Garden Company Limited
Encyclopedia
The Garden Company Limited (嘉頓有限公司) is a Hong Kong
-based bakery
and confectionery
manufacturer. The company was one the first Chinese owned businesses created to sell Western-style food products in the territory.
with a single bakery. The company's name is named for the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens
.
Unlike most firms in Hong Kong, Garden was a pro-China company and supplied bread to the Chinese army during World War II
. The firm closed operations during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong
from 1941 to 1945. The company expanded with the growth of Hong Kong before and after World War II and benefited from the influx of immigrants.
In the 1980s and 1990s, Garden products were shipped overseas to Chinese communities around the world.
Today, the company remains family (Cheung family) owned with several joint ventures with mainland Chinese firms. Its is one of few Hong Kong firms with operations still in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
-based bakery
Bakery
A bakery is an establishment which produces and sells flour-based food baked in an oven such as bread, cakes, pastries and pies. Some retail bakeries are also cafés, serving coffee and tea to customers who wish to consume the baked goods on the premises.-See also:*Baker*Cake...
and confectionery
Confectionery
Confectionery is the set of food items that are rich in sugar, any one or type of which is called a confection. Modern usage may include substances rich in artificial sweeteners as well...
manufacturer. The company was one the first Chinese owned businesses created to sell Western-style food products in the territory.
History
Founded in 1926 by cousins Tse Fong Cheung and Wah O. Wong in KowloonKowloon
Kowloon is an urban area in Hong Kong comprising the Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon. It is bordered by the Lei Yue Mun strait in the east, Mei Foo Sun Chuen and Stonecutter's Island in the west, Tate's Cairn and Lion Rock in the north, and Victoria Harbour in the south. It had a population of...
with a single bakery. The company's name is named for the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens
Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens
The Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens is one of the oldest zoological and botanical centres in the world. It occupies an area of 5.6 hectares at Mid-levels, on the northern slope of Victoria Peak in Hong Kong...
.
Unlike most firms in Hong Kong, Garden was a pro-China company and supplied bread to the Chinese army during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The firm closed operations during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong
Japanese occupation of Hong Kong
The Japanese occupation of Hong Kong began after the Governor of Hong Kong, Sir Mark Young, surrendered the territory of Hong Kong to Japan on 25 December 1941 after 18 days of fierce fighting by British and Canadian defenders against overwhelming Japanese Imperial forces. The occupation lasted...
from 1941 to 1945. The company expanded with the growth of Hong Kong before and after World War II and benefited from the influx of immigrants.
In the 1980s and 1990s, Garden products were shipped overseas to Chinese communities around the world.
Today, the company remains family (Cheung family) owned with several joint ventures with mainland Chinese firms. Its is one of few Hong Kong firms with operations still in Hong Kong.
Product lines
- bread
- snacks
- scones
- buns
- speciality breads
- egg rolls
- cakes and mixes
- army bread (1940s)
Production Facilities
- Sham TsengSham TsengSham Tseng is a coastal area in Tsuen Wan District, Hong Kong, between Ting Kau and Tsing Lung Tau.In 1982, the Government launched a new town project for the area. There were proposals for a massive housing scheme, where the population of the village, then estimated at 6,000, was set to increase...
- 13,000 square metres (1962)
- 2nd expansion (1974)
- 3rd expansion (1982)
- 4th expansion - 50,000 square metres (1992)
- 5th expansion - 70,000-square metres (2000)
- KowloonKowloonKowloon is an urban area in Hong Kong comprising the Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon. It is bordered by the Lei Yue Mun strait in the east, Mei Foo Sun Chuen and Stonecutter's Island in the west, Tate's Cairn and Lion Rock in the north, and Victoria Harbour in the south. It had a population of...
- 1st bakery (1926–1935)
- expansion - 475-square metres (1935–1938)
- expansion - 1,400-square metres (1938–1941)
- expansion (1947–1951)
- expansion - 7,000 square metres (1951–1958)
- expansion - 10,000 square metres (1958-?)
- CentralCentral, Hong KongCentral is the central business district of Hong Kong. It is located in Central and Western District, on the north shore of Hong Kong Island, across Victoria Harbour from Tsim Sha Tsui, the southernmost point of Kowloon Peninsula...
- 2nd bakery (1927–1935)
- Sham Shui PoSham Shui PoSham Shui Po, or Shamshuipo, is an area of Sham Shui Po District, Hong Kong, situated in the northwestern part of the Kowloon Peninsula, north of Tai Kok Tsui, east of Cheung Sha Wan and south of Shek Kip Mei. Sham Shui Po is known for its street market for electronic devices.-History:Sham Shui Po...
(1931–1934)
- Hua Jia Foodstuff Company, DongguanDongguanDongguan is a prefecture-level city in central Guangdong province, People's Republic of China.An important industrial city located in the Pearl River Delta, Dongguan borders the provincial capital of Guangzhou to the north, Huizhou to the northeast, Shenzhen to the south, and the Pearl River to...
, China (1985) - Gong Yang Foodstuff Company, JiangsuJiangsu' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...
, China (2000)