Franklin Baker Company

Established in 1897, Franklin Baker Company is one of the pioneer manufacturer and exporter of desiccated, processed, and specialty coconut products in the U.S. and international markets. It is responsible for manufacturing retail coconut brands such as Baker's Coconut. [Hauser,Odell. 1976 . "The Sesqui-Centennial International Exposition", Page 345.Philadelphia: Current Publications, Inc., Philadelphia]

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, Tennessee and Northolt, United Kingdom.

History

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The story of the Franklin Baker Company begins in 1897, when Mr. Franklin Baker, a flour miller, saw the enormous potential of desiccated coconuts in the U.S. market. Looking for a primary source of coconuts, he came to the Philippines. [Patent, Greg. 2002 . "Baking in America", Page 219.USA: Houghton MifflinCookbooks] 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. [Diehl Family. 2002 . "Civilian Prisoners Of The Japanese In The Philippine Islands", Page 16.Turner Publishing Company] 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

External links

* [http://www.FranklinBaker.com Official website]