Aeroplane Jelly - History

History

Adolphus Herbert Frederick Norman Appleroth, known as Bert Appleroth, was a tram conductor who created jelly crystals using gelatine and sugar in his bathtub. He sold these jelly crystals door-to-door, using his tram route to transport him around Sydney. In 1917, Appleroth rented premises to manufacture his jelly, then formed a company with Albert Francis Lenertz named Traders Ltd in 1926. Planes were considered new and exciting at the time, so aviation fan Appleroth named the brand Aeroplane Jelly. Appleroth used a Tiger Moth plane to make deliveries to rural areas in 1934, and his publicity stunts and Aeroplane Jelly's advertising campaigns made the jelly a national icon, like Holden and Vegemite.

Appleroth's company, Traders Pty Ltd, was run by his son, Bert II, then grandson, Bert III, and ownership passed to Bert III's wife Val when he died in 1985. According to Traders' managing director, Hugh Knox, the Appleroth family were friends with a former managing director of McCormick & Company, which opened up negotiations between the parties. Aeroplane Jelly was sold to McCormick Foods Australia in 1995, the Australian subsidiary of the United States-based McCormick & Company.

The first Aeroplane Jelly factory was located in Paddington, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney, then manufactured in West Ryde for 33 years. In 2006, McCormick Foods Australia moved production of Aeroplane Jelly to Clayton, Victoria to centralise its manufacturing operations in Victoria.