Abram Lyle, a Scottish businessman, had sent his five sons from Greenock to London in 1881 to build a sugar refinery at Plaistow which started melting sugar in 1882. When problems with cargoes almost brought their work to an abrupt halt, Lyle insisted they carry on working on something else. The sugar cane refining process produced a treacle-like syrup that usually went to waste, but gifted chemist Charles Eastick formulated how it could be refined to make a delicious preserve and sweetener for cooking. Golden Syrup was the result. Originally 400 tonnes per week of the syrup was poured into wooden casks and sold to employees and local customers. Word spread faster than the syrup, and by 1885 the syrup was sold in what has become the iconic tin. By 1900, 2,000 tonnes of 'Goldie' was being produced every week.
The two brothers left Lyle's in 1890. John went to oversee the Bundaberg sugar plantations in Australia and Charles to run production at Martineau's Sugar Refinery at Whitechapel, London - thereby establishing something of a family tradition as his eldest son Fredrick and eldest grandson Bernard also pursued successful careers at Martineaus, with Fredrick becoming Managing Director and Bernard, Production Director. The Martineaus refinery continued to operate until it was taken over by Manbré & Garton in April 1961.
During the Great War Charles assumed a national role, being responsible for administering the UK wartime sugar rationing quotas, for which he was later awarded an MBE. As the country recovered from the first World War, only small quantities of specialised sugars were available, but Charles saw the opportunity to set up a different kind of sugar company.
