Moncton loved the cookie company Joe Marven built

A 20th-century Moncton biscuit company has stood the test of time in the memories of residents after surviving world wars, the Depression and a rival next door.

In 1905, less than a decade before the First World War, a hardware salesman named Joe Marven decided to try a business that was a little sweeter — you guessed it — cookies. 

"He scraped together enough cash, and he buys this bakery down on Main Street and starts producing stuff," said James Upham, the program co-ordinator at Resurgo Place in Moncton.

"Now all of a sudden he's selling biscuits and things, and so people would meet him on the side of the road and be like, 'Your soda crackers make really good shingles, Marven!'

"You know, you get all these people giving him a rough time."

At a time when people needed a little sugar in their lives, J.A. Marven Ltd. produced classic cookies such as chocolate chip and signature cookies of graham cracker wafers, jam and marshmallow covered in chocolate.

Despite the economic uncertainty of the First World War, the company had to move into Moncton's old cotton mill because demand was so high.

"This is another one of those completely insane things where, in the first place, Marven's itself, starting when it did, in a time of not great economic prosperity around here, it's kind of this rags to riches story."

Upham said Marven's biscuits became a household name in the Moncton area, and many residents remember having the cookies at their kitchen table.

You had these two competing businesses that were the buildings are basically almost within sight of each other.- James Upham, Resurgo Place

"You woke up in the morning and Marven's was there. You had your lunch and Marven's was there. You had your supper and Marven's was there. You had your Christmases for years and Marven's was there."

Marven's even shipped biscuits across North America and into South America.

"It was a hit through the Caribbean and all through the states. They were everywhere. It was just absolutely huge," he said.

In fact, the business was doing so well that two of Marven's employees tried to replicate the company's success.

In 1931, Fred Brown and Surrey Holder started their cookie company Brown-Holder Ltd. just around the corner from Marven's.

"One thing that a lot of people don't know is that Marven's actually even spawned its own competition in Moncton," Upham said.

But a little competition didn't hurt either business, even during the Great Depression.

Upham said both business were able to flourish "smack dab in the teeth of the worst economic collapse in modern history."

The reason — the quality of the products.

"You had these two competing businesses that were the buildings are basically almost within sight of each other and they're still cranking out … really high-quality products that people everywhere we're consuming and just absolutely loving."

Both Marven's and Brown-Holder survived until the 1970s, when Marven's was purchased by Weston and Brown-Holder by Dare.

Upham said Marven's is still a household name in Moncton, and some residents still remember what it was like to have a cookie factory in town. 

"Many Monctonians have really clear memories of just going into the building and wandering around, and they'd see so-and-so and [they'd] say, 'How are you doing?' And you'd say, 'I'm feeling pretty good. Can I have some of those cookies? 'And they'd be like, 'Yes, you can.'"

A display of classic Marven's Biscuit tins is available for viewing at Resurgo Place.