Sheffield sweet maker wins Co-op supply contract

Maxons Ltd, the historic family owned sweet manufacturer, has secured a contract for regional supply to the Co-operative as part of a local sourcing initiative which is being piloted in Yorkshire.

The Sheffield-based company has already started supplying its range of traditional boiled sweets and sherbets to 70 Co-ops throughout South Yorkshire.

Richard Pitchfork, managing director, said: “This is fantastic news for Maxons, the products are being well received and the hope is that the contract will be extended to cover Co-op stores throughout the country.

“As well as supplying small corner sweet shops and wholesalers, we have regional contracts with Asda and Tesco and supply other major retailers such as Netto and QD Stores.

“With many supermarkets keen to sell locally produced goods, regional-inspired products such as our unique ‘Yorkshire Mixture’ of fruit flavoured traditional boiled sweets and our recently developed ‘Sweet Peak’ energy sweet, are proving very popular. We are proud to add the Co-op name to our customer portfolio and optimistic that we have more contract wins in the pipeline.”

Maxons, which dates back to the 1880s, began as Dixons and in the 1950s merged with a wholesale business founded by Ralph Pitchfork, the grandfather of current directors Richard and Chris. The £1.1m turnover business now employs 20 staff.

Following the death of their father, Roger, in 2009, Richard and Chris have worked with business adviser Grant Thornton to completely restructure the business, developing new packaging and focussing on a range of core products.

Richard explained: “Having stripped out unnecessary costs within the business, we have been able to focus on our strengths and drill down into the products and specialities which set us apart from our larger, more mechanised competitors.

“We’ve gone back to our roots and focussed on our unique position as an old fashioned sweets specialist, playing on the nostalgia of perennial favourites such as pear drops, mint humbugs and sherbet pots.

“Using this USP, we’ve extended our product range from traditional weigh out jars to also offer retail-friendly pre-packaged sweets under our Maxons, Dixons and Jesmona brands. Significant investment in new packaging was a real turning point for us and highlights the quality of our products.”

Peter Edwards, director at Grant Thornton’s Sheffield office, said: “As one of the few remaining traditional sweet manufacturers in the north of England, it’s great to see Maxons focussing on its strengths and securing wider distribution for its heritage products.

There’s no doubt that Richard and Chris have brought new energy and vision to the business as well as sheer hard work – to have secured a series of contracts with some of the UK’s largest retailers is an impressive achievement.“

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