History of Bickford's Australia

A. M. Bickford and Sons was one of the first manufacturing chemists in South Australia. Until 1930, it was one of the State's most significant family-owned companies. In 1930, they amalgamated with half a dozen other similar Australian companies to form "Drug Houses of Australia" (DHA), which continued to produce "A. M. Bickford and Sons" products: "drugs" and "chemicals" under the DHA brand; and cordials and soft drinks under the "A. M. Bickford and Sons" brand.

In the late 1960s, DHA became the target of a corporate raider and asset stripper. By the mid-1970s DHA had collapsed under the burden of servicing the imposed level of debt. What was left was split up and sold. Reckitt & Colman acquired the major "drugs" and "chemicals" product and brands, while other parts of the company were acquired by others. Melburnian Peter Abbott purchased the pharmacy products, eucalyptus oil operations, and soft drink products. The pharmacy products were on-sold; the eucalyptus oil operations were incorporated into "FGB" (Felton Grimwade & Bickford). The soft drink products continued under the revived "A. M. Bickford and Sons" brand. In the late 1980s, FGB decided to concentrate on their "core businesses" under the FGB brand, and sold the soft drink businesses and the Bickford brand names, which by this stage had been established for over a century. The history of the Bickford's products and company names between 1987 and 1999 is not clear.

In 1999 the soft drink business and company names were purchased by the Kotses family. "Bickford's" once again became a South Australian family-owned business, known for its range of cordials and flavourings. These are made today by Bickford's Australia.