Samworth Brothers Limited

Website: www.ginsters.co.uk

The Cornish pasty has existed for over three hundred years and was initially eaten by fishermen, miners and farm workers as a snack to eat away from home. The pastry case enabled the meat and vegetables to remain clean and warm throughout the day and also helped to retain the rich flavour of the filling.

A traditional Cornish pasty like Ginsters has a crimp on the side rather than along the top which is characteristic of a Devon pasty.

Around 1945 -1950, the popularity of the Cornish pasty began to spread with holidaymakers eating the product as a snack on the beach or while motoring. Demand for the product from outside of the Cornwall area began to grow and many manufacturers started to produce 'pasties' around the country, under the guise of being genuine Cornish pasties. In some instances poor quality product gave rise to a bad reputation in certain parts of the country for the humble pasty.

In 1969 Geoffrey Ginster began producing his own Cornish pasties from a site in Callington in Cornwall just two years after starting a van sales business buying and selling fresh pasties to local retailers in Cornwall. