Early history

It was first made in a factory called the Chelsea Works (an ex swimming pool) in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

.

In 1928 production was transferred to a purpose built factory at 265 Merton Road , Southfields in the London Borough of Wandsworth

London Borough of Wandsworth

The London Borough of Wandsworth is a London borough in southwest London, England, and forms part of Inner London.-History:The borough was formed in 1965 from the former area of the Metropolitan Borough of Battersea and much of the former area of the Metropolitan Borough of Wandsworth, but...

. The company's official title was George mason & Co Ltd. However, George Mason left the firm before World War 1 and the company was run by the Cooper family, initially Percy Cooper then his son Rex Cooper as Chairman and MD.

Colmans

Rex's son, Brian oversaw the changeover to Colmans. In addition to OK sauce, other sauces and chutneys were made. They also had a satellite factory (called Watersend Condiments)in a converted farm building beside a manor house at Temple Ewell, Dover. This concentrated on horseradish sauce, mint sauce and mint jelly. The factories continued to make sauces until 1969, when the owners of the company sold it off to Reckitt and Colman at Norwich. The products had a Royal Warrant

Royal Warrant

Royal warrants of appointment have been issued for centuries to those who supply goods or services to a royal court or certain royal personages. The warrant enables the supplier to advertise the fact that they supply to the royal family, so lending prestige to the supplier...

 which ceased around the takeover. All production was transferred to Norwich

Norwich

Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...

 and both factories closed. However, the excellent Art Deco

Art Deco

Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...

 facade

Facade

A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....

 of the Southfields building, visible from Merton Road. still exists and has been awarded Grade 2 listing status around year 2000 by the then Secretary of State.

Colmans continued to make OK Sauce but the other condiments were soon discontinued. It is still in production today but is extremely difficult to find. Sainsburys and some other supermarkets dropped supply about 20 years ago but some specialist shops stock it and it is a popular ingredient in Chinese cuisine. The original recipe contained an excellent mix of fruits and spices making it a quality, piquant, fruity sauce. (the author of this information, a Cooper, still has the original recipe). The list of ingredients in the current sauce is very different (less variety of fruit and water now being an ingredient).

Employees

During the production period until the Southfields closure, there were about 160 employees (including office, sales, and shop floor). Many staff stayed for long periods, some all their working lives, indicating a contented workforce. The main entrance hall, behind the imposing oak double entrance doors, contained various plaques identifying long service staff. Are they there now? A single board showed those having completed 25 years service (over 30) and four individual plaques honoring staff who had completed 50 years service ( one having stayed over 60 years).

See also

• A1 Steak Sauce
  A1 Steak Sauce
  A1 is a steak sauce and condiment for use with meat or game dishes. It was developed in the United Kingdom as a brand in the year 1831 and was later introduced to the United States by G.F...
  
  
• Brown sauce
  Brown sauce
  Brown sauce may refer to:* Brown sauce , in French and Scandinavian cuisines* Steak sauce, a spiced condiment containing fruits and vinegar** A1 Steak Sauce, an American brand of steak sauce** HP Sauce, a British brand of sauce...
  
  
• Daddies
  Daddies
  Daddies is a brand of ketchup and brown sauce in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. The brown sauce is similar to HP Sauce, but without tamarind, without tomatoes and with less malt vinegar but more spirit vinegar.-History:...
  
  
• Henry Bain sauce
  Henry Bain sauce
  Henry Bain was one of the first employees and eventually a legendary head waiter at the Pendennis Club in Louisville, Kentucky, which was founded in 1881. He created his famous sauce for both steaks and local game animals...
  
  
• Tabasco Sauce
  Tabasco sauce
  Tabasco sauce is the brand name for a hot sauce produced by US-based McIlhenny Company of Avery Island, Louisiana. Tabasco sauce is made from tabasco peppers , vinegar, and salt, and aged in white oak barrels for three years. It has a hot, spicy flavor...