Franklin Baker Company

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Baker's coconut vintage ad showing boxed and canned forms of coconut

Established in 1897, Franklin Baker Company is an early manufacturer and exporter of desiccated and processed coconut products in the U.S. and international markets. The Franklin Baker Company manufactures the retail coconut brand Baker's Coconut.[1]

The business coconut products are manufactured in two facilities in the Philippines, located in San Pablo City and Davao del Sur. The company operates marketing offices in Memphis, United States and Northolt, United Kingdom.

History

The story of the Franklin Baker Company begins in 1897 in Philadelphia, Pa., when Franklin Baker, a flour miller, saw the enormous potential of desiccated (pre-processed) coconuts in the U.S. market. Looking for a primary source of coconuts, he came to the Philippines.[2] In 1921, he and his son, Franklin Baker Jr., put up plant facilities in Santa Mesa, Manila. In 1927, General Foods Corporation acquired the company. Plant facilities were transferred to San Pablo, Laguna, where coconut plantations were abundant.[3] In 1968, General Foods put up another plant for Franklin Baker in Davao to ensure steady coconut supply for all its local and international customers.

In 1987, Philip Morris, owners of General Foods, bought Kraft. The Franklin Baker desiccated coconut products were put into the Kraft Food Ingredients Group. The Franklin Baker desiccated coconut products were branded as Baker’s. In 2004, Kraft, realizing that coconut products were not totally aligned with its core businesses, decided to sell the Franklin Baker industrial product lines. Out of the many companies that put in their bids, Kraft selected Andorra Investments Corporation.

Today, the legacy of Mr. Franklin Baker, Sr., originally begun in 1897, continues.

Andorra Ventures Corporation is an investment company that was set up in 2005. It was established primarily to manage the annual US$100,000 Robert V. Chandran Venture Capital Award. This Award is a five-year commitment beginning in 2005 to provide angel capital financing up to US$100,000 to deserving business ventures of MBA students of the Asian Institute of Management.

In addition to managing the award, Andorra Ventures Corp. serves as the vehicle for Philippine investments for Andorra Services Limited, Hong Kong, which is into shipping and shipping-related businesses. Andorra Ventures Corp. is also affiliated, through Mr. Chandran, with the Chemoil Group of Companies, the world’s largest independent bunker fuel supplier, with diversified interests in oil trading, shipping and oil terminals in the United States, Panama, Monaco, Rotterdam, Antwerp, and Singapore.

References

  1. ↑ Hauser,Odell. 1976 . The Sesqui-Centennial International Exposition, Page 345.Philadelphia: Current Publications, Inc., Philadelphia
  2. ↑ Patent, Greg. 2002 . Baking in America, Page 219.USA: Houghton Mifflin Cookbooks
  3. ↑ Diehl Family. 2002 . Civilian Prisoners Of The Japanese In The Philippine Islands, Page 16.Turner Publishing Company

External links

  • Official website
  • Template:CADET ENGINEERS - Franklin Baker Co. of the Philippines
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