Robertson's
 |
|
| Product type | Food |
|---|---|
| Owner | Hain Celestial Group |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Introduced | 1864 |
| Previous owners |
Rank Hovis McDougall Premier Foods |
| Website | www |
Robertson's is a UK brand of marmalades and fruit preserves that was founded by James Robertson in 1864. The company was run as a partnership until 1903, when it was incorporated as a limited company - James Robertson & Sons, Preserve Manufacturers, Limited. It produces the "Golden Shred" marmalade among other products.
James Robertson of Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland was born in January 16 1832 in Niddry Street, Paisly. He started life working in the local thread mills. During a long down turn in the silk trade, Robertson decided to change trades and became apprenticed to a local grocer, hoping this would give him a better future.
On June 15 1856 he married Marion McFadyen, and started up in business as a grocer at 86 Causeyside Street, Paisley. Robertson was a charitable man and one day, taking pity on a salesman, bought a barrel of Seville oranges from him, which are known for their bitter taste. Not wanting to see her husband waste money, Mrs Robertson took to making a sweet tasting marmalade in the back of the shop, which the couple perfected over the following few months.
The resultant clear and tangy Golden Shred marmalade became a commercial success. The couple had developed a method to remove the bitterness of the orange, while retaining what Robertson called "the highly tonic value of the fruit". It is asserted that this same process is used in the present day to give Robertson's preserves a distinct flavour.
So popular was the product, that in 1864 a separate company was formed to lease a factory on Stevenson Street in the south of the town to meet increased demand. Jam and mincemeat were soon added to the range. In 1891 the company built a factory at Droylsden, Manchester.
In 1903, James Robertson & Sons, Preserve Manufacturers, Limited was incorporated to run the business.
In 1914 James Robertson died aged 83. He had featured in the public life of Paisley, having been a member of the council, a magistrate, a school director, and the manager of a savings bank, as well as belonging to a variety of philanthropic societies. His eldest son John succeeded as company chairman, establishing the firm as a leader in the preserves industry. Robertson’s were awarded royal warrants of appointment by King George V in 1933, King George VI and also by the present Queen Elizabeth.
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