Samworth Brothers facts for kids

Samworth Brothers' head office fronts two food manufacturing plants on the A607

Dickinson and Morris pie shop, Melton Mowbray

Samworth Brothers is a British company that makes many different kinds of food. They produce both their own brands and food for other companies. You might know them as the owners of Ginsters, which makes Cornish pastys, and Soreen, which makes malt loaf. They are also famous for making special Melton Mowbray pork pies.

History of Samworth Brothers

The story of Samworth Brothers began in 1896. George Samworth started a business buying and selling pigs. After he retired in 1930, his sons, Frank and George, took over.

In 1950, Frank bought a company called TN Parr, which made pies in Nottingham. Later, in 1969, they bought another pie company called Pork Farms. This made their business much bigger very quickly.

Frank then retired, and his sons, David, Frank Jr., and John, took charge. In 1971, the company became a public company called Pork Farms plc. This meant people could buy shares in it on the London Stock Exchange. They also bought another pie company, Holland's Pies, in 1972. In 1978, a larger company called Northern Foods bought Pork Farms.

But the Samworth family's story didn't end there. In 1977, John Samworth started his own company, Goran Foods Ltd. He bought the Ginsters business, which was famous for its Cornish pasties. In 1985, Goran Foods changed its name to Samworth Brothers. This showed that John and David Samworth were both involved.

In 1986, Samworth Brothers bought Walker & Son Ltd, a company in Leicester that made pies. Walker & Son was known for being the biggest maker of Melton Mowbray pork pies. In 1992, Samworth Brothers also bought Dickinson & Morris, another pie maker in Melton Mowbray. They rebuilt its factory in a traditional style after a fire.

More recently, in 2014, the company bought the Soreen brand, which makes malt loaf. In 2015, they added SCI-MX, a brand that makes sports nutrition products. In 2017, Samworth Brothers bought the West Cornwall Pasty Company, which has many fast-food shops.

What Samworth Brothers Does Today

Today, a person named Nick Linney, who is not part of the Samworth family, leads the company as its chairman.

Products They Make

Samworth Brothers makes many different types of food:

• Food to Go: These are easy-to-eat foods like sandwiches, wraps, salads, pasties, and small malt loaves.
• Savoury Pastry: This includes products from brands like Ginsters and the West Cornwall Pasty Company. They also make pork pies under the Dickinson & Morris and Walker & Son names. The company is part of groups that protect the quality of Cornish pasties and Melton Mowbray pork pies.
• Meals: They make "heat and serve" meals for big supermarkets and other food brands in the UK.
• Sausages and Cooked Meats: Their Walker Sausage Company and Walkers Deli make high-quality sausages, hams, and pates.
• Sports Nutrition: The SCI-MX brand makes protein powders, capsules, snack bars, and shakes for people who are active.

Services They Provide

Samworth Brothers also offers other services:

• Samworth Brothers Supply Chain: This part of the company delivers food that needs to be kept cold. They deliver for Samworth Brothers' own companies and for other food makers and shops.
• Westward Laboratories: This is a food testing lab in Cornwall. They check food for tiny living things (microbiological testing) and chemicals to make sure it is safe.

Helping the Community

Samworth Brothers cares about giving back.

• Since 2007, they have held a "Charity Challenge" event every two years. It's like a triathlon to raise money for good causes.
• In 2013, they started the Samworth Brothers Sports Opportunity Fund. This fund helps local sports projects near their factories. Between 2013 and 2019, they gave £1.9 million to 160 different sports projects.

Being Sustainable

The company works to be good for the planet.

• Since 2017, all the electricity they buy comes from clean, renewable sources.
• They are working to reduce food waste. They have signed agreements to cut down on how much food is thrown away.
• Samworth Brothers also has plans to reduce their impact on the environment, reuse resources, recycle materials, and recover useful items.

Debate About Pay

In 2016, a new rule called the National Living Wage was introduced in the UK. This meant companies had to pay their workers a certain minimum amount per hour. Samworth Brothers faced some discussion because of how they handled this.

Some people, including a politician named Joan Ryan, said that while the new minimum wage was good, some employees at Samworth Brothers' factories felt their overall pay didn't go up as much as they expected. This was because the company changed some other pay rules. For example, extra pay for working on Sundays, night shifts, or overtime was reduced. This meant that even though the hourly rate went up, some workers might not have earned much more, or even less in some cases, especially if they worked many special shifts. This led to a debate about whether the new wage was truly helping workers as much as it should.

Company and Politics

Mark and David Samworth, who are leaders in the company, have given money to the Conservative Party, a political group in the UK. Reports in 2015 showed that donations from the Samworth family and others connected to the company added up to nearly £650,000 since 2002.

In 2016, Mark Samworth was invited to special dinners with leaders of the Conservative Party. These events sometimes require a large payment to the party to attend.