Antonelli Bros Ltd

Antonelli Bros Ltd is a British family business associated with the manufacture of ice-cream cones, wafers and biscuits. The company traces its origins to 1912, when Domenico Antonelli, an Italian immigrant from Picinisco in Lazio, began producing ice-cream cones and wafers in the United Kingdom. The business initially operated with his sons Ernest, Luigi and Romolo and was known as The International Wafer Company. Its early premises included locations on Bridgewater Street in Salford and Ayres Road in Old Trafford. In 1924, the business shifted greater attention toward biscuit production and adopted the name International Biscuit Co. Ltd. This change reflected a broadening of its manufacturing activity beyond wafers. During the Second World War, when wafer production was banned, the company's biscuit ovens were used to produce military iron rations. This allowed the business to continue operating while adapting its manufacturing capacity to wartime requirements. Following the war, the company benefited from renewed commercial activity. In 1961, Romolo Antonelli's sons Ernest, Roland and Victor opened a bakery in Eccles specializing in biscuits intended for the ice-cream trade. The Eccles site became the company's principal base and remains central to its identity. The business subsequently continued as a family enterprise across successive generations. After Ernest and Victor retired, Roland Antonelli assumed control of the company and continued as chairman. In the early 1990s, his sons Mark and David joined the business and are described as continuing to run it. This succession preserved the company's family ownership and management structure while maintaining its focus on products used in the ice-cream sector. Publicly available information about Antonelli Bros Ltd is limited compared with that of large branded food manufacturers. The available historical record identifies the company primarily as a specialist producer rather than a mass-market consumer brand. Its product heritage is rooted in cones, wafers and biscuits supplied for the ice-cream trade, with manufacturing centered in Greater Manchester. No reliable public information supplied for this entry establishes a current website URL, ownership outside the Antonelli family, listed status, financial performance, international sales footprint or a broader portfolio of consumer brands.

Antonelli Bros Ltd began in 1912 when Domenico Antonelli, originally from Picinisco in Lazio, Italy, started manufacturing ice-cream cones and wafers after moving to the United Kingdom. He worked with his sons Ernest, Luigi and Romolo. During its early period, the enterprise was known as The International Wafer Company and operated from premises on Bridgewater Street in Salford and Ayres Road in Old Trafford. The company changed direction in 1924, placing greater emphasis on biscuits and adopting the name International Biscuit Co. Ltd. Its production facilities later served a wartime purpose. Because wafer production was prohibited during the Second World War, the company's biscuit ovens were used to manufacture iron rations for military use. This adaptation enabled the business to maintain production despite restrictions affecting its original product line. After the war, business conditions improved. In 1961, Ernest, Roland and Victor, the sons of Romolo Antonelli, established a bakery in Eccles. The bakery specialized in biscuits for the ice-cream trade and provided the basis for the company's later identity and location. The Eccles operation is identified as the present base of Antonelli Bros Ltd. Ernest and Victor eventually retired, after which Roland took control of the business and remained its chairman. During the early 1990s, Roland's sons Mark and David joined the company. They are described as continuing to run the business, while Roland retained the chairmanship. The succession illustrates the company's continuity as a multigenerational family enterprise. The available reference material does not document detailed product specifications, named retail brands, sales figures, corporate acquisitions, overseas subsidiaries or a current official web address. Its documented business history instead centers on manufacturing for the ice-cream trade, especially cones, wafers and biscuits, with a long-standing base in the Greater Manchester area.

• 1990

  Next generation joins the business

  [1]Antonelli Bros Ltden.wikipedia.org

  In the early 1990s, Roland Antonelli's sons Mark and David join the family company.

• 1961

  Eccles bakery opens

  [1]Antonelli Bros Ltden.wikipedia.org

  Ernest, Roland and Victor Antonelli open a bakery in Eccles specializing in biscuits for the ice-cream trade.

• 1940

  Wartime production adaptation

  [1]Antonelli Bros Ltden.wikipedia.org

  During the Second World War, when wafer production was banned, the company's biscuit ovens are used to produce military iron rations.

• 1924

  Business adopts a biscuit-focused identity

  [1]Antonelli Bros Ltden.wikipedia.org

  The company places more emphasis on biscuits and changes its name from The International Wafer Company to International Biscuit Co. Ltd.

• 1912

  Domenico Antonelli begins production

  [1]Antonelli Bros Ltden.wikipedia.org

  Domenico Antonelli starts manufacturing ice-cream cones and wafers in the United Kingdom after moving from Picinisco, Lazio, Italy.

A specialist, family-run British bakery and wafer manufacturer serving the ice-cream trade.

• Ice-cream-cone products · 1912

  Ice-cream cones

  Ice-cream cones are part of the company's original manufacturing activity, which began in 1912. The available sources identify cone production as a core historical specialization, although they do not provide a current catalogue, individual product names or detailed specifications.

• Wafer products · 1912

  Wafers

  Wafers formed one of the company's founding product categories and gave rise to its earlier identity as The International Wafer Company. Production was interrupted during the Second World War because wafer manufacture was banned, while the company's ovens were redirected to biscuit production.

• Biscuits · 1924

  Biscuits for the ice-cream trade

  Biscuits became increasingly important from 1924 onward, when the company changed its name to International Biscuit Co. Ltd. The Eccles bakery opened in 1961 with a specific emphasis on biscuits made for the ice-cream trade. The supplied sources do not identify individual formats or branded ranges.

• 1940

  Conversion of ovens for wartime rationsOther

  Background

  Wafer production was prohibited during the Second World War.

  Action taken

  The company used its biscuit ovens to produce iron rations for the military.

  Aftermath

  The adaptation allowed the business to continue using its manufacturing facilities during wartime restrictions.

  Source

• 1924

  Shift toward biscuit productionStrategy

  Background

  The company expanded beyond its earlier wafer-focused activity and placed greater emphasis on biscuit manufacturing.

  Action taken

  It changed its corporate name to International Biscuit Co. Ltd and developed biscuit production as a more prominent part of the business.

  Aftermath

  Biscuit production later supported wartime manufacturing and became central to the Eccles bakery's role in supplying the ice-cream trade.

  Source

1. 1Antonelli Bros Ltden.wikipedia.org