Palethorpes
Encyclopedia
Palethorpe's is a British
producer of cooked meat and pastry products and was particularly well known for its branded sausages. Founded in 1859, it was bought by the Bibby Group in 1969 and then by Haverhill Meat Products (a J Sainsbury, Canadian Meat packers Joint Venture) before becoming part of the Northern Foods
Chilled Foods division in 1991. Palethorpes is now part of Pork Farms
.
. Setting up business as a butcher
in Birmingham
in the 1850s, he realised that the United States
was flooding the United Kingdom
market with cheap bacon
and pork
.
Palethorpe decided to move into value-added meat processing products, specialising in sausages, with which he had success. The company moved to Tipton
in 1896, claiming at the time to be the world's largest sausage producer. The company expanded during World War I
, supplying canned meat products to the British Army
. However, it lost market share during and after World War II
, with restrictions on meat sales due to the amount of meat that was being imported; this gave an advantage to fishmonger
s such as Macfisheries, who boomed during the war.
By the 1960s, with the development of supermarket
s in the United Kingdom, the company was experiencing additional pressure. In 1967 Palethorpe's constructed a purpose built factory employing 400 people in Market Drayton
, at a cost of £650,000.This resulted in the closure of the Tipton factory in 1968, after which it was demolished and redeveloped as low-rise council flats.
The high cost of building the new factory saw Palethorpes suffer financial difficulties and in 1969 the business was bought by the Bibby Agricultural Group. In 1980 the business again changed hands being bought by Haverhill Meat Products, a joint venture company owned equally by J Sainsbury and Canada Meat Packers. The Company ceased manufacturing and selling Palethorpes branded products in 1986 in order to concentrate on its own label business. The Palethorpes brand name is still owned by Sainsburys and was reborn briefly in the mid 1990s as a value brand for Sainsbury pies and pasties, although it is no longer used.
Palethorpes became a part of Northern Foods
, the UK’s largest manufacturer of meat and savoury products, in 1991. It became part of the Chilled Foods division known as Premium Savoury Products but was eventually merged by Northern with both Pork Farms
of Nottingham
and Bowyers
of Trowbridge
, Wiltshire
, to form Pork Farms Bowyers, in 2005.
Now rebranded as Pork Farms Palethorpes, the Market Drayton plant presently employs 700 people. The company supplies foods to leading retailers to be sold under their own brand names. Customer companies include Asda
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
producer of cooked meat and pastry products and was particularly well known for its branded sausages. Founded in 1859, it was bought by the Bibby Group in 1969 and then by Haverhill Meat Products (a J Sainsbury, Canadian Meat packers Joint Venture) before becoming part of the Northern Foods
Northern Foods
Northern Foods Ltd is a British food manufacturer headquartered in Leeds, England. It was formerly listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE SmallCap Index. The company was scheduled to merge with Greencore Group in 2011 to form Essenta Foods, the group being...
Chilled Foods division in 1991. Palethorpes is now part of Pork Farms
Pork Farms
Pork Farms is a Nottingham-based British producer and distributor of mainly pork-based bakery products.-History:In the early 1940s, recently City and Guilds qualified baker Ken Parr took out a £9,000 loan to set up his own pie shop...
.
History
Henry Palethorpe was born in 1829 in the Black CountryBlack Country
The Black Country is a loosely defined area of the English West Midlands conurbation, to the north and west of Birmingham, and to the south and east of Wolverhampton. During the industrial revolution in the 19th century this area had become one of the most intensely industrialised in the nation...
. Setting up business as a butcher
Butcher
A butcher is a person who may slaughter animals, dress their flesh, sell their meat or any combination of these three tasks. They may prepare standard cuts of meat, poultry, fish and shellfish for sale in retail or wholesale food establishments...
in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
in the 1850s, he realised that the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
was flooding the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
market with cheap bacon
Bacon
Bacon is a cured meat prepared from a pig. It is first cured using large quantities of salt, either in a brine or in a dry packing; the result is fresh bacon . Fresh bacon may then be further dried for weeks or months in cold air, boiled, or smoked. Fresh and dried bacon must be cooked before eating...
and pork
Pork
Pork is the culinary name for meat from the domestic pig , which is eaten in many countries. It is one of the most commonly consumed meats worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BC....
.
Palethorpe decided to move into value-added meat processing products, specialising in sausages, with which he had success. The company moved to Tipton
Tipton
Tipton is a town in the Sandwell borough of the West Midlands, England, with a population of around 47,000. Tipton is located about halfway between Birmingham and Wolverhampton. It is a part of the West Midlands conurbation and is a part of the Black Country....
in 1896, claiming at the time to be the world's largest sausage producer. The company expanded during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, supplying canned meat products to the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
. However, it lost market share during and after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, with restrictions on meat sales due to the amount of meat that was being imported; this gave an advantage to fishmonger
Fishmonger
A fishmonger is someone who sells fish and seafood...
s such as Macfisheries, who boomed during the war.
By the 1960s, with the development of supermarket
Supermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
s in the United Kingdom, the company was experiencing additional pressure. In 1967 Palethorpe's constructed a purpose built factory employing 400 people in Market Drayton
Market Drayton
Market Drayton is a small market town in north Shropshire, England. It is on the River Tern, between Shrewsbury and Stoke-on-Trent, and was formerly known as "Drayton in Hales" and earlier simply as "Drayton" ....
, at a cost of £650,000.This resulted in the closure of the Tipton factory in 1968, after which it was demolished and redeveloped as low-rise council flats.
The high cost of building the new factory saw Palethorpes suffer financial difficulties and in 1969 the business was bought by the Bibby Agricultural Group. In 1980 the business again changed hands being bought by Haverhill Meat Products, a joint venture company owned equally by J Sainsbury and Canada Meat Packers. The Company ceased manufacturing and selling Palethorpes branded products in 1986 in order to concentrate on its own label business. The Palethorpes brand name is still owned by Sainsburys and was reborn briefly in the mid 1990s as a value brand for Sainsbury pies and pasties, although it is no longer used.
Palethorpes became a part of Northern Foods
Northern Foods
Northern Foods Ltd is a British food manufacturer headquartered in Leeds, England. It was formerly listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE SmallCap Index. The company was scheduled to merge with Greencore Group in 2011 to form Essenta Foods, the group being...
, the UK’s largest manufacturer of meat and savoury products, in 1991. It became part of the Chilled Foods division known as Premium Savoury Products but was eventually merged by Northern with both Pork Farms
Pork Farms
Pork Farms is a Nottingham-based British producer and distributor of mainly pork-based bakery products.-History:In the early 1940s, recently City and Guilds qualified baker Ken Parr took out a £9,000 loan to set up his own pie shop...
of Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
and Bowyers
Bowyers
Bowyers was a large company based in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England, based manufacturer of meat products, with a particularly well known brand of sausages which are still produced today....
of Trowbridge
Trowbridge
Trowbridge is the county town of Wiltshire, England, situated on the River Biss in the west of the county, approximately 12 miles southeast of Bath, Somerset....
, Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, to form Pork Farms Bowyers, in 2005.
Now rebranded as Pork Farms Palethorpes, the Market Drayton plant presently employs 700 people. The company supplies foods to leading retailers to be sold under their own brand names. Customer companies include Asda
Asda
Asda Stores Ltd is a British supermarket chain which retails food, clothing, general merchandise, toys and financial services. It also has a mobile telephone network, , Asda Mobile...
.