When it comes to jams and preserves, Wilkin & Sons is one of the UKs best loved brands and has recently added a selection of fruit-based gins to its product range. Adviser spoke to the Tiptree based jam maker to find out more about them and their plans for the future.
In the early years the company shipped most of its jam to Australia. Why was that, and how much of the produce now goes for export? An Australian merchant met the founder Mr Arthur Charles Wilkin and bought the whole of the first batch of strawberry conserve made in June 1885. We now export a wide range of preserves to more than 65 countries: as an example Strawberry Conserve and Lemon Curd is very popular with our American consumers. The expansion of the railway system in Victorian Britain was undoubtedly a help in bringing in outside workers to Tiptree. Do you think that the limitation on migrant workers following Brexit will affect production capacity? The construction of the branch line between Kelvedon and Tollesbury came at a time when the Victorians were expanding the rail network across the country. From the late 1800s the majority of the permanent factory and farm workers came from Tiptree and the surrounding villages. The proposed limitation on access to seasonal overseas farm workers may make it more challenging to secure a full workforce on the farm in the future.
Wilkin & Sons now exports all over the world, but the firm has always had its roots in Tiptree. How did this small village in North Essex become the centre for a leading brand? The Wilkin family has lived and farmed in Tiptree since 1757, growing various crops including fruit, which suited the land around the heath. It was in 1885 that Mr Arthur Charles Wilkin made the first strawberry jam from his fruit and his success led to the development of a small factory which expanded over the years to the current factory. Tiptree is within the driest county in the country, meaning that water is of extreme importance, therefore we have invested in new systems and harvested rain provides 80% of the water needed for the crops.
1 8 | S C R U T T O N B L A N D | B U S I N E S S P R O F I L E
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker