
Eldora

In 1909 Englishman Israel Massey settled in Devonport and
purchased a milk vending business from a Mr Hamer, delivering
milk around Devonport and Belmont by "dandy" cart. Milk
came from Hobsonville by launch.
The Takapuna Dairy Company Ltd was incorporated
on the 20th of February 1913.
Massey built a new milk factory
on the site of the existing
milk depot, on the corner of Mozeley Avenue and Victoria
Road, Melrose, Devonport, right next to their house, and
imported and installed one of the earliest fresh milk pasteurising
systems.
In 1920 he installed an ammonia refrigeration plant for
chilling of the milk, and began to sell block ice. This
was delivered around Devonport by horse and cart, along
with milk, cream, butter and eggs.
By now, raw milk was being collected by Fred Massey in
the company's truck from dairy farms in Albany and Coatesville, pasteurised, chilled and delivered by 12 roundsmen. It was carried in 44 gallon cans, for dipping into customers' own
containers.
In 1928, following a trip to the USA, Israel expanded the
factory, adding a second story, and installing a pasteurising
vat,
as well as a steam steriliser for cleaning milk cans.

Photo: New equipment being craned into the factory, 1928.
As part of this major expansion, Massey also expanded into
the ice cream business.
Eldora ice cream was made from an American recipe but the
name was derived from an old English ice cream brand, Eldorado.
Eldora sold bulk and cardboard-packed take-home ice cream,
hand-made milk ices on sticks ("Milky Joys"), and popular "Eldora
Pies",
chocolate-coated ice cream bars.
Equipment consisted of a 40-quart Cherry-Burrell freezer
(churn), a 60-gallon per hour Union Viscolizer (homogeniser),
and a 60-gallon Coil Pasteuriser. Their delivery truck was
a Ford, with the insulated body refrigerated by ice and salt.
Massey's four sons Arthur, Bill, Fred and Keith, and daughter
Mary, were all involved in the milk and ice cream business,
more and more so as Israel's health deteriorated.

Photo: The four Massey brothers, Bill, Fred, Keith and
Arthur, with their father Israel
(right).
There was a small shop on the corner of the family home,
right next to the factory, selling ice, milk, cream, ice
cream, butter and eggs.

Photo:
Takapuna Dairy Co. milk delivery van.
By the 1930s Arthur Massey was delivering Eldora ice cream
by truck as far away as Whangarei, providing good competition
to Robinson's the major brand at the time. At its peak,
the company had branches at Whangarei and Dargaville, and
delivered as far south as Hamilton.
In 1938, the company took the big step of investing in 'automatic' (electric) refrigeration in all its retailers'
premises, and a new Kelvinator refrigerated truck was commissioned
to replace the old salt and brine unit. This meant that deliveries could be reduced from daily to once or twice weekly.

Photo:
The Eldora Ice Cream van making a Christmas delivery to Lye's
Four
Square, Beach
Rd, Murray's Bay.
By 1945, the company was processing 1.300 gallons of milk
daily.
Following Government moves to rationalise and control
the dairy industry,
Takapuna
Dairy
Company sold
out
of the
milk treatment side of the business in October 1949, the
year that Israel Massey died, and closed down the vending
business in 1959.
However, the ice cream business was thriving. By 1952
the company was operating with a capacity of 500 gallons
per
8 hour
day,
running
a 200-gallon
spray
pasteuriser,
a 180-gallon per hour viscolizer, two 200-galllon stainless
steel refrigerated holding vats and one 80-gallon per hour
Vogt freezer.

Photo:
Factory interior, 1952 (Frostee Digest).
Transport was provided by a 30-cwt International refrigerated
van, and a new 5-ton Austin 'Lodestar' refrigerated truck.

Photo:
Arthur's son Brian Massey 'driving' the Eldora International
delivery van
(Massey family).

Eldora
dairy sign, probably 1950s
- Junk
& Disorderly.

Photo:
Eldora Austin 'Lodestar'
delivery truck (Frostee Digest).

Arthur Massey served as President of the NZ Ice Cream Manufacturers'
Association from 1957 to 1960.
The Eldora brand survived into the '60s, however at some
point during this period, it was folded into the Gaytime brand,
which originated in Christchurch but was was by then owned
by General Foods Corporation, parent company of Tip Top.
Tip
Top purchased
the Eldora
ice cream business in 1964.
Arthur Massey became manager of General Foods Corp's Wairau
Road depot, and Bill Massey served for some time as Director
for Gaytime Ice Cream Products Ltd., eventually also taking
up a position with Tip Top.

Photos: Takapuna Dairy Co. factory and shop, ca. 1960 (note
Gaytime ice cream sign), and now.
The Takapuna Dairy Co. factory, and adjacent building where
the family lived and the shop was located, are still standing,
now a family home.
- Special thanks to the Massey family for permission
to reproduce the photos in this article from their collection.
Other references and related sites:
Archives New Zealand:
http://archives.govt.nz/
Auckland Libraries
Longwhitekid - history of Peter Pan, Tip Top, Meadow Gold, Wall's, Hokey Pokey,
and
much
more:
http://longwhitekid.wordpress.com
Massey family - personal communications.
National Library
NZ Ice Cream Manufacturers Assn. archives, and "Frostee Digest" journals, 1943-1972.
Papers Past (National Library of New Zealand digitised newspapers database):
http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/
'Town Milk - A history of Auckland's town milk supply' by Alec
Brown (Auckland, N.Z. : New Zealand Milk Corporation)
Back to
Ice Cream Brands from the Past. |