The family that invented Sherbet Bombs in the 1920s has wrapped up its 95-year-old confectionery business.
Robert (Bob) and Lorraine McQuade have sold Lagoon Confectioners to Darrell Lea Confectionery and can now look forward to a well-earned rest at 86 and 83 respectively.
Meanwhile, their daughter Tina and son Dean, who have also devoted their lives to the family business, are planning a ‘gap year’ before deciding what’s next.
“Dad’s been working since he was 14; he says it’s the first time he’s been unemployed for 70 years,” Tina said.
“But, we’re happy. We got to the stage where we were comfortable doing what we were doing, so the business needed new blood to make it bigger and better.”
Bob’s parents, who met at the Allen’s lollies factory where they both worked, started their own business in 1929 when they were laid off during the Depression.
The Sherbet Bomb was invented because they wanted to make a "fizzy lolly", Bob said.
“They had a shed at the back of their house and built up the business from there,” he added.
“‘Jobbers’ (wholesalers) would come round in their vans and pick up the confectionery to sell to the shops and milk bars.”
As a teenager, Bob cut his teeth in the trade doing a bit of everything: cooking confectionery syrups and forming and shaping the lollies.
“There were about five of us, as well as half a dozen girls who wrapped the lollies; every lolly had to be wrapped by hand,” he said.
Bob was instrumental in growing the business, whose name was inspired by its south Melbourne location; the McQuades lived opposite Albert Park Lake, which back then was known as the Lagoon.
“There was no machinery in the beginning so I would go up to the warehouses in Sydney and buy equipment,” he recalls.
Bob was 16 when he met Lorraine, who was working at Myer.
She waited until their four children were in school before joining the family business.
By that time, Lagoon was operating in Port Melbourne, following a move in 1970.
During her 50 years at Lagoon, Lorraine has done whatever’s needed: answering phones, invoicing, serving customers and getting orders ready.
Lagoon continued to expand and in 2000, the family built a new factory in Williamstown, where the business exists today.
“Mum and Dad still work full-time,” Tina said.
“Dad gets in at six in the morning and works until five at night. Mum’s here at half past eight until five at night. It gives them purpose.”
The staff of 11 produce two tonnes of confectionery a day.
Production Manager Dean, who joined the family business at 16 (and has clocked up 42 years with Lagoon), supported Bob in modernising operations and made several trips overseas to purchase new equipment.
Tina, meanwhile, has worked at Lagoon for 33 years in a variety of production roles, despite plans to launch a career in the travel industry.
“When I left school, I worked in the State Bank for five years then travelled the world for a year,” she said.
“I wanted to be a travel agent, so when I came back to Australia, I said to Mum and Dad: ‘I'll work at the factory just until I get a proper job’.
“Thirty-three years later, I’m still here,” she laughed.
Siblings Brett and Natalie work as a painter and postie respectively.
Bob says the rising costs of raw materials such as sugar and glucose along with Covid have been the biggest challenges for the business.
“Prices keep going up, then Covid hit us,” he said.
“We kept working, but the price of sugar kept going up. It was ridiculous.
“We held out as long as we could before putting our prices up.
“When we did, we thought sales would drop, thinking we wouldn’t sell one lolly, but in the end, we were flat out. We couldn't keep up with production.”
The McQuades are pleasantly surprised the business, renowned for its Sherbet Bombs, Sherbet Cocktails, Lemon Sherbets, Fruity Acids, Choo-Choo Bars, Chewy Mints, Eucalyptus Drops and Barley Sugars, sold so quickly.
“We put feelers out into the market and got a broker to sell it,” Dean said.
“The deal was wrapped up in a matter of weeks.”
Not only has Darrell Lea acquired all the manufacturing assets, it has also acquired McQuade family confectionery recipes handed down from “Pa”.
"We are thrilled about this opportunity," a Darrell Lea spokesperson said.
"This acquisition not only strengthens our manufacturing footprint but also reinforces our dedication to quality and innovation in the Australian confectionery industry."
Lorraine, who is looking forward to visiting her sister in Queensland more often, credits Dean and Tina for keeping Lagoon going.
“Without Dean and Tina, we would never have managed,” she said.
“The business would have been long gone a long time ago. They have kept everything going, so we're very grateful to them. They’re great kids.”
Bob is also pleased to be bowing out on a high.
“I’m really happy Darrell Lea bought us out,” he said.
“The time has come.”
Lagoon Confectioners has been a member of the Confectionery Manufacturers of Australasia (CMA) and the Australian Industry Group (Ai Group) since 1969. The CMA, a stand-alone confectionery association, became part of Ai Group in 2009.
“Ai Group’s Jennifer Thompson and Tim Piper have been very helpful when we wanted to know things. Whenever we had a problem, they've helped us out a lot.” — Lorraine McQuade, Lagoon Confectioners
Wendy Larter is Communications Manager at the Australian Industry Group. She has more than 20 years’ experience as a reporter, features writer, contributor and sub-editor for newspapers and magazines including The Courier-Mail in Brisbane and Metro, the News of the World, The Times and Elle in the UK.
