H. P. Sauce
of Aston Road, Birmingham. Telephone: East 426. Cables: "Midland, Birmingham". (1929)
Frederick Gibson Garton of Radcliffe Road, West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire invented H. P. Sauce.
Garton owned a store that was a small co-operative collective where fairly priced foodstuffs were available, and from which he sold his sauce.
1875 Edwin Samson Moore, a representative for Pink’s Pickles of Portsmouth, founded the Midland Vinegar Co at Tower Road, Aston Cross.
Moore visited Garton to collect a debt, and noticed the sauce-making activities. He purchased the recipe and brand for a £150 plus the cancellation of the debt.
1901 Tower Road became the registered offices of the manufacture of "F. G. Garton's Sauce" as it was then known.
1903 It was re-labelled HP Sauce. Garton had always wanted to call the sauce HP because he claimed to have heard that it was available in a restaurant in the Houses of Parliament.
c1904 HP Sauce was exported worldwide as salesmen were sent around the British Empire.
1917 The label of HP Sauce bottles started carrying a section in French.
1921 Moore retired.
1924 The British Share Holders Trust bought the Midland Vinegar Company, and subsequently floated it as HP Sauce Ltd.
1928 Moore died.
1929 Listed Exhibitor. Manufacturers of H.P. Sauce, "Midland" Vinegar, Garton's Tomato Ketchup, "H.P." Pickle, Garton's Worcestershire Sauce, Garton's and other Pickles, Gravy Browning and Baker's Yeast. (Stand No. L.59) [1]
1930 Company merged with Lea and Perrins.
1960-70s HP Sauce became known as "Wilson's Gravy" after Harold Wilson, the Labour Prime Minister. The name arose after Wilson's wife, Mary, gave an interview to the Sunday Times in which she claimed "If Harold has a fault, it is that he will drown everything with HP Sauce".
1967 Acquired by Imperial Tobacco Co
1972 Imperial brought together 2 of its foods businesses, H. P. Sauce and Smedley's, as Smedley-HP Foods[2]
1975 When Harold Wilson addressed a banquet to celebrate 100 years since the formation of the Midlands Vinegar Company, he admitted that it was not HP Sauce that he was partial to, but was in fact Lea and Perrins Worcestershire Sauce.
1981 Smedley's was separated [3] as TKM Foods.
1986 Hanson Trust acquired Imperial
1988 Hanson Trust sold HP Foods to French company BSN, maker of Danone yoghurt[4]
2005 June Heinz purchased the parent company, HP Foods, from Danone.
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ 1929 British Industries Fair Page
- ↑ The Times Sept. 25, 1972
- ↑ The Times Mar 13, 1981
- ↑ The Times July 7, 1988