Raisin awareness…
In 1981 I learned that the Victorian Railways popularised the consumption of raisin bread. I was on a crew installing extra phone lines for a political hopeful who worked for the railways and lived in one of around four railway-owned houses by a now closed railway station.
As part of a campaign to promote fruit sales, Victorian Railways Commissioner Harold Clapp had a bakery built to produce raisin bread. The intention was to assist fruit growers and increase the railways’ freight business. Although raisin bread wasn’t completely new, few bakers were producing it in Victoria at that time. Raisin bread and raisin toast were promoted on railway posters.
In an address to the Australian Dried Fruits Association annual conference in 1925, Mr Clapp admitted that it was a selfish interest, and yet a “fully mutual interest”. At that point, the railways were selling 20,000 loaves a month. These were “hygienically wrapped”, the first wrapped bread to be sold in Australia.
When the railways introduced the raisin bread, only three bakers in Victoria were making it. According to Clapp, only one of these was turning out a satisfactory product. By 1925, about 115 bakers were distributing it. The railways' formula required 7 lbs. of raisins to 14 lbs. of flour. Their consumption of fruit was about 5,000 lbs. of raisins and 1,000 lbs. of sultanas weekly.
The bakery went on to produce a range of other products including fruit pies, cakes and other “wholesome goods.”