Duchy Originals’ first product was an oatmeal cookie (Credit: Pinterest)
With the death of Queen Elizabeth II, King Charles prepares to assume the role of monarch. However, a question arises in the United Kingdom: the fate of Duchy Originals, a food brand he founded in 1990 to sell products from his farm. Duchy is the UK’s largest organic food and drink brand. The first product to be marketed was an oatmeal cookie. As of March 2021, the brand had earned almost £3.6 million (about $4.1 million).
“We will be in touch with the Royal House on future arrangements when the time is right,” a spokesperson for Waitrose, a supermarket chain partnered by Duchy, said, according to CNN. Waitrose has the exclusive right to sell products under the Duchy name. The products, including salmon, sausages, milk, carrots and blueberries bear the name Waitrose Duchy Organic.
The Duchy Originals estate is expected to pass to Charles’ eldest son Prince William, who will also inherit the Duchy of Cornwall estate – worth around £1bn ($1.2bn) .
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waitrose
The unsuccessful attempt to expand to the United States and the global financial crisis put Charles’ business at risk. In 2009, the king turned to Waitrose, which became the brand’s distributor. By 2017, 25 years after the oatmeal biscuit debuted, the range had expanded to 300 products including fruit, vegetables, meat and beer, and annual sales reached £200m ($231m). More than 30 countries around the world, including the United States, Germany, Japan and Australia, received the products.
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