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URL:https://lectures.london/cambridge-university/chivers-and-sons-18731959
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NAME:Lectures London
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DTSTAMP:20260606T070114
DTSTART:20260609T193000
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SUMMARY:Chivers and Sons 1873-1959
LOCATION:Cambridge University: Ross Street Community Centre
DESCRIPTION:Through an engaging presentation of historical records and cap
 tivating photographs\, local historian Eleanor Whitehead will provide a fa
 scinating glimpse into the social history of the era. The talk will highli
 ght Chivers and Sons’ technical achievements\, including ground-breaking
  quality control measures\, Europe’s first large-scale canning operation
 s in the 1890s\, the development of vegetable canning in the 1930s\, and t
 heir support for fruit cold storage research during the 1920s. Chivers lab
 elled products are no longer found on British supermarket shelves which is
  a great shame considering their manufacturing legacy. When the Chivers fa
 rming family decided to enter the preserves market in 1873 during a plum f
 ruit glut they took product quality (lack of notorious Victorian additives
 ) very seriously. Within 20 years they were the European leader in fruit b
 ottling\, canning as well as jellies and jams. They went on to perfect the
  canning of vegetables in 1930\, were joint founders of Birdseye and devel
 oped the first palatable dehydrated potato product remembered as POM the f
 orerunner of Smash. Until the mid-1950s the family-owned company bought fr
 om multiple independent fruit growers north of Cambridge to supplement the
 ir own fruit production. Their Huntingdon factory was supplied by local ve
 getable farmers supported by company fieldsmen. The success of the firm co
 uld be put down to their innovative production methods and the hundreds of
  patents granted over 86 years. This talk takes place at Ross Street Commu
 nity Centre which is fully accessible. Doors open at 7pm and the talk star
 ts at 7:30pm. Tea and bscuits provided. Admission £3. Note as audience nu
 mbers are unpredictable we urge people to arrive early so as not to be tur
 ned away if we reach capacity. Date Tuesday 9 June 2026 Time 7:30pm – 9p
 m Location Ross St Community Centre\, Ross Street\, Cambridge CB1 3UZ Admi
 ssion £3 https://www.millroadhistory.org.uk
URL;VALUE=URI:http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/whatson/detail.shtml?uid=14054bcf
 -ddcb-456c-8796-a6c6e99ff64c
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