The tin can's history began in 1795 with Napoleon’s government offering a prize of 12,000 francs for a method of preserving food for his army and navy. The race began for a suitable form of packaging that had the ability to preserve perishable goods. This was subsequently won by Nicholas Appert in 1809 and his system for sterilising food in glass containers. The glass container had obvious fragility flaws in a harsh environment, which allowed space in the market for Peter Durand to design and patent a tinplated iron can in 1810. In 1811 this patent was sold to Donkin, Hall and Gambill, and within a year they had opened the first ever canning factory, selling canned perishable goods from their business in Bermondsey, London.

Bermondsey subsequently became steeped in tin box history, with all major can manufacturers creating themselves within close proximity to the Hall and Donkin factory. William Say is the only tin box factory that now remains in Bermondsey and has become a market leader in its field, producing award-winning tins with traditional methods. This unique family business has enjoyed success for four generations and continues to produce round lever lid tins for the paint, oil and ink industry, slip lid tins for wax and other specialised manufacturers. William Say's products can be seen throughout the world, with the majority of its customers in Europe. The emphasis in the company is on high quality products.

The future of packaging appears to be turning full circle to quality traditional methods. This, combined with the 100% recyclable properties of tinplate, creates a situation where tinplate becomes a superior packing medium in comparison to its modern environmentally “unfriendly” counter parts.

Historical facts courtesy of Bev Page and "Metal Packaging; An Introduction."