September 2011: You're Right to Use Oxo

This sample packaging for Oxo cubes comes from the archive of the Berkshire Printing Company.

The Berkshire Printing Company used to stand on the Oxford Road in Reading, though it started out on the other side of town as part of the Brooke Bond tea empire.  In 1902, Arthur Brooke purchased a tea dealer's called Salmon, part of whose estate was an old brewery in Kings Road.  Brooke moved the brewing equipment out and the printing presses in to make the packets for his tea bags and loose teas.

The Printing Company thrived in its own right, and diversified its customer base.  It maintained close links with Brooke Bond, and has a special place in the heart of any collector of the picture cards found in Brooke Bond tea from the 1950s to the 1990s.  The Company was eventually a victim to consolidation in the industry, taken over by a multinational which moved its business elsewhere.

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