Australian icon

In the 1950s and 1960s I grew up  a bike's ride away from the Arnott's Biscuit factory in North Strathfield, Sydney. We used to love riding near there because you could always enjoy the delicious smell of baking biscuits wafting through the air. Arnott's Biscuits were THE biscuit manufacturers in Australia at the time. We were always thrilled to see their immaculate, sparkling red trucks on the road.

In 1847, Scottish immigrant William Arnott opened a bakery in Morpeth, NSW. Later in 1865 he moved to a bakery on Hunter Street, Newcastle, NSW, providing biscuits and pies to townspeople and ships docking at the local port. In 1908 the company moved to North Strathfield and remained there until 1997. 

At their peak in 1933 Arnott's had 2,500 workers and annual production exceeded 10,000 tonnes. During the great depression they were particularly compassionate, unlike many companies who reduced their workforce, Arnott’s reduced operations hours instead which ensured the majority of their workforce were able to stay employed.

In 1997 the Campbell Soup Company of North America, a shareholder of Arnott's since the 1980s, acquired Arnott's in full. This caused a huge controversy in Australia, because nobody wanted such a greatly loved Australian icon to leave Australian hands. For people of my generation the Campbell Soup Company has never really been forgiven.

I still love my Arnott's truck biscuit tin.