The Chevalliers’ ASPALL business is the 11th oldest family owned and the oldest organic company in the UK. Barry and Henry Chevallier Guild who run it today are the eighth generation to do so and despite being steeped in history the company is right at the forefront of current business practice. A refreshed brand identity is due for release soon and the future looks as exciting as the past.
One of the recently introduced products is ‘Perronelle’s Blush, Suffolk Cyder with a dash of Blackberry Juice.’ This was named after Perronelle Mary Guild née Chevallier (#709 in the family tree) who was a graduate in Agriculture from Reading University, a founder member of the Soil Association in 1946 and lived to be 101 which is a good innings by anybody’s standards! But from a family point of view she is still more interesting.
Perronelle’s mother was Isabel Amy Cobbold (1869-1931) (#208) after whom another new brand has been named; ‘Isabel’s Berry’ on which we reported in May. Isabel married John Barrington (JB) Trapnell Chevallier (1857-1940) (#207) and his mother was a Cobbold too! She was Isobella Frances (Fanny) Cobbold (1834-1917) (#205) daughter of Rev. Francis (Frank) Cobbold (1803-1844) (#121). If you can tolerate one more step I’ll tell you that Frank had married his cousin so Fanny’s mother was a Cobbold too! It is not difficult to arrive at the conclusion that there is almost as much Cobbold blood in those Chevallier veins!
JB was a truly remarkable man with an enviable combination of academic and athletic ability. He went to Eton and played football for the Old Etonians. He went on to King’s College, Cambridge where he took a double first and won a football Blue. He played in 4 FA Cup Finals and was a founder of Derby County Football Club in 1884, the club being one of the 12 members of the Football League in 1888. He taught at Lancing, flagship school of the Woodard Foundation and at Repton and was commissioned into the Suffolk Regiment in WWI.
During his spell running the family business it experienced hard times and it is said that he almost bankrupted himself by going on paying the workers for the sake of their families. He was truly a man of head, heart and Corinthian spirit. No wonder we Cobbolds are proud of our relationship with the Chevalliers.
