Member Article

Yorkshire confectioners create 8 jobs with NatWest investment

Elland-based Joseph Dobson & Sons has expanded and created eight job roles with support from NatWest.

The brand supplies products to most major supermarkets including Morrisons, Asda, Tesco and Sainsburys, a number of wholesalers and independent retailers, as well as running its own shop in Southgate, Elland.

The company needed extra space for manufacturing and packing and turned to NatWest for additional funding towards a new warehouse.

Michael Hall, relationship director at NatWesv in Huddersfield, (who supported the business for over 150 years) helped secure a commercial mortgage under the Government’s Funding for Lending Scheme.

Joseph Dobson & Sons was able to invest in the 8,700 sq ft premises on Exley Lane, around the corner from their existing premises in Northgate.

The new site incorporates a state-of-the-art, purpose-built Mint Imperial manufacturing and packing facility which will speed the processes up and in turn, boost productivity.

Operations such as manufacturing and packing of sweets and lollies will continue to operate in the Northgate site.

Miriam explains: “The packaging was causing a bottle neck in the process and these machines will help us combat that. Without the new site we wouldn’t have had the space to house them – this will help us a great deal.”

The latest development has enabled Miriam and Stephen to recruit an additional eight employees to join their 52 strong permanent staff.

“We’ve been with NatWest since the business started in 1850,” Miriam continues. “Michael has offered us lots of useful advice and has been very helpful throughout this latest expansion project.”

Michael comments: “Joseph Dobson & Sons is a fantastic family business with a huge amount of history. It plays a big part in the local community in Elland and I’m proud to have been able to support them through this latest phase of growth.”

Joseph Dobson & Sons continues to use the traditional sweet making methods which have been used since 1940s and include boiling the ingredients in large, open copper pans.

It’s said that the famous Yorkshire Mixtures came into being when Joseph Dobson’s son dropped some sweets when he was coming down the stairs.

The firm was established 1850. In 1999, Miriam Walshaw, great-great granddaughter of Joseph Dobson, and her husband Stephen took over the helm.

The business, believed to have created the famous Yorkshire Mixtures, hand makes Voice Tablets, Mint Imperials and Traffic Light Lollies.

In addition to confectionery, Joseph Dobson & Sons manufactures and supplies cough lozenges to the pharmaceutical industry.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Clare Burnett .