Baxters facts for kids
 |
|
Statue of a stag outside Baxters Highland Village
|
|
|
Trade name
|
Baxters |
|---|---|
| Private | |
| Industry | Food Processing |
| Founded | 1868 |
| Founder | George Baxter |
| Headquarters | Fochabers, Scotland, UK |
|
Area served
|
Worldwide |
|
Key people
|
|
| Products |
|
| Brands |
|
| Revenue |  £248.6 million (2016) |
| £12.5 million (2016) |
|
|
Number of employees
|
1,500 (2016) |
| Parent | W.A. Baxter & Sons (Holdings) Limited |
Baxters Food Group, often just called Baxters, is a famous food company from Fochabers, Scotland. They make lots of different foods like yummy canned soups, meat products, pickles, sauces, vinegars, chutneys, jams, and salad dressings.
You'll find their products under the Baxters name and other brands they own or have permission to use. It's been a family-run business for four generations, growing a lot by buying other food companies in the United Kingdom and around the world. Baxters even has a special award called a Royal Warrant from the Queen, meaning they supply Scottish foods to the Royal Family!
Before December 21, 2006, the company was known as W.A. Baxter & Sons Ltd.
Contents
The Story of Baxters
How it All Started
Baxters began in 1868. A 25-year-old gardener named George Baxter borrowed £100 from his family. He used this money to open a small grocery shop in Fochabers, Moray. George's wife, Margaret Baxter, helped by making delicious jams and jellies. She used fresh fruit from the local area.
In 1916, George and Margaret's son, William Baxter, bought some land. He bought it from the Duke of Richmond and Gordon. William and his wife, Ethel Baxter, built a factory next to the River Spey. This factory was just east of Fochabers. The Baxters shop became well-known for its jams and jellies. They also started preparing their own beetroot and selling it to other shops. Ethel focused on making jams, while William worked on making the business famous across Scotland.
New Ideas and Royal Recognition
In 1923, Ethel Baxter rented a canning machine. This allowed Baxters to can local fruits like strawberries, raspberries, and plums in syrup. Baxters was one of the first companies in Scotland to do this!
Ethel started making different kinds of soups in 1929. She used fresh local ingredients. The first soup she created was called Royal Game. It was made with venison from Upper Speyside. The picture on the soup can was inspired by a famous painting called The Monarch of the Glen. Soon, the Baxter family was selling their products to fancy department stores in London, like Harrods and Fortnum & Mason.
During the Second World War, the company kept going by making jam for the soldiers.
Growing Bigger and Better
Ena and Gordon Baxter joined the company in 1952. Ena was an artist and a great cook. She helped add more Scottish soups to their range. These included traditional recipes like Cock-a-leekie, Scotch Broth, and Chicken Broth.
In 1955, Baxters received special Royal Warrants. These were from Queen Elizabeth II, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and King Gustav VI of Sweden. This meant Baxters was officially a supplier of Scottish food to these royal families.
In the 1960s, Baxters started selling its products all over the world. In 1962, they were the first company in the UK to use twist-top caps on their jam jars. By the 1980s, Baxters was a top brand for premium soups. They started offering more unusual soup flavors. Even as the company grew, Baxters kept its image as a "family business." Their advertisements often showed the Baxter family making their products.
Gordon Baxter's daughter, Audrey Baxter, became the managing director in 1992. She and her brother, Andrew Baxter, created many new products. Gordon Baxter passed away in 2013, and Ena Baxter in 2015.
Baxters in the 21st Century
In the 2000s, Baxters decided to grow a lot by buying other food companies. Their goal was to double in size.
Their first big purchase was in July 2001. They bought Garner Foods Ltd., a company that made pickles, chutneys, and salad dressings. Garners had been around since 1989.
In 2001, Baxters built a new factory in Grimsby, northeast Lincolnshire. This factory was for making chilled (cold) soups.
In July 2003, Baxters bought CCL Foods PLC. This company made pickles and condiments for brands like Mary Berry and Simply Delicious. CCL Foods now operates as Baxters (Earls Colne) Ltd.
In 2004, Norman Soutar became the first person outside the Baxter family to lead the company. He wanted Baxters to build factories in other countries instead of just sending products from the UK.
Baxters made its first international purchase in 2004. They bought Soup-Experts Inc., Canada's largest maker of soups for other brands. This company became part of Baxters Canada.
In 2005, Baxters launched a special line of premium products. This was called the Audrey Baxter Signature Range. It included curds, conserves, marmalades, and chutneys. These were made in small batches.
