Colman's is an English manufacturer of mustard and other sauces, formerly based and produced for 160 years at Carrow, in

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...

, Norfolk. Owned by

Unilever Unilever PLC () is a British multinational consumer packaged goods company headquartered in London, England. It was founded on 2 September 1929 following the merger of Dutch margarine producer Margarine Unie with British soap maker Lever B ...

since 1995, Colman's is one of the oldest existing food brands, famous for a limited range of products, almost all being varieties of mustard, though now also producing a range of recipe and sauce mixes, as well as other condiments.

History

In the early 1800s, Jeremiah Colman began making mustard at a

water mill A watermill or water mill is a mill that uses hydropower. It is a structure that uses a water wheel or water turbine to drive a mechanical process such as milling (grinding), rolling, or hammering. Such processes are needed in the production ...

near Norwich in the village of Bawburgh. To create a tangy flavour, he blended brown mustard ('' Brassica juncea'') with white mustard ('' Sinapis alba''). Stoke Holy Cross Mill - geograph

Colman founded Colman's of Norwich in 1814, at the Stoke Holy Cross mill on the River Tas, south of Norwich. In 1823 he took his adopted nephew, James, into the business, which became J. & J. Colman. In 1851, J. J. Colman took over the business. By 1865, production had transferred to a large factory at Carrow Road on land at Thorpe Hamlet, bought from the Norfolk Railway to the south of Norwich, where the firm operated until the Norwich closure. From 1855, the firm introduced its distinctive yellow packaging and bull's-head logo. In 1866, it was granted the Royal Warrant as manufacturers of mustard to

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

. His Majesty's household still uses Colman's today. The Colman family's pioneering achievements in social welfare are part of Norwich's history. In 1857 a school was opened for the employees' children, while in 1864, the firm employed a nurse to help sick members of staff, a social revolution at the time. From 1896, Jeremiah Colman became chairman. In 1903, the firm took over rival mustard maker Keen Robinson & Company, through which it also acquired the Robinsons barley water and baby food business. The purpose of the acquisition was to reduce competition within the mustard business. In the 19th and early 20th centuries Wisbech uniquely held annual mustard markets where the sale of the harvest of 'brown' and 'white' seed took place. Regular annual Buyers included Messrs Colman's. By 1909, the company employed 2,300 people. Keen's production was moved from London to Norwich in 1925. Together with

Reckitt Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC, currently branded as Reckitt, formerly known as Reckitt Benckiser, is a British multinational consumer goods company headquartered in Slough, United Kingdom. It is a producer of health, hygiene and nutrition pro ...

, the company acquired

French's French's is an American brand of prepared Mustard (condiment), mustards, condiments, fried onions, and other food items, best known for their popular yellow mustard. Created by Robert Timothy French, French's "Cream Salad Brand" mustard debuted ...

, the American mustard manufacturer, in 1926 for £750,000. In 1938, it merged with Reckitt and Sons of Hull to form the Reckitt & Colman household products conglomerate. From 1997 to 2001, Colman's were the main sponsors of Norwich City Football Club. The Colman's part of the business was demerged in 1995 and Colman's became part of

UK Ltd. In addition to mustard, it applies its name to condiments, sauces and other foodstuffs. Reckitt and Colman engaged in cost-cutting as it prepared to sell the brand, getting rid of the

agronomy Agronomy is the science and technology of producing and using plants by agriculture for food, fuel, fiber, chemicals, recreation, or land conservation. Agronomy has come to include research of plant genetics, plant physiology, meteorology, and ...

department, which had looked after plant breeding and seed development. Colman's maintains links with Norwich. The founding family are commemorated in street names such as ''Colman Road'' (part of the A140 inner ring road), on which is situated Colman First and Middle Schools. In addition, the Colman House residence at the

University of East Anglia The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a Public university, public research university in Norwich, England. Established in 1963 on a campus university, campus west of the city centre, the university has four faculties and twenty-six schools of ...

is named after the company and Jeremiah Colman.

Relocation

In January 2018, it was announced that Colman's was to leave its base in Norwich where the condiment had been produced for 160 years and would move its production to Burton-on-Trent and Germany. In 2019, the Colman's factory in Norwich rolled its last jar of mustard off the production line and its "best before" date was changed for the occasion to: "Norwich's Last. By Its Finest. July 24th 2019". Colman's continued making other condiments at the Carrow site until closing its doors in early 2020.

Colman's Mustard Shop and Museum

The Mustard Shop traded in

from 1973 to April 2017. The shop was originally opened in Bridewell Alley. In 1999, the shop was relocated to Norwich's Royal Arcade. Norwich Heritage Economic and Regeneration Trust took over the shop in 2009, making it both a retail operation and tourism attraction. In 2015, Guildhall Enterprises took the premises from HEART. The shop was closed in April 2017.

Publicity

In the 1920s, Dorothy L. Sayers worked on their account. Sayers was employed by S. H. Benson; her collaboration with artist John Gilroy resulted in "The Mustard Club" for Colman's Mustard.Barbara Reynolds. Dorothy L. Sayers: Her Life and Soul. NY: St Martin's Griffin, 1997. P. 164-165 Media slogans such as "Come on Colman's, light my fire" appeared in the late 20th century. While the product was still manufactured in Norfolk, Colman's was the main shirt sponsor of Norwich City Football Club.

Product range

* Colman's English Mustard * Colman's Condiments ** Bramley Apple Sauce ** Mint Sauce ** Cranberry Sauce ** Horseradish Sauce ** Seafood Sauce ** Tartare Sauce * Colman's recipe mixes ** Beef bourguignon ** Sausage and onion casserole ** Coq au vin ** Chicken pie ** Fish pie ** Beef casserole ** Chilli con carne ** Sausage casserole ** Chicken casserole ** Cottage pie ** Spaghetti bolognese ** Tuna pasta bake ** Chicken chasseur ** Shepherd's pie ** Hot chilli con carne ** Chicken supreme ** Beef stroganoff ** Lamb hotpot * Colman's sauce mixes ** Pepper sauce ** Onion sauce ** Parsley sauce ** Cheddar cheese sauce ** White sauce ** Bread sauce * Colman's Big Night In ** Salt and pepper chicken ** Mexican burritos ** Korean barbecue ** Argentinian steak ** Chicken kebab ** Ultimate burger ** Doner kebab * Colman's Season and Shake ** Mediterranean chicken ** Garlic and herb roast chicken ** Piri piri chicken ** Sweet chilli chicken ** Cajun chicken

References

External links

Colman's Official Website

{{Mustard (condiment) British condiments Companies based in Norwich Food and drink companies of England Mustard brands Unilever brands British brands British companies established in 1814 British royal warrant holders 1814 establishments in England Food and drink companies established in 1814 Colman family Brand name condiments Condiment companies of the United Kingdom