Wilkin & Sons
Encyclopedia
Tiptree
Tiptree is a village in the English county of Essex, situated south-east of Colchester and around north-east of London. Surrounding villages include Messing, Tolleshunt Knights, Layer Marney, Inworth, Birch, Great Braxted, Great Totham and Little Totham....
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1885 and makes preserves, marmalades and associated products.
The present chairman of the business, Peter Wilkin, is the great-grandson of the founder. Through a Trust, employees own a significant proportion of the business. The company has continuously held 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...
for preserves and marmalades since 1911.
The company farms 1000 acres (404.7 ha) in and around Tiptree and grows much of its own fruit, including strawberries, plums, cherries, raspberries, mulberries, quinces, medlars and the unique Little Scarlet
Little scarlet
Little Scarlet is, according to Wilkin & Sons Limited, Fragaria virginiana strawberry. It is American by origin but is grown only in Britain....
, a small fruiting variety of strawberry with a unique and intense flavour. The latter is notoriously difficult to cultivate and is grown only by Wilkin. Turnover exceeded £24 million in 2008, and the business employs over 220 full-time staff with many more during the fruitpicking season.
Other brands
- Cole's Traditional Foods: Christmas puddings and other products in a purpose-built facility in Great Chesterford, Essex
- Daizylake cakes
- Thursday Cottage: originally a SomersetSomersetThe ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
producer of natural jams, preserves and marmalades. Now located on Trewlands Farm
Other activities
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
about the company's history, jam-making, and village life. The visitor centre and museum are located in the grounds of the jam factory.
History
From 1904 to 1951 the company was served by the Kelvedon and Tollesbury Light RailwayKelvedon and Tollesbury Light Railway
The Kelvedon and Tollesbury Light Railway, authorised under the Light Railways Act 1896 operated between the two villages of Kelvedon and Tollesbury to the south of Colchester in Essex, England...
, providing most of the goods traffic of the railway.