Bernard Matthews Foods facts for kids
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| Private limited company | |
| Industry | Farming Food products |
| Founded | 1950 |
| Founder | Bernard Matthews |
| Headquarters | Great Witchingham, Norfolk, England |
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Key people
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Robert Burnett (Chief Executive Officer) |
| Products | Turkey products |
| Revenue | £341.4 million (12 months ended 1 July 2012) |
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Operating income
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£5.3 million (12 months ended 1 July 2012) |
| £2.0 million (12 months ended 1 July 2012) | |
| Owner | Ranjit Singh Boparan |
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Number of employees
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2,575 |
Bernard Matthews Foods Limited is a British company that specializes in turkey products. Its main office is in Great Witchingham, Norfolk, England.
The company was started by Bernard Matthews in 1950. It has 56 farms in Norfolk, Suffolk, and Lincolnshire, raising nearly 7 million turkeys each year. They also have places where they prepare poultry in Derby and Sunderland. Bernard Matthews raises both indoor and free-range turkeys on its farms. It is a business that handles everything from raising the birds to making the food products.
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History of Bernard Matthews
The company began in 1950 with Bernard Matthews and his wife. They started with twenty turkey eggs and an incubator at their home.
In 1955, the company moved its main office to Great Witchingham Hall near Norwich. Bernard Matthews became known as the biggest turkey farmer in Europe by 1960. In 1971, the company's shares were offered to the public for the first time.
In 1980, Bernard Matthews launched its first TV advertisement. It featured Turkey Breast Roast, and Bernard Matthews himself used the famous 'Bootiful' catchphrase. In 2000, Bernard Matthews successfully stopped a big US food company called Sara Lee from taking over his business. The next year, the Matthews family bought the company back, making it private again.
In 2007, the company's farm in Holton had an outbreak of the H5N1 type of avian influenza.
By July 2008, the company changed its name from Bernard Matthews Foods to Bernard Matthews Farms. They announced that all their turkey products would be made with British turkey from their own farms. The company also planned to focus on British turkey farming and making products that better meet what customers want.
In January 2010, Bernard Matthews stepped down as chairman when he turned 80. In April that year, the company started a new advertising campaign. They brought back their 'Bootiful' catchphrase, which had been used before. Bernard Matthews, the founder, passed away on November 25, 2010.
The business was bought by Rutland Partners in September 2013. In September 2016, the company was sold to an investment company owned by Ranjit Singh Boparan.
Where Bernard Matthews Operates
Bernard Matthews has four main places where it works in the UK. These are Great Witchingham (Norfolk), Holton (Suffolk), Derby (Derbyshire), and Sunderland (Tyne & Wear).
Bernard Matthews Limited is based in the East of England. It makes many fresh, cooked, and frozen turkey products that it sells across the UK. The company employs about 2,200 people. It raises around 7 million turkeys each year. It has 56 turkey farms and two production sites in Norfolk and Suffolk. Bernard Matthews Limited follows high food standards and has important certifications for its production sites.
The Derby and Sunderland sites became part of Bernard Matthews in October 2021.
Past Operations of Bernard Matthews
Bernard Matthews used to have an operation in Oldenburg, Germany. It made fresh, cooked, and frozen poultry products for Germany and northern Europe. This part of the business was sold in July 2016 but still uses the Bernard Matthews brand.
SáGa Foods was another part of the group, located in Hungary. It employed about 800 people and made poultry products for Central Europe. It was part of Bernard Matthews from 2003 until January 2020, when it was sold to another poultry producer.
Products from Bernard Matthews
The company makes a variety of cooked, fresh, and frozen British turkey products. These include whole turkeys ready for the oven, turkey joints, and cooked turkey meats. These turkey products make up over 90% of the business. Bernard Matthews also makes chicken products using meat from partners in South America. In the 1990s and 2000s, they also sold Fish products called Golden Fishies, but they stopped making them.
Bernard Matthews Farms provides turkey to major UK supermarkets for their own store brands. They also supply businesses that provide food for restaurants and other places.
Under the "Golden Norfolk Turkey" brand, Bernard Matthews Farms offers frozen turkeys. This includes whole birds of different sizes, crowns, and joints. New products introduced in 2009 included new seasonings and an apricot and date stuffing.
Turkey Twizzlers
Turkey Twizzlers were a well-known product made by Bernard Matthews. They were made with 34% turkey. In 2005, they became a topic of discussion when celebrity chef Jamie Oliver talked about them in his TV show Jamie's School Dinners. He wanted to remove processed foods like Turkey Twizzlers from school meals. After the show, many school food providers decided not to serve Turkey Twizzlers anymore. Bernard Matthews stopped making the product in 2005.
In 2020, Bernard Matthews brought back Turkey Twizzlers. They are now sold again in Iceland Stores and other big shops in the United Kingdom.
Ensuring Animal Welfare
Bernard Matthews is committed to high standards of animal welfare. In 2006, there was an incident where two contract workers were found to have treated turkeys improperly. The company strongly condemned these actions. They stated that the individuals involved were sub-contractors and that their own employees do not mistreat livestock. Bernard Matthews emphasized its dedication to the "highest standards" of animal welfare.
Avian Flu Outbreak in 2007
In January 2007, there was an outbreak of avian flu at one of Bernard Matthews' farms in Holton, Suffolk. This was caused by the H5N1 type of the Influenza A virus. To control the spread, many turkeys were culled. Special zones were set up, and the plant was thoroughly disinfected.
A report from the Defra pointed out some issues with how the farm kept things clean and safe. The exact cause of the outbreak was not fully determined. However, Bernard Matthews regularly moved turkeys and turkey products between the UK and its plant in Hungary. The bird flu strains found in both countries were very similar.
As a result of the outbreak, some countries stopped importing poultry from Britain. Sales of Bernard Matthews products decreased, and some workers were laid off. The company worked to regain public trust in its brand.
Images for kids
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Bernard Matthews logo
