It was built in 1914 for the catering company Albany Bell Ltd as a factory to manufacture cakes and confectionery for its eleven tearooms in Perth and three in Kalgoorlie and Boulder.

[1] The site chosen was 7.7 hectares (19 acres) of land 3 kilometres (2 mi) from Perth, with natural springs that could supply 450,000 litres (120,000 US gal) of fresh water per day.

The company's founder, Peter Albany Bell, used ideas derived from the Cadbury factory in Bournville United Kingdom, to incorporate superior working conditions and amenities for employees.

It was built in two stages, the first being completed in 1914, including the north wing—a single-storey bakehouse with an oven protruding from it, heated by fire boxes in the cellar.

The second-stage central section was completed in 1919—including a basement with double-brick cavity walls, which provided ideal conditions for the dipping of chocolates.