Brand history
Branston Pickle was first made in 1922 in the village of Branston near Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, by Crosse & Blackwell.[4][5][6] The Branston factory proved to be uneconomical, and production was moved to the 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.[7][8]
Additional Branston products have included mayonnaise, tomato ketchup, salad cream,[9] baked beans, piccalilli,[10] and "rich and fruity" brown sauce.[11] From around 2003, Walkers produced a variety of crisps called "Cheese and Branston Pickle".[12] They had been discontinued by 2023.[13]
In 1960, Nestlé bought the Crosse & Blackwell Group.[14][15] In 2004, Nestlé sold the pickle business to Premier Foods and production was moved to Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk.[16][17] In late 2012, Premier Foods sold 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.[4] The Bury St Edmunds plant continues to manufacture Branston products.[18]
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.[20] This marketing included an advert, featuring a Branston Bean Tin explaining how Branston Beans are very "saucy".[20] 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.[20] In the poll, 76% of participants picked Branston over Heinz. Heinz elected to change their recipe in the face of this aggressive activity.[21] Also in 2005, Premier Foods 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.[22]
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.[23] In 2017, Branston launched its tomato ketchup, mayonnaise and brown sauce lines in single-serving sachet packaging.[24]
