Newfoundland Margarine Company
The Newfoundland Margarine Company (until 1950, the Newfoundland Butter Company) was Canada's first
In 1949, after
Background
Oleomargarine was invented by a
Newfoundland did not have a strong dairy industry at the turn of the 19th century, and subsequently embraced the production of margarine. Then in 1883, under the direction of
Early history
A third manufacturing plant was opened in
Crosbie's political opponents accused Crosbie of using his position as Newfoundland's Minister of Finance to enrich himself, because the plant opened the same year that a six cent per pound tariff was introduced on foreign margarine imports. Crosbie was also accused of using his public office to secure exclusive supply arrangements for his company with Newfoundland's public institutions.[4]
Within a short time, this firm had taken a leading role in the production of margarine for the country and was so successful that Crosbie expanded its operations to Brazil, but that branch was soon nationalized. The plant produced hard margarine bricks that were popular in Newfoundland's isolated rural communities such as outports, which often had no electricity or refrigeration. Its product was successful from the onset because some of the first tubs had gold and silver coins, encouraging customers to purchase them in the hopes of finding one.[4] This initial product was sold in wooden tubs under the brands of Golden Spread and Silver Spread.
Crosbie also increased the prominence of his plant by decorating it with floral arrangements. He also built a neon sign of a cow with a swishing tail that was the first of its kind in the province. Because the sign was prominent in the St. John's skyline at night, it was turned off during the Second World War so it did not help the Kriegsmarine in locating the city.[4]
In 1932, its founder, John Crosbie, died, and control of the company passed to his family.[4] In 1937, the original two companies, Harvey and Company and Brehm Manufacturing Company had amalgamated in 1932 to become the Newfoundland Butter Company's leading competitor and sold their plant to Lever Brothers of England under Unilever Limited.[2] The same year, the Crosbie family sold the Newfoundland Butter Company to Unilever as well. Unilever continued to employ members of the Crosbie family in executive roles at the plant until Roger Crosbie retired in 2000.[4] After the sale, the two plants were consolidated and the only remaining factory was, that of the Newfoundland Butter Company on LeMarchant Road.[3]
Major brands produced by the Newfoundland Margarine Company were Good Luck and Eversweet.[3] Other popular brands made by the company include Oversweet and Mom's.[4] All of these products become staples of many households within the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Margarine and Confederation
In 1949, after
Negotiations before Newfoundland joined in confederation with the rest of Canada led to Term 46 of the Newfoundland Act.[7][8] A stipulation within Term 46 prohibited the sale of margarine to the rest of Canada but allowed the manufacture and sale of margarine within Newfoundland as noted herein:
Unless the Parliament of Canada otherwise provides or unless the sale and manufacture in, and the interprovincial movement between, all provinces of Canada other than Newfoundland, of oleomargarine and margarine, is lawful under the laws of Canada, oleomargarine or margarine shall not be sent, shipped, brought, or carried from the Province of Newfoundland into any other province of Canada.
Text of the Term 46 Schedule Part 2 of British North America Act 1949 (c.22) as originally enacted or made within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk.
After the joining of the
The Ballad of Oleo Margarine
I pray that I shall never know
A future without oleo,
Or live to see my little sons
Turn up their noses at my buns;
But there is one with soul so dead,
Who’d sacrifice our spread for bread,
And ban from every Newfie table
Our wholesome, rich, improved Green Label.
- excerpt from The Ballad of Oleo Margarine, Greg Power (1909 - 1997)
Later history and closure
After the Newfoundland Butter Company was allowed to sell its margarine within the province even after it acceded to Confederation, margarine producers across Canada used it in their ultimately successful lobbying efforts to allow the product to be made and sold in the rest of the country.[4] In 1950, the company changed its name to the Newfoundland Margarine Company to better reflect its actual product.[4]
In early 2000 Unilever made the announcement that it will be closing the manufacturing plant in St. John's.
The process of closure began in 2003, at which point the factory only employed seventeen people, and Unilever's Canadian operations was centralized in their Toronto plant in Rexdale. The plant was one of 100 that were closed by Unilever to consolidate its worldwide production facilities.[4] The plant was finally closed in March 2004.[5] The building was demolished in 2007 to make way for a Shoppers Drug Mart.
See also
- Architecture of St. John's
- History of Newfoundland and Labrador
References
- ^ "Junior Achievement, Business Hall of Fame list of Inductees". Junior Achievement. Archived from the original on 2008-08-28. Retrieved 2008-10-20.
- ^ ISBN 0-9693422-1-7.
- ^ ISBN 0-9693422-1-7.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Cox, Kevin (September 6, 2003). "Historic Newfoundland Margarine plant closing its doors". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
- ^ a b c "Resolving Canada's conflicted relationship with margarine". CBC News. July 9, 2008. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
- The National Post. National Post. July 8, 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-20.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Terms of Union". www.heritage.nf.ca. Heritage Newfoundland and Labrador. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
- ^ Text of the Term 46 Schedule Part 2 of British North America Act 1949 (c.22) as originally enacted or made within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk.