The announcement comes after Crediton Confectionery faced closure last year before being acquired by Paramount Retail Group (PRG).
Former glory
Since then, PRG has spent over £600k on the company investing in new flooring and machinery, inviting employees to reapply for their jobs, acquiring the freehold of the site for further development, launching a new website and hiring Robert Whittleston as MD.
The name Bristows of Devon is a throwback to the confectionery firm’s heritage which dates back to 1932 making confectionery in the town of Crediton, Devon.
Whittleston said it wants to bring Bristows of Devon back to its former glory and has already launched Bristows Mocktails bon-bons, Mocktails chews with plans to develop its Tuckers and Pollards brands and own label confectionery in the UK and internationally. It currently supplies products to 32 countries.
“We have all the right ingredients in place and we’re hungry for success. The target will be to see a ‘Bristows of Devon’ bag, tub or tin on every supermarket shelf,” added Whittleston.
“We’re currently busy reviving and developing some of our traditional brands, which includes Tuckers and Pollards. There’s also focus right now on cut and wrap products especially seasonal fudge which is popular here in Devon in the summer. Looking further afield we have the capability to export to any country and we’ve just taken our first US order this week, which is great news.”
Other members to join the Board of Directors is Frank Bristow – a member of the original Bristow family, as chairman.
The team now want to attend exhibitions, work on new product development and bring back nostalgic recipes used in past when it was known for its bon-bons, butterscotch, boiled sweets and cut and wrap products.
Sugar-free
It will also launch a range of sugar-free sweets.
Bristows will take advantage of a nearby wholesaler owned by PRG, and introduce technologies to increase capacity and efficiencies at the BRC audited factory which employs 29 people.
As well as cut and wrap toffee and fudge, bon bons and boiled sweets, it claims to be the only company in the world that produces a dual coloured bon bon and the only UK supplier of toffee centred bon bons.