Bickford's Australia Pty. Ltd. is an Australian

beverage A drink or beverage is a liquid intended for human consumption. In addition to their basic function of satisfying thirst, drinks play important roles in human culture. Common types of drinks include plain drinking water, milk, juice, smoo ...

manufacturer based in

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

. The brand produces traditional cordials,

soft drinks A soft drink (see § Terminology for other names) is a drink that usually contains water (often carbonated), a sweetener, and a natural and/or artificial flavoring. The sweetener may be a sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, fruit juice, a s ...

, and

iced coffee Iced coffee is a coffee beverage served cold. It may be prepared either by brewing coffee normally (i.e. carafe, French press, etc.) and then serving it over ice or in cold milk or by brewing the coffee cold. In hot brewing, sweeteners and fl ...

mix originally manufactured by A. M. Bickford & Sons, a pharmaceutical chemist founded by Anne Margaret Bickford in 1864. In 1999, the brandname was acquired by the Kotses family and later renamed Bickford's Australia, after which the brand saw a revival in popularity with the introduction of new flavours and products. In 2006, Bickford's lime juice cordial was recognised by the

National Trust of South Australia The National Trust of Australia, officially the Australian Council of National Trusts (ACNT), is the Australian national peak body for community-based, non-government non-profit organisations committed to promoting and conserving Australia's Ind ...

as a Heritage Icon.2006 Heritage Icon Awards
, South Australian National Trust Today, Bickford's cordials, soft drinks, iced coffee and milkshake mixes remain widely available in supermarkets across Australia and cordials are available in Countdown supermarkets in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

History

After arriving in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

, South Australia from

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

in 1839, chemist William Bickford operated a successful

apothecary ''Apothecary'' () is a mostly archaic term for a medical professional who formulates and dispenses '' materia medica'' (medicine) to physicians, surgeons, and patients. The modern chemist (British English) or pharmacist (British and North Ameri ...

beginning the following year. After his death in 1850, his wife Anne Margret was determined to keep the business running, forming a partnership initially with son Harry Bickford in 1864, "Bickford and Son".Scales, Marjorie ''An Alchemist's Dream'' pub. Ronald F. Bickford 1990 In 1871, William Jr joined to form "A. M. Bickford & Sons". Looking to branch out into other markets, in 1872 they built the South Australian Cordial Factory, a bottler and

aerated water Aerated water is, correctly speaking, water to which air is added. The term is, however, frequently applied to carbonated water. Purpose of aeration Sulfur compounds dissolved in water are not necessarily dangerous, but can give the water a b ...

factory. Production of cordials and soft drinks commenced in 1874, among the first of which was their now iconic lime juice cordial.Bickford's labels also still continue to carry the statement: "On account of spurious imitations none is genuine unless bearing the signature of ''A M Bickford & Sons''". In 1903 the firm became a limited liability company, A. M. Bickford & Sons Ltd,A Story of Enterprise
''The Advertiser'' 28 April 1923 p.18 accessed 31 January 2011 and in 1920 commenced production of branded Coffee and

Chicory Common chicory ('' Cichorium intybus'') is a somewhat woody, perennial herbaceous plant of the family Asteraceae, usually with bright blue flowers, rarely white or pink. Native to the Old World, it has been introduced to North America and Austra ...

Essence, (later renamed Bickford's Iced Coffee Mix), winning the gold medal at the 1930 All-Australian Exhibition. In 1930, the company amalgamated with a number of Australian pharmaceutical companies to form the "

Drug Houses of Australia Drug Houses of Australia (DHA) was originally established in 1936Bickford's
SA Memory, State Library of Sout ...

" (DHA), which very successfully continued production of the "A. M. Bickford and Sons" products. Drugs and chemicals were produced under the DHA brand, whereas the cordials and soft drinks remained under the "A. M. Bickford and Sons". In the late 1960s, DHA became the target of a

corporate raid In business, a corporate raid is the process of buying a large stake in a corporation and then using shareholder voting rights to require the company to undertake novel measures designed to increase the share value, generally in opposition to t ...

er and asset stripper, and by the mid-1970s collapsed under massive debts. The remaining products were split up and sold.

