The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Before locally-produced hard bread came on the scene, Newfoundlanders used to eat hard bread imported from Germany. In 1857 local baker Robert Vail developed a product which could compete with the imported one and before long it was the 'hard tack' of choice. Vail made a fortune and retired to the United States, selling his 'secret recipe' and mill to local businessmen. In 1873 Vail's Mill was bought by Gilbert Browning. The Vail-Browning mill was located on Water Street. In the 1980s the building was owned by Creative Printers and housed the offices of Harry Cuff Publications. Cuff found two millstones at the back of the property and donated one of the stones to the city of St. John's. It was erected on a walking trail to mark the spot where Rennie's Mill once stood. Another businessman who became involved in the hard bread making business was Alex Harvey. For years Browning and Harvey operated independently and in competition. Then in 1930 descendants of the two men merged to create one of Newfoundland's most successful businesses, Browning-Harvey Limited. Something to Ponder: You may give gifts without caring Ð but you can't care without giving.
