Baxters facts for kids
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Statue of a stag outside Baxters Highland Village
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Trade name
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Baxters |
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| Private | |
| Industry | Food Processing |
| Founded | 1868 |
| Founder | George Baxter |
| Headquarters | Fochabers, Moray, Scotland |
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Area served
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Worldwide |
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Key people
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| Products |
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| Revenue |  £248.6 million (2016) |
| £12.5 million (2016) |
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Number of employees
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1,500 (2016) |
| Parent | W.A. Baxter & Sons (Holdings) Limited |
Baxters Food Group Limited, often just called Baxters, is a food company from Fochabers, Scotland. They make many different foods like canned soups, canned meats, pickles, sauces, jams, and condiments.
Baxters sells its products under its own name and also uses other brands it owns or has permission to use. Baxters has been a family-owned company for four generations. Over the years, it has grown a lot by buying other food businesses in the United Kingdom and around the world.
Before December 21, 2006, the company was known as W.A. Baxter & Sons Ltd..
History of Baxters
Starting Small: The Early Years
Baxters began in 1868 when George Baxter, a 25-year-old gardener, borrowed £100 from his family. He opened a small grocery shop in Fochabers, Moray. His wife, Margaret Baxter, helped by making delicious jams and jellies using fresh local fruit.
In 1916, George and Margaret's son, William Baxter, bought some land near the River Spey. With his wife, Ethel Baxter, he built a factory next to the river. The Baxters shop became famous 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 known across Scotland.
Growing the Business: New Products and Royal Recognition
In 1923, Ethel Baxter rented a canning machine. This allowed Baxters to be one of the first companies in Scotland to can local fruits like strawberries, raspberries, and plums in syrup.
In 1929, Ethel started making different kinds of soups using local ingredients. The first one was called Royal Game, made with venison from the Upper Speyside area. The soup's packaging featured a picture inspired by The Monarch of the Glen, a famous painting of a red deer stag. 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 mainly by making jam for the armed forces.
Mid-Century Expansion and Family Involvement
Ena and Gordon Baxter joined the company in 1952. Ena, who was an artist and a great cook, 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 honors called "royal warrants of appointment." These were given by Queen Elizabeth II, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and King Gustav VI of Sweden. This meant Baxters was an official supplier of Scottish food specialties to the royal families.
In the 1960s, Baxters started selling its products around the world. In 1962, it was the first company in the UK to use twist-top caps on 12oz jars for jams. By the 1980s, Baxters was a top brand for premium soups and began offering more unusual soup flavors. Even as the company grew, Baxters kept its image as a "family business." They even had advertisements showing the Baxter family helping to prepare their products.
Gordon Baxter's daughter, Audrey Baxter, became the managing director in 1992. She and her brother, Andrew Baxter, helped create many new products. James Baxter, Andrew's son, is also a major owner of the company. Gordon Baxter passed away in 2013, and Ena Baxter in 2015.
Baxters in the 21st Century
In the 2000s, Baxters started a plan to grow much bigger by buying other food companies. Their goal was to double in size. In July 2001, they bought Garner Foods Ltd., a company that made pickles, chutneys, and salad dressings.
A new factory for making chilled soups was built for Baxters in Grimsby, northeast Lincolnshire, in 2001.
In July 2003, Baxters bought CCL Foods PLC. This company made pickles and condiments for brands like Mary Berry, Peppadew, and Simply Delicious. CCL Foods became part of Baxters and is now called Baxters (Earls Colne) Ltd.
Norman Soutar became the group managing director in July 2004. He was 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' first international purchase was in 2004 when they bought Soup-Experts Inc., Canada's largest maker of soups for other brands. This company became part of the Baxters Canada group.
In 2005, Baxters launched its special range of premium products called the Audrey Baxter Signature Range. This range includes curds, conserves, marmalades, and chutneys made in small batches.
Norman Soutar left Baxters in July 2006, and Audrey Baxter took over as managing director.
In 2006, Baxters moved its pickle-making operations for Garners Foods to a new factory in Wolsztyn, Poland. This was because labor costs were lower there. As a result, the Garners factory in Pershore closed in 2007. Baxters still uses the Garners brand.
Baxters Food Australia Pty Ltd. was started in 2006 to help customers in Australia. In April 2008, Baxters bought an Australian food company called Sole Pio Pty. This company made marinated and flame-grilled vegetables, pestos, and tapenades for restaurants and caterers. Baxters still uses their Bamboleo and Argents Hill brands. Baxters also bought Andrews Food Distributors in Australia in 2010. To increase its share in the Australian market, Baxters bought Jensen's Choice Foods in early 2013. Jensen's made pasta sauces, salsa dips, and fruit spreads.
Baxters stopped making chilled soups in 2008 and sold its Grimsby factory. They decided to focus on other products that were more profitable.
In May 2007, Baxters bought the soups division of Canadian company CanGro Foods. This deal helped Baxters more than double its sales in Canada.
In November 2011, Baxters bought the Fray Bentos range of pies and other canned meat products. By January 2013, the production of Fray Bentos products had moved to the Baxters factory in Fochabers. Baxters hired 125 new staff for this expansion. The Fochabers factory started making 67,000 tinned pies per week.
Fray Bentos was named after a town in Uruguay, where the meat for the products originally came from. Since buying the brand, Baxters has introduced new Fray Bentos products, like soups in 2012 and instant hot meals in 2014.
In 2012, Baxters bought Manor Vinegar. This helped keep competition fair in the vinegar market in the UK.
In 2014, Baxters bought Wornick Foods, a company that makes military rations in the USA.
In January 2018, Baxters moved its main office to Edinburgh, but Audrey Baxter said Fochabers would always be 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 yearly Loch Ness Marathon and Festival of Running since 2002. This event happens near Inverness in the Scottish Highlands, about 40 miles west of Baxters' Fochabers headquarters.
In late 2020, Baxters grew its US operations by buying Truitt Bros. This company makes shelf-stable foods and has 500 employees in Kentucky and Oregon.
Baxters was ranked number six in the Scottish Grocer magazine's Scottish Brand Review for 2020.
Brands and Products
Besides Baxters' own brand products, other items are sold under different brands that the group owns or has permission to use.
Baxters Food Group
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Audrey Baxter Signature Range
Baxters
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Fray Bentos
Garners
Jack Daniels
Manor Vinegar
Mary Berry
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Peppadew
Pizza Express
Simply Delicious
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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 factory 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 the Garners range of pickled products is made, after the operation moved from Pershore, England.
Baxters also has sales and marketing offices in Glasgow, Scotland, and Melbourne, Australia.
Former Locations
- Pershore, Worcestershire, England: This factory was bought in 2001 as part of Garners Foods. 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.
- Dunsdale 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, which later became SoupExperts. It made Baxters branded soups for the Canadian market. Baxters sold its Canadian businesses in 2018.
- Highland Village Visitor Centre, Fochabers, Moray, Scotland: Located next to the main factory, this center included George Baxter's original shop, an exhibition, restaurants, and gift shops. It was very popular, getting over 200,000 visitors each year. It closed permanently in February 2021.
- Home Farm, Kelty, Fife, Scotland: A shop and coffee shop opened here in 2008.
Images for kids
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Baxters Highland Village Visitor Centre (closed in February, 2021)
