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History

• Beginnings
  
• Post War
  
• 1960---1970
  
• 1980---1990
  
• 2000---Present
  

During the 1960's the first van sales depot at St. Neots was built when Rayn Smith's was acquired and their factory closed. Ruskington Foods near Sleaford was acquired as a sausage and pie factory and significantly upscaled our operations. The Pendennis Factory at Frampton was a smaller purchase but it had some good equipment although it was primarily making frozen dough for home baking at that time.

The new abattoir was both large and modern by standards of the time and beef, lamb and pork were slaughtered and killed for many regional butchers as well as sold on the hook. Most meat was despatched in carcase form in non refrigerated lorries. Many of the shops were refurbished and modernised as well.

Van selling of the meat products continued to flourish.

 

Moving into the 1970's the changes became more apparent as the supermarkets gained a foothold in the high streets. The company served one of the supermarkets via 12 of its stores with beef, lamb and pork and imported New Zealand lamb and chinese rabbit for them. They were demanding customers but quickly developed the buying power.

However, as the marketplace evolved and the multiple retailers grew we could see the demise of butchers' traditional business. Good butchers were hard to secure and the supermarkets poached them to run their meat counters. We started to close the shops and concentrate on manufacture and distribution. A decision that proved crucial to todays success.