retirement Joseph Storrs’ three sons Joseph, Francis and Richard became partners and it became J.S Fry & Sons, a business that would become the largest commercial chocolate manufacturer in Britain.
The company experimented with the ‘Dutched’ chocolate adding sugar and some of the cocoa butter and molding the mixture.
In 1847 the firm discovered a way to mix cocoa butter back into pressed cocoa creating a paste could be molded into a chocolate bar. The ‘first chocolate’ bar was born.
In 1919, J. S. Fry & Sons merged with Cadbury Brothers and the joint company named British Cocoa and Chocolate Company was registered on May 19, 1919.
Together with Cadbury, J.S Fry & Sons built plants in Australia in1920, New Zealand in 1930, Ireland in 1933, and South Africa in 1937.
History of J. S. Fry & Sons
