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DCA (Doughnut Corporation of America) was
bought by Lyons during the American
'company buying spree' of 1972 (Tetley
Tea) and 1973 (Baskin Robbins Ice Cream).
On 28 September 1972 they bought 60% of
the issued share capital of DCA and
therefore had management control. However,
this operation was not fully integrated
with the Lyons business and operated quite
independently until its eventual
disposal.
Doughnut
Corporation of America was started in 1920
- some histories give the date as 1937 -
to sell automatic doughnut-making machines
to bakeries. The machines operated in
bakery windows from which people bought
hot, freshly made doughnuts. These
original machines made 480 doughnuts an
hour. By the 1980s the machines were
capable of 2,000 doughnuts per
hour.
The
company soon realised that it would have
to make prepared mixes for bakers so they
could produce doughnuts of a uniform
standard. This led to the preparation of
other mixes for the baking trade.
Inevitably they were soon producing other
food processing products such as breading
and batter mixes for seafood and poultry
and fruit fillings.
DCA was
headed by # M. Levitt (whose father
founded the company) from 1949 until 1980.
Its headquarters were in New York City
with a mix plant and flour mill in
Hillsdale, Michigan, a bread & batter
plant in Millstadt, Illinois, and an
equipment factory in Jessup, Maryland.
There were other smaller factories and in
total some 1,500 people worked for the
company.
DCA
established a subsidiary in the UK under
the name of the British Doughnut Company.
It made American type ring doughnuts and
distributed them by tricycle to catering
outlets in the area around their premises
in Clapham Road, South London. They were
known as Downyflake Doughnuts. It also
imported doughnut making machines from the
US which were sold to bakers and caterers
together with doughnut mixes which were
blended in the Clapham Road factory.
During the war the company was fully
stretched servicing the Red Cross, Women's
Voluntary Service and the Salvation Army,
all of whom were ministering to the needs
of servicemen in the UK and on the
continent. The arrival of US servicemen in
great numbers increased the demand for
doughnuts. After the war business was
difficult but the company was resilient
enough to build back its fortunes and in
time it became necessary to move to larger
premises in Queensbury in north-west
London where the numbers of mixes
continued to increase in number and
volume. In 1955 the name of the company
was changed to DCA Industries Ltd. Further
expansion was required in 1962 and the
company set up its head office and
manufacturing base in Aylesbury,
Warrington. When Lyons acquired their
equity in the parent company in 1972 it
included the UK subsidiary.
In 1978
DCA Food Industries Inc. acquired the
assets of G. L. Baking Company and
Price-Wilhoite Company, both US
based.
Progressively
Lyons acquired more of the issued share
capital of DCA Food Industries Inc. so
that by 1978 it owned more than 80% of the
company.
DCA
diversified their operation in the UK and
formed a Frozen Food Division making
frozen onion rings, potato fritters,
bubble & squeak, breaded prawns and
battered apple rings to the catering
trade. Their frozen food factory was
situated at Sutton Bridge, Lincolnshire,
but it was destroyed by fire on 30 March
1982 and rebuilt.
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