Reckitt & Colman Reckitt Benckiser Group plc, trading as Reckitt, is a British multinational consumer goods company headquartered in Slough, England. It is a producer of health, hygiene and nutrition products. The company was formed in March 1999 by the merg ...

acquired most major drug and chemical brands, and

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

businessman Peter Abbott purchased the pharmacy products and

eucalyptus oil Eucalyptus oil is the generic name for distilled oil from the leaf of ''Eucalyptus'', a genus of the plant family Myrtaceae native to Australia and cultivated worldwide. Eucalyptus oil has a history of wide application, as a pharmaceutical, ant ...

operations, which were incorporated into the "FGB" brand, as well as beverage products, which continued on under the revived "A. M. Bickford and Sons" name. In 1987, FGB sold the soft drink business to the Lloyd family, and in 1999 it was purchased by the Kotses family, returning the Bickford's brand to South Australia, and expanding their line of products to include new cordials, soft drinks, and milkshake mixes.2010 Product Catalogue
www.bickfords.net In 2005, the company, now called "Bickford's Australia", moved operations into "a new state of the art manufacturing facility" in

Salisbury, South Australia Salisbury is a northern suburb in Adelaide, South Australia. It is the seat of the City of Salisbury, and in the South Australian Legislative Assembly electoral district of Ramsay and the Australian House of Representatives division of Spence. ...

.Company Timeline
, www.bickfords.net Since then, the range of products, and the Bickford's Group has grown, forming partnerships with

Vok Beverages Vok Beverages is a drink manufacturer in South Australia. Earlier history Before the acquisition by Bickford's of the brandname, Vok was a brand of a range of liqueurs manufactured by Jan Vok, a Dutch company, popular in Papua pre-war. Immedi ...

,Vok Beverages
vok.com.au Wheel & Barrow,Wheel & Barrow
www.wheelandbarrow.com.au and Karma Living,Karma Living
www.karma-living.com.au as well announcing plans for a new distillery for the South Australian Riverland in February 2014.

Products

Bickford's Australia currently produces a variety of traditional cordials, juices and soft drinks. Traditional Cordial: Lime Juice, Lemon Juice, Bitter Lemon, Lemon Barley, Lemon, Lime & Bitters, Bitter Lemon, Sarsaparilla, Blackcurrant, Peach Tea, Raspberry, Ginger Beer, Cloudy Apple Premium Juice: Berries & Açaí, Cloudy Pear, Pomegranate, Super Berry Antioxidant, Cranberry, Prune, Coconut, Blueberry Classic Juice: Tropical, Apple & Passionfruit, Apple & Blackcurrant, Apple & Peach Old Style Soda: Lemon, Lime & Bitters, Ginger Beer, Creamy Soda, Original Kola, Sarsaparilla Bickford and Sons Mixers: Ginger Ale, Bitter Lemon, Tonic Water, Soda Water Milk Mix: Strawberry, Caramel, Vanilla Malt, Chocolate Chiahh: Apple & Raspberry, Grape & Blackcurrant, Tropical Esprit: Blueberry, Strawberry, Raspberry, Orange Tangerine, Passionfruit, Lemon Lime Diet cordial varieties are also available. Other products produced by Bickford's include Iced Coffee Syrup (made since 1920), Fruities and Robinson's Fruit Shoot juice drinks for children, and Aqua Pura bottled water.

References

External links

Bickford's Australia website
{{Use dmy dates, date=September 2013 Pharmaceutical companies of Australia Food and drink companies of Australia Drink companies of Australia Manufacturing companies based in Adelaide History of Adelaide Companies based in South Australia

History

Products

See also

References

External links