operates from a sprawling complex that sits on approximately 21 acres of land. This imposing structure blends naturally with the surrounding countryside and gives the impression that this is where it was always meant to be. However, to those who know the history of Roberts Manufacturing Co. Ltd., the present facility is nothing short of miraculous for a company that had its humble beginnings over
sixty-five years ago under a breadfruit tree. Roberts formulated a washing soap, which he sold under the brand name "Swan".News of the ability of this soap to fight dirt soon travelled far and with sales increasing, he employed five assistants.He later formulated a margarine, which he called "Oleo". Roberts' efforts did not go unnoticed in the business world and his entrepreneurial spirit attracted the attention of Sir Kenneth R. Hunte. He approached Mr. Roberts with the idea of forming a company, and having reached an agreement, it was on March 24, 1944, that Roberts Manufacturing Co. was formed. The shareholders of the company included J. Roberts, his brother Edward Roberts and his son Clifton Roberts.Edward was appointed the first General Manager, Clifton was appointed Manager of the soap plant, and Sir Kenneth R. Hunte was appointed Managing Director, a position he held until his retirement in September 1983. Work began earnestly on a new facility to house the expanding plant, which was to go into full-time production.The workforce was increased to twenty-five and soon the company was exporting to St. Lucia, Dominica and St. Vincent. The war years came and foreign goods were hard to acquire.The locally manufactured soap and margarine were now in more demand. Tourist who travelled from North America discovered the quiet waters of the Caribbean to spend their vacations as opposed to the Mediterranean, and so business was good. From its location in the old BICO building on Bay Street, the Margarine Plant was now able to produce high quality shortening and margarine. The rapid growth of the company continued and they soon needed another chemist, with Mr. Keith Hunte joining the staff in 1945. Hunte went on to become General Manager when Edward Roberts retired. In 1949 Glow-Spread and Mello-Kreem were launched and quickly gained recognition locally and regionally. Meanwhile, soap production had increased and with the commissioning of the Mazzoni Plant in 1955, there was much improvement in the quality of the product.This plant operated until 1973 when it was sold to Dominica. It was in 1956 that Sir Kenneth decided to add the production of feed to Roberts' operations, and negotiated the purchase from DaCostas of their Fairchild Street plant. The company was subsequently appointed agents for the Quaker Oats Company and when the production of Full-O-Pep feed commenced, it necessitated the building of a new plant at Government Hill. On completion of the new plant, the company entered another phase.The Full-O-Pep brand of feed was subsequently changed to Wayne Feeds, and the Premier BA and Pinnacle brands followed. The Wayne Feeds brand was produced under a franchise arrangement with Continental Milling Corporation. In 1969 the Shortening and Margarine Plant was relocated from Bay Street, bringing all the company's operations to one central location at Government Hill. The company continued to expand and manual labour soon gave way to mechanisation. Roberts Manufacturing purchased majority shares in Vitamin Pet Foods Ltd. in 1981, and soon began to produce dog, puppy and cat food under the Vitapet brand. Vitamin Pet Foods no longer produces cat food but added the Roberts dog food brand to its product range. In 1981 Roberts Manufacturing also purchased Chick Growers Ltd., a poultry processing plant and in 1987 the company increased its shareholding in R & C Hatcheries to fifty per cent. In 1990 Chick Growers Ltd. was amalgamated with Montrose Poultry Farms to form Chickmont Foods Ltd. in which Roberts had fifty per cent equity. This shareholding was subsequently sold in 2003. When the company's operations began to outgrow its facilities at Government Hill, the Lower Estate site was purchased and the new computerized Feed Plant began operations from its new home in 1988. The Administration Offices were the next to move, while the Farm & Pet Mart followed in 1989.The Shortening and Margarine Plant was relocated to Lower Estate in 1991. In 1993 there was further expansion with the commissioning of the Soybean Extraction plant. This plant produces soybean oil, which is then bottled while some is reserved for margarine production. The by-product soybean meal is primarily used in the production of animal feed. In 2000, the Feed Division of Roberts Manufacturing was amalgamated with that of ADM Barbados Feeds to form Pinnacle Feeds Ltd. with Roberts owning 60%.
