Branston (brand)
 | |
 A jar of Branston Pickle when it was sold under the Crosse and Blackwell brand | |
| Product type | Pickle, sauces |
|---|---|
| Owner | Mizkan |
| Country | England |
| Introduced | 1922 |
| Previous owners | Crosse and Blackwell Nestlé Premier Foods |
| Tagline | Bring out the Branston |
| Website | bringoutthebranston |
Branston is an English food brand best known for the original Branston Pickle, a sweet pickle first made in 1922 in the village of Branston near Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, by Crosse & Blackwell.[1][2][3] The Branston factory proved to be uneconomical, and production was moved to Crosse & Blackwell subsidiary, E Lazenby & Sons in Bermondsey, London, where it invested in new buildings in 1924 and 1926, which remained in use until 1969.[4][5]
In 2004, the pickle business was sold by Nestlé to Premier Foods and production was moved to Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk.[6][7] Premier Foods sold the brand to Mizkan in 2013,[8] at which time it ceased to be labelled as Crosse and Blackwell because in Europe this name was sold separately to Princes Group. Over 17 million jars a year are sold in the UK.[9]
Original pickle
[edit]
Branston Pickle is made from a variety of diced vegetables, including swede, carrots, onions and cauliflower pickled in a sauce made from vinegar, tomato, apple and spices.[9] While not a chutney, Branston Pickle is sweet and spicy with a "chutney-like" consistency, containing chunks of vegetables in a thick brown sticky sauce.[9] It is commonly served as part of a ploughman's lunch, a popular menu item in British pubs.[10] It is also frequently combined with cheese in sandwiches, and many sandwich shops in the UK offer cheese and pickle as an option.[10] It is available in the standard 'chunky' version, a 'small chunk' variety, and a 'smooth' variety that is pureed, which makes it easier to spread onto bread; convenient squeeze-bottle packs are amongst the range. Branston also has flavoured pickles including Sweet Chilli and Beetroot flavoured pickle.[11]
Brand extension
[edit]Additional Branston products include mayonnaise, tomato ketchup, piccalilli, brown sauce, salad cream, and baked beans.[12]
In October 2005, Premier Foods launched Branston Baked Beans. The marketing and promotion of this product were aimed at challenging Heinz's dominance of the UK baked bean market.[13] This marketing included an advert, featuring a Branston Bean Tin explaining how Branston Beans are very "saucy".[13] Promotional activities included a 'Great British Bean Poll' where members of the public across the country were invited to blind taste both 'the brand leader' (assumed to be Heinz) and Branston.[13] In the poll, 76% of participants picked Branston over Heinz. Heinz elected to change their recipe in the face of this aggressive activity.[14]
Premier Foods also attempted to leverage the traditional Branston Pickle brand name by producing Branston Relishes in four different flavours: Hot Chilli & Jalapeño, Gherkin, Sweet Onion and Tomato & Red Pepper.[15]
Around November 2015, a sweet chili-flavoured pickle was launched, and the brand's rich and fruity sauce was re-launched, along with two new sauce flavours, rich and spicy and rich and smoky.[11] In 2017, Branston launched its tomato ketchup, mayonnaise and brown sauce lines in single-serving sachet packaging.[16]
Walkers once produced a variety of crisps called "Cheese and Branston Pickle".[17]
Sale to Mizkan
[edit]
In late 2012, it was announced that as part of an aggressive debt reduction strategy, Premier Foods would be selling the Branston brand to Japanese food manufacturer Mizkan Group for £92.5 million, joining Sarson's vinegar and Hayward's pickled onions as recent Premier Foods to Mizkan brand acquisitions.[1] The Bury St Edmunds plant continues to manufacture Branston products.[18]
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Ruddick, Graham (30 October 2012). "Branston Pickle sold to Japan's Mizkan in £92.5m deal". The Telegraph. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
- ^ Ayto, J. (2012). The Diner's Dictionary: Word Origins of Food and Drink. Oxford Quick reference collection. OUP Oxford. p. 43. ISBN 978-0-19-964024-9. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
- ^ van Wyk, B.E. (2014). Culinary Herbs and Spices of the World. University of Chicago Press. p. 36. ISBN 978-0-226-09183-9. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
- ^ Bourke, Joanna (6 December 2016). "London Square buys former Branston pickle Bermondsey site for flats". Evening Standard. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
- ^ "Crosse and Blackwell / E Lazenby & Sons". Exploring Southwark. Archived from the original on 12 September 2017. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
- ^ Owen, R.; Dynes, M. (1992). Tuttle guide to the single European market: a comprehensive handbook. C.E. Tuttle. p. 163. ISBN 978-0-8048-1815-5. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
- ^ "Pickle 'demand rises' after fire". BBC News. 2 November 2004. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
- ^ "Branston sold by Premier Foods". BBC News. 30 October 2012. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
- ^ a b c Martin, K. (2017). Famous Brand Names and Their Origins. Pen & Sword Books Limited. pp. 8–9. ISBN 978-1-78159-015-7. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
- ^ a b Kazmier, Penny (26 January 2016). "In the U.K., the Branston Pickle adds crunchy, savory kick to sandwiches". Daily Herald. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
- ^ a b "Branston launches new flavoured pickle and table sauces". FoodBev Media. 4 November 2015. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
- ^ Evans, Graeme (30 October 2012). "The £90m pickle: Branston sold to Japan firm". The Independent. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
- ^ a b c Pringle, H. (2008). Brand Immortality: How Brands Can Live Long and Prosper. Gale virtual reference library. Kogan Page. p. 232. ISBN 978-0-7494-5572-9. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
- ^ Gill, Joe (21 February 2006). "Heinz to change baked beans recipe as it faces Branston challenge". Brandrepublic.com. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
- ^ Marketing. Haymarket Press. 2005. p. 10. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
- ^ Panthaki, Fabian (27 October 2017). "Mizkan Expands Foodservice Offers From Branston, Sarson's". KamCity. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
- ^ "Walkers Cheese and Branston Pickle Feathers Crisps". Taquitos.net. Retrieved 20 February 2014.
- ^ "BBC News - Branston sold by Premier Foods to Japan's Mizkan". Bbc.co.uk. 30 October 2012. Retrieved 20 February 2014.
External links
[edit]