A STOKE ENTERPRISE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1372, 24 February 1912, Page 16

A STOKE ENTERPRISE.

CO., LTD■HI STORY AN D DEV ELOPM EN T. ■; A SUCCESSFUL INSTITUTION. But vor'y'i 'few business .concerns meet with such 'immediate 'success as did tho Stole Canning.' and Preserving Company, Ltd., when:Jast season's-pack was eagerly snipped up,,throughout-Now Zealand, and tho insistent' demands for "Stoko Lrnnu goods was mot.by a quadrupled pack for the present'senson.' Th'o company is only two veai-3.01d,.but during its short cxistenco'it fins shown to the public of NewZealand what a combination of sound fruit, • sound business, nnd capable management will achieve when backed by | | r yiTAL .NECESSITY. It hSd long been felt that a canning coWaiiy of some- description' had become aSital'iiecessitym Stoke?situated within liSfW iiiiles of the city of Nelson. It was npogiused that too much fruit went to wj&te'yearly; carting a limited amount imp Nelson to be made into jam was 100 lojig a ; -process for the progressive growers 06-l Stoko. They wanted all their fruit used, and they wanted it used when it was at its best. They wanted to know that their fruit, equal to any tho world could 'grow, would be turned into preserves and jams unsurpassed the wide wtfrld over. To do this, to turn delicious rijso fruit, into the manufactured article ecjeh on Hie dinner tables of tho country tij ;.

j .---■• '- - — — • (jilting, the winter, and, to. put that article oiiathe'-'yiAner 'tables' m'"such a form as to-tbe (indistinguishable'''from' the article hahging on the trees in summer,. became the ouo object of a few leading fruitgrowers in .this .progressive little hamlet ol'rf3tofce^*^>?,'•••. ■ : - , In June, 1910, tho following gentlemen met at the residence of Mr. E. B. Izard— Dr;-P.'o. Andrews, Messrs. A. P. Allport, nnd A. V. Allport—and they with Mr. Izard formed themselves into a syndicato, with f I).yMS-jtOj numbers,' with ■ thiv^^§t^yufuing^;Wsb>fru'it/p'rodu'ccd; • yearly into ah article for winter coaigjunption that would, bo. excelled no- . wJiSie.' It wasieltiatV once ,; that the B.ijfl6Keato must put its best foot foremost itaifi was to bo in a position to receive fiSHt by the end of tho yoa.r. . A site hadtiftgje chosen, a manager'appointed, .tan-. c!}Xpry to bo imported, tin plate'to b6: ptjMiased, and a thousand/' and one details to be seen to, amMall to bo done at once. chosen 1 was' thfct: of the old brickworks bolbnging to tligjStoks Orphanage. This site is in the . heart of the Stoko orchards, .and has tho necessity for-canning purposes of a n&rer-failing supply; of' tlio purest of puro vfjiiT, which is ■'brought by pipes from a daiiai-somb miles up the valley beyond tho O'tfpianage grounds, thus making pollution"} of any kind an impossibility. The litb purchased, tho next thing to do—as a iiiattcr of fact it was done beforo' the purchase of tho site—was the question of who'tn to appoint., as .manager of what all I'eltjrwas gulag' to'be"a large concern in tlfo>iH>ar future. And here the syndicate nigt.with its first real step up the ladder ota-success. The syndicato was fortunato bsjtond measure- in securing as its manager H. W. Oakley, a very careful, capable, and up-to-date man from ono of the '.lending jam-making factories in New Zealand, in which factory he had had ntftte 18 yearsV practical-experience. Ho Jia,'d;,!ii3 work "at his finger-tips, and it is impossible to over-estimate his work from tpstart till the present. Without H. W. Oakley as the guide, philosopher, and fWJjd, the syndicate would never have gtp'wn to its present size from a fournftfri. syndicate to a limited -liability comP«R! that is making its name known, its presence felt, and its goods appreciated ffjjSt one end of the Dominion to the other. Machinery was tho next important matconsideration. "Festirta lento" wjfl||tho watchword. "Go slowly!" Ono thousand pounds quickly disappeared, and tHej.jeyndicafo' Became a six-man syndicate, MMsrs. A. G. ..Best, ami G. F. 11. Deo ' jrfpng tho original nie'mbers, and many more pounds sterling disappeared into tho "wsfe. By dint of hard work and constant application, the manager and his small staff got in the machinery, and got Unmaking, nnd before the fruit season, --started it was seei that the premises too small. Away went more money nndf.up went .improvements and enlargements of the buildings, still keeping to the .motto, "Fpstinn lento," not knowing (fjAtlio syndicate, would ever sell a tin of fiifjslieil products. Every inch of spaco vrjßH.occupied, but. still, with tho same m<Jfso, tho syndicate determined to do tli*}? test, audi, they Wicro, ably seconded byi-?(iho manager; .'and-'as.the fruit began tof#>pur in .tho' small ; '"worl;s," in which it'.Jvtis stated ono "could not swim? a'oat." become so ..oojigostcd'ihat a fly. could haraly liavo found room to move. $}% eecobd'orders. Inqtjiries re agency of goods came tumbling in from all quarters, and it joiSri;' became oppnrent that provided the gotffls were right there would bo no difli- , eulEy in selling them. Many an anxious mdiivent was'spent in tho office by (ho Fvjwjjcale, where various samples of the dijtflifcnt packs wore opened end inspeetwljjj.lflomparcrf with other packers' goods, comparisons end difl'orencos noted for Fuidjinre—but in every instanco tho verdiCti'Ava.' the same—"nothing better"—nnd ssJiSjmples from pack after pack wero fount! absolutely first class,.the syndicate kiievj that thirf wore oh"a "good wicket, tliali'their manager knew his business and <lii|#f. and that they ncd not have one ffjf...'that when tho "Stoke Brand" went oiv'ifo the market it would be received as FiiVh'gcmls would be received, and would quietly bo known as "first class," . fa THE AGENTS. As!stocks began tr. accumulate it becarpfe necssary'to decide-on how to dis-poso'.'-of the goods. Mr. Rogers, traveller fotf.'Messrs. Fletcher, Humphreys, and about this time to bo in th?'distriet, and visited .the works. He was'' much taken with the possibilities of fruit on'(.lie spot, hang. liiT: on the trees in the morning and uleopir.!.' in the cans at night-time: eapfili)b,';manager; air of industry and puipofeJul'!<>•■; about the concern, ondh.ivin«i& irco teste fo: n canned peach, s.ig-f-i>'f'l-'r(l that h\< firm mi'.,'!:t be prepared t" tiifojVup the agency for Now Zealand. Affef,. a '"Nt.tin amount of negotiating, and Co.. of '''«Jx^ir!:k''-• - ■ '-■-■-■■■■■'■■

Christoharch, were daily appointed solo agents-for-a term, for-New-Zealand, ror tho "Stoko Urand of canned goods, jams, vegetables in cans, tomatoes in cans, and airy other products put up under the "Stoke Tirand," nnd from, that moment tho "Stoko Urand" has not looked back. This firm appointed agents in the various centres, and perusing tlio following list will show that, the "Stoke" goods nro handled by firms throuchout the Dominion, that nro in tho forefront of tilings commercial:—Wnngnnui, Hntrick and Co!: Now Plymouth, Newton King; Auckland, Entrican and Co., Ltd.; Pulmerston, Goldingluun and Beckett; Nelson, Levin a,ml- Co., Ltd.; Marlborough. Levin nnd Co., Ltd.; Canterbury. T- H. Green nnd Co.: West Coast, T. IT. Green and Co.; Otago, A. L. Wilson and Co.;. Wellington, Thompson Bros., Ltd.

SUCCESS ASSUHBD. The output for that season was about 60 tons of fresh fruit, this seemed big to.the..,members of the syndicate, but as things 'liavo' turned out it was only a flea-bite compared to the amount being handled "for the present season. Since the fruit ceased to come in last April all the staff have been working at high pressure. 300,000 ton? had lo be mudo in about a? many minutes, all last year's pack had to be labelled and shipped away and every nerve was strained to be ready for this season's rush of fruit. During the last few months orders have been pouring in and tiro months ago the directors—the concern having in the meanwhile been converted into a limited liability company with « capital of .£BOOO in ICOB shares of '£5 each—had to refuse more orders. The position at present is that over 300 tons of fruit has been brought to .fill tlio - orclnra in hand and that tiw wholo 300 tons of fruit are to be

canned,."to order," or in othor woTds, Bold before ever it enters the works. Tho directors were forced to cry a halt at a limit of 800 tons as the machinery installed eighteen months ago chieily with the view of turning to uso the waste fruit'of.the.district is totally inadequate to cope with any more; but next season will tl ,l>o.,pi.lt J ,in, ; ,aiid il thci;e is every' reason to suppose that as this year's pack quadrupled last year's, so next year's pack ■ will quadruple this year's. The directors' old-timo fear of being unable to sell the goods has gono for iever,' unsolicited., testimonials pour' in from all quarters, nearly every little village in tho country not only has the opportunity to do so, but a3 returns show is actually eating Stoke canned goods and jams almost daily. The combination of- Messrs. Fletcher, Humphreys, and and the excellence bfJ'thaSack 4as sold all .last season's and thtei'.seuson'aj:goods without one penny beitig.lfiperfft'on advertising. •. irig* will cditie when theipack.is greater, than' tho "sales. At present the sales are greater than tho pack, if that were possible. Besides the goods sold under the "Stoko Brand" some jams, showing a certain percentage of apple juice, are. put up under tho registered brands of "Maypole" and "Everleigh." These jams are put up to meet the requirements of confectioners for. cooking purposes, and instead of being put up in lib., 21b., and 71b. tins, are put up in sGlb. tins and larger packages. The company has already made a name for itself in-its canned tomatoes which were well received during the winter in every part of the country. 'With improved machinery next year, it is the intention of the directors to can Stratagem peas, beans, etc., as there is a large demand for.J'f'.hese,vegetables and this year the directors 'very reluctantly were'compelled, owing to inadequate machinery, to refuse orders for over 500 cases of canned peas. One must" learn to walk before ono runs. Altogether the company has a very bright future before it and with the affairs' of the company in the capable hands of Mr. A. P. Allport, managing director, Mrs. M. Bees, secretary, and Mr. H." W. Oakley, manager, it should prosper and soon gain that position the officers of the company strive for of not "isaioil as anything on tho market, but better than anything on the market.