In July 2006, Norman Soutar left Baxters. Audrey Baxter took over as managing director again.
Due to rising costs, Baxters decided to move its Garners Foods pickling operation. In 2007, they built a new factory in Wolsztyn, Poland. This meant the Garners factory in Pershore, UK, closed. Baxters still uses the Garners brand.
Baxters also expanded in Australia. They created Baxters Food Australia Pty Ltd. in 2006. In 2008, they bought Sole Pio Pty, an Australian company that supplied marinated vegetables and pestos. In 2010, they bought Andrews Food Distributors. To grow even more in Australia, they bought Jensen's Choice Foods in 2013. Jensen's made pasta sauces, salsa dips, and organic fruit spreads.
In 2008, Baxters left the chilled soups business. They sold their Grimsby factory to Northern Foods. They wanted to focus on other products that were more profitable.
In May 2007, Baxters bought the soups division of Canadian firm CanGro Foods. This deal helped Baxters double its income in Canada.
In November 2011, Baxters bought the Fray Bentos brand. This brand is famous for its pies and canned meat products. By January 2013, the production of Fray Bentos products moved to the Baxters factory in Fochabers. They hired 125 new staff. The factory started making 67,000 tinned pies every week!
Fray Bentos was named after a town in Uruguay. That's where the meat for the products originally came from. Since buying the brand, Baxters has launched new Fray Bentos products. These include soups and instant hot meals.
In 2012, Baxters bought Manor Vinegar. This helped keep competition fair in the vinegar market in the UK.
In 2014, Baxters bought Wornick Foods. This company makes military rations in the USA.
In January 2018, Baxters moved its main office to Edinburgh. However, Fochabers is still seen as the company's "spiritual home." Baxters sold its Canadian businesses in 2018 to focus on the US, European, and Australian markets.
Baxters Today
Baxters has been the main sponsor of the annual Loch Ness Marathon and Festival of Running since 2002. This event happens near Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. That's about 40 miles west of Baxters' Fochabers headquarters.
In late 2020, Baxters grew its US operations. They bought Truitt Bros, a company that makes shelf-stable foods. Truitt Bros has 500 employees in Kentucky and Oregon.
In 2020, Baxters was ranked number six in the Scottish Grocer magazine's Scottish Brand Review.
Baxters Products and Brands
Baxters sells products under its own name and also under other brands it owns or has licenses for.
Baxters Food Group
|
Audrey Baxter Signature Range
Baxters
|
Fray Bentos
Garners
Jack Daniels
Manor Vinegar
Mary Berry
|
Peppadew
Pizza Express
Simply Delicious
|
Baxters Locations
Current Locations
Manufacturing Sites
- Fochabers, Moray, Scotland: This is the company's main factory. They make canned soups, jars of beetroot, jams, and preserves here. About 700 people work at this location.
- Earls Colne, Colchester, Essex, England: This site makes organic and non-organic condiments, mayonnaises, sauces, dressings, mustards, and dips under the Simply Delicious brand.
- Wolsztyn, Poland: This 4,000 square meter factory was built in 2007. It's where they make the Garners range of pickled products, especially pickled onions.
Baxters also has sales and marketing offices in Glasgow, Scotland, and Melbourne, Australia.
Former Locations
- Pershore, Worcestershire, England: This factory was part of Garners Foods when Baxters bought it in 2001. It closed in 2006 when production moved to Poland.
- Aberdeen International Airport: A shop opened here in 2002, selling Baxters products and Scottish gifts.
- Eaglesgate Retail Village, Blackford, Perth and Kinross, Scotland: This location had a shop and a large restaurant. It closed in February 2014.
- Dundsdale Haugh, Selkirk, Scottish Borders, Scotland: A shop and restaurant opened here in May 2008. It closed in February 2014.
- Ocean Terminal, Leith, Edinburgh, Scotland: A shop and restaurant opened here in October 2003. It closed in early 2014.
- Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada: This was the original Canadian company, Les Produits Freddy, which became SoupExperts. It made soups for Baxters' Canadian market.
- Highland Village Visitor Centre, Fochabers, Moray, Scotland: Located next to the Fochabers factory, this visitor center included George Baxter's original shop, an exhibition, restaurants, and gift shops. It was very popular, getting over 200,000 visitors a year. It closed permanently in February 2021.
- Home Farm, Kelty, Fife, Scotland: A shop and coffee shop opened here in 2008.
Images for kids
-
Fray Bentos steak & kidney pie tin
