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:''This article treats about brand of flour and bread. For the fictional character from Catscratch, see Hovis (Catscratch)

'Hovis' is a UK brand of flour and bread, now owned by Premier Foods.
The word "Hovis" was invented by London student Herbert Grimes in a national competition set by S. Fitton & Sons Ltd to find a trading name for their bread, which used a patent flour that was rich in wheat germ. Grimes coined the word from the Latin phrase ''hominis vis'' – "the strength of man".

The Hovis process was patented on 6 October 1887 by Richard "Stoney" Smith (1836-1900), and S. Fitton & Sons Ltd developed the brand, milling the flour and selling it along with Hovis branded baking tins to other bakers. They became Hovis Limited in 1918.
After a succession of mergers, Hovis eventually became part of Rank Hovis McDougall in 1962, now the quoted food conglomerate RHM, which also owns the Mother's Pride and Nimble bread brands. The bread making division has been known as British Bakeries since 1955.
The Hovis part of the business still specialises in high wheatgerm wholemeal flour, the bread being baked independently.
In 1974, Hovis became lodged in the public imagination through an evocative television advertisement, "Bike Round", directed by Ridley Scott, featuring the slow movement of Antonín Dvořák's Symphony No. 9. It was set on Gold Hill in Shaftesbury, Dorset. This advertisement was repeated on British television during 2006 to commemorate the firm's 120th birthday. The boy on the bike, Carl Barlow, then aged 13 became a firefighter in East Ham in 1979.

Contents

External links

External links

★ Hovis official website

★ British Bakeries

★ Advert

★ Hovis advert voted favourite of all time in 2006