Our Heritage

Interview with Len Hunter Jnr about the Hunter Heritage

Sitting down in the Docklands Precinct I sat with my grandfather and asked about the Hunter Family Business’s heritage. He opened with: “chemicals were always in our blood”. This is the heritage of the Hunter Family within the chemicals industry.

It all started with Len Hunter (Snr) being an employee of the Oxford Polish Company in the early 1940’s. With the business struggling the owner at the time proposed that in lieu of wages owed to Len he would give him the business. The deal was done and seeds were sewn.

Under Len the business flourished. He saw an opportunity to ‘make it work’. Indeed he did. What we would look back on today and say only back then would it work, Len used his sisters to create demand. 7 sisters all out asked for the Oxford Polish Companies products at supermarkets. Len would then get out on the beat and head up the sales. Once shelf space was available the products did sell themselves and became a very successful line of products. Of course the 7 sisters strategy worked until one occasion when one shop owner said on Len’s entry ‘yes Len I have heard of Oxford Polish- in fact your sister was in earlier looking for some’. By that time though the products had a decent market share and the brand did all the talking for them.

Oxford Polish even had major contracts with the military. Len Hunter Jnr recalls a shipment being sunk by a torpedo on route to Manila. Comically he states ‘we didn’t mind too much as the insurance company paid out quicker than the military would have’.

The Oxford Polish Company included products such as Southern Isle Cleaner, Oxford White Cleaner and Khaki Cleaner. It wasn’t until the early 1950’s that the flagship ‘Hunter’ Family product was developed. Pine O Clean.

It was a mix of luck, dedication, an accident and a worldwide shortage of a key ingredient that bound together to make the successful formulation of the Pine O Clean product. At a time when there was a worldwide shortage of pine oil, licenses for the importation were required.

Back in the 50’s there were pharmaceutical grade products from fauldings and detol. These brands products were sold through pharmacies, were expensive and not accessible to the home maker at the time. What was available was a foul smelling phenol chemical. Bessie Hunter asked Len: "why can't we make a ‘pine disinfectant’ for cleaning purposes?"

A license needed to be acquired and, after that was successfully attained, trial and error developed a disinfectant. (Although it actually took a Cockatoo to accidentally spill an ingredient into the mix to maintain the products stability—but after it did there was no turning back.) All that was needed was a name.

Pine Effect, Sweet Pine, New Pine, no no no. None of these would do. Pine O Clean thought Len, and in an instant Pine O Clean was born in a tin shed in Ascot Vale, Melbourne in Monash Street.

Once manufacture commenced it was sold in supermarkets across the country. Everyone wanted ‘Pine O Clean’. The product was supported by heavy radio advertisements. There was the ‘Pine O Clean’ Parade on the radio, there was a book produced with 101 different uses for ‘Pine O Clean’ and even a packaging offer of a Mars Bar with ‘Pine O Clean’ Purchase.

“From the cane fields of Cairns, to the gold fields of Kalgoorlie they sell ‘Pine O Clean’”.

It was only a matter of time before cheaper, inferior products became available so ‘Pine O Clean’ needed a national presence. It was left to Len Hunter Jnr. to head up the manufacture and sales of Pine O Clean in Perth. It didn’t end there for Len Hunter Jnr, his time with the product took him back to Melbourne and then even to Sydney to ensure Pine O Clean was a national best seller.

Competitors came and went. Some offered a cheaper price others offered more product for the price. But none could get the distinctiveness of the way the product clouded and more importantly none captured the imagination of the home maker at that time.

It was that very ‘iconic’ brand that caught the attention of the Chairman of Directors of Reckitt & Coleman. Who in Australia at the time contacted Len Hunter Jnr and proposed the idea of buying the famed Oxford Polish Company (incorporating the Pine O Clean product). Len Hunter Jnr took the idea to his father who entertained the idea.

For an undisclosed sum of consideration the deal was done (mid to later 50s). The funds from the sale of these products went into building new companies. Key companies in their infancy were managed by Len Hunter Jnr and Alan Hunter with Len Hunter Senior and family traveling parts of the world.

Other key products that were subsequently introduced included Lavendola and Senola disinfectants. None of which had the success of ‘Pine O Clean’, but were strong market contenders within the household cleaning industry for years. The Hunter Group of companies included the Len Hunter Trading Company, Children’s Palace, Croner Trading Company, Hunter Industrials and of course Hunter Products. Companies were sold, and companies were developed.

Notably the Hunter Industrials business was sold. One young man whom had worked for Hunter Industrials was David Hunter, the son of Len Hunter Jnr. Having 4 brothers, 3 of whom keen to stay within the cleaning industry, it was obvious to David that he should blaze his own trail as he disagreed with the new management principles of the new owners. Desire and determination got the best of David- and in 1979 a new era of Hunters within the cleaning chemicals industry was born.

Big H - The Dawn of a New Era

The four Hunter brothers, David, John, Wayne and Scott, with the watchful eye of father Len have made their mark on the industry through their formally owned Big H Chemical Company. Formed in 1979 Big H became one of the leaders in the industry through their impeccable service and progressive attitudes.

Big H Chemical Company set industrial standards in many areas including the systemising of cleaning programs and training procedures. Big H was acquired by George Weston Foods in 1995 and merged with their Jasol Australia cleaning supplies operation.

After 3 years of helping to integrate the national operation of Jasol Australia, the Hunter brothers are delighted to be able to continue their partnership with Jasol Australia via a distributorship agreement with Hunter Industrials.

Hunter Industrials Today

Hunter Industrials can now offer a unique blend of family service backed up by the resources and support of Jasol Australia. With 10 years at Hunters Products and 20 years with Big H Chemicals the company has a wealth of knowledge and a consultative attitude towards satisfying your cleaning needs.