The Birth of Be-Ro
Thomas Bell founded a wholesale grocery firm near the Tyne quays and railway station in Newcastle in the 1880s. Among his top-selling brands were 'Bells Royal' baking powder and a self raising flour.
Following the death of Edward VII, it became illegal to use the Royal name. As a result, Bell decided to take the first couple of letters from the each of the two words of the brand name and turn them into the more catchy sounding 'Be-Ro'.
Raising Expectations
In the early 1920s, plain flour was the flour most commonly used.
Self raising flour was considered a novelty - consumers bought plain flour direct from the miller and self raising flour was only sold into independent grocers.
In a bid to make self raising flour more popular among the general public, the company staged a series of exhibitions in the early 1920s where freshly baked scones, pastries and cakes were sold for a shilling to visitors.
These were so popular that people demanded that they had copies of the recipes so that they could bake the dishes at home.
As a result a free recipe book was produced and handed out at the exhibitions as well as door to door. The Be-Ro cookbook contained recipes to feed hungry families on a very low budget.
They soon became an essential part of a young woman’s education in running a home and feeding a family. Consequently, the cookbooks achieved their objective of making Be-Ro the best known flour in the North.
Book of generations
The first Be-Ro cookbook was produced in 1923 and contained a total of 19 pages. Traditionally, local women from the North were featured on the front cover and "Miss Be-Ro" became its trademark.
Forty editions later, the book has grown to 86 pages, and is arguably one of the best-selling cookery books ever with more than thirty eight million copies having been sold. The latest edition is packed with even more inspiring dishes together with a brand new "quick and easy" section which even the novice baker can follow.
Be-Ro Today
In 1958 Rank-Hovis Ltd acquired the business, which then became part of the newly formed RHM in 1961.
Today, Be-Ro sells enough plain flour each year to make 462 million Yorkshire puddings, and enough self-raising flour each year to make 69 million sponge cakes. Both flours are available in 1.5kg, 1kg and 500g bags.
I had initially thought of producing an exhibition to be the Be-Ro experience, but after researching, I want to try and re-create the kind of exhibition Be-Ro first brought in to advertise the self raising flour product. This will involve the selling of baked goods. I also want to include the history of Be-Ro as a company, and where it is now, using the stats to create wall info graphics.
Re-invent this exhibition
Re-invent recipe book to give out - Like original 19 page, With a Miss Be-Ro
Within Exhibition - history of and what Be-Ro is now - Use stats
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