Brown & Polson Ltd

Notes:

Traced origins to 1840 when John Polson, d1843, and his son, John, d1900, and brother, William, joined with Brown & Son to manufacture starch for use by the local textile industry. Both firms had their roots in muslin production at Paisley and merged to exploit the textile industry's demand for starch and the general demand for edible starch. John Polson junior led the new business, inventing cornflour and the wet milling process. Marketed branded and packaged 'cornflour', notably using advertising, with great success from mid 1850s when industry leaders. Thereafter focused on cornflour production, which, inter alia, formed a basis for making custard and blancmange. By end of century production consolidated at Carriagehill Works [Royal Starch Works]. Operated profit sharing scheme and built in 1912 a small industrial village. Incorporated 1920. 1923 acquired William Wotherspoon Ltd and William MacKean Ltd, sole surviving Paisley starchmakers. 1935 acquired by Corn Products Co Ltd, the UK subsidiary of a US multinational, but maintained identity. CPC was a leading USA starch producer who had established a UK subsidiary in 1903. In 1920-22 this subsidiary acquired Nicholls Nagel Ltd, corn millers and glucose refiners at Trafford Park. 1953 the entire UK business of CPC was renamed Brown & Polson Ltd. From then grew by acquisition of relatively small UK manufacturers as well as organically and broadened food interests to include Knorr soups and the marmalade firm of Frank Cooper Ltd. In 1971 Brown & Polson was renamed CPC (United Kingdom) Ltd