Local Life
on show are a series of information boards giving historical details about the brand. The pleasant and friendly staff are very knowledgeable and are always happy to talk to visitors about the history of any of the products on show. These include pots and tins, advertising campaigns, and personal ephemera from the many sporting clubs and societies run by the firm for its employees. Some of the more interesting and quirky objects include paraphernalia associated with the use of mustard for medicinal purposes – such as mustard baths, bath stirrers and even mustard plasters called sinapisms. Also on show are promotional badges from the ground-breaking advertising campaign The Mustard Club. This 1926 campaign was the brainchild of renowned English crime writer Dorothy L Sayers – and the aim was to encourage people to join an exclusive club, hinting at the exciting adventures of its members. With its own rules and password – Pass the Mustard – the club captured the public’s imagination. At one time Colman’s received 2,000 applications a day to join! The premises attract visitors in large numbers during the holiday season with locals mingling with holidaymakers from abroad. In the busy pre-Christmas shopping season from mid-October the shop is bustling with activity as people search for that unusual
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Christmas gift. In 1840, Jonathan Copeman was sent to Canada and the USA to sell Colman’s mustard and flour. J&J (USA) was formed in 1923, and became the first wholly-owned Colman Overseas subsidiary. By the end of the 1930s, subsidiary companies handled most of the overseas trading. In 1862 Colman’s amalgamated with
Robinson & Belville, who despatched their products to “help sustain our gallant army in the Crimea” and in 1892 the company established an office in London to manage sales at home and abroad. Later, trading agreements with Reckitts of Hull led to the formation of Reckitt and Colman Ltd in 1938 and the eventual merger of the two firms in 1954 to become Reckitt and Colman (Holdings) Ltd. Finally, in 1995, Colman’s became part of the multinational company Unilever UK Ltd and the shop and Museum are now owned by Guildhall Enterprises. In 1858, Jeremiah Colman’ s greatnephew Jeremiah James Colman established the production factory in Norwich which still exists to this day. JJ Colman and his wife cared deeply about family values and looked after their employees like their own. They established a school for the children of all their employees, company housing and sick benefit for their employees. The process of making mustard hasn’t changed much since the beginning – 60% of the seeds are locally sourced and still undergo a thorough sampling, cleaning and drying process. The Colman’s Mustard shop and museum is open Monday to Saturday, from 10am-5pm and is located at 15 Royal Arcade, Norwich NR2 1NQ. For more details, call 01603 627889.
KLmagazine October 2016