Kiwi 1920-1929

The First World War had started and trench warfare brought dreadful trench conditions that were a breeding ground for the most appalling foot rot. The only thing that protected the masses of men in the trenches from this crippling condition was dry feet and the only way to ensure this,  was with Kiwi’s water resistance. The English factory was working at top pressure; plant and production were radically revised and modernized to meet the dramatically increasing demands of the military. In 1917, one single order from the British Army alone totalled 10.000 gross. Wherever Allied troops were stationed, KIWI was demanded.

Just 10 years after it first appeared in Melbourne, KIWI had sold 30 million tins. On the death of William Ramsay, the company structure was overhauled and in 1916, the Australian parent and English daughter companies were amalgamated as
The Kiwi Polish Company Pty. Ltd. with his father John Ramsay as chairman.

The momentum given to sales and distribution by wartime pressures continued without slackening into the roaring twenties. Civilians had money to spend on leisure and amongst other things, began to purchase the polish that gave such glitter to their army´s leather equipment. In 1916 Kiwi’s first brand advertising was screened in the UK (the earliest advertising in existence showing one of the first KIWI tans).

Bigger factories were necessary, the present Melbourne home of KIWI was built and in London, new headquarters were purchased. By 1924, KIWI was being distributed in fifty countries including France, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Russia, China and some contries in South America. Kiwi was well on the way to becoming a global brand.

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