Walker's Shortbread facts for kids
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Walker's Shortbread biscuits
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| Private | |
| Industry | Baked goods |
| Founded | 1898 in Torphins, Scotland |
| Founder | Joseph Walker |
| Headquarters | Aberlour House Aberlour, Scotland |
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Area served
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Worldwide |
| Products | Shortbread, biscuits, cookies, and crackers |
| Revenue | GB£184 million (2023) |
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Number of employees
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1,500 (2023) |
Walker's Shortbread Ltd. is a famous Scottish company. It makes delicious shortbread, biscuits, cookies, and crackers. The company bakes its shortbread in the village of Aberlour in Moray, Scotland. They use a special recipe created by Joseph Walker way back in 1898.
Walker's Shortbread is one of Scotland's biggest food exporters. This means they send a lot of their tasty products to other countries. The company has about 1,500 employees. You can find their products, often in tartan packaging, all over the world!
Contents
The Story of Walker's Shortbread
How It All Began
The company was started by Joseph Walker in 1898. He opened his first bakery in the village of Aberlour, which is in an area of Scotland called Speyside. He quickly became known for his amazing shortbread.
Growing the Family Business
In the 1930s, Joseph's two sons, James and Joseph, joined the family business. By 1936, they bought a delivery van. This allowed them to sell Walker's products beyond their local area. When Joseph Walker, the founder, passed away in 1954, his children took over the company.
By 1961, all three of James Walker's children also started working for the company. The business kept growing! By 1970, Walker's had nearly 100 employees. They also had 14 delivery vans and two more shops in nearby towns like Elgin and Grantown-on-Spey. Their products could be found in many fine food stores across Britain.
Reaching the World
During the 1970s, Walker's Shortbread began exporting its products to over 60 countries. This was a huge step for the company! By 1975, they even opened their own factory to keep up with demand.
In 1992, Walker's started making oat biscuits for a company called Duchy Originals. This happened after Duchy Originals asked them to in 1991.
Recent Times
Walker's Shortbread is still owned and managed by the Walker family today. In 2018, the company faced a challenge when the price of butter went up a lot. This was because there wasn't enough butter available, and more people wanted to buy it. This caused the company's profits to decrease for a while. However, the company continued to do well. In 2023, the company had 1,500 staff and made about £184 million in sales.
In 2020, the company officially changed its name to Walker's Shortbread Ltd. In 2024, they announced they were looking into making a vegan version of their famous butter-based shortbread. This would mean making shortbread without any animal products.
Where Walker's Shortbread Is Made
Walker's Shortbread has its main office at Aberlour House in Aberlour. They also have a big production site where they bake their products in Elgin.
See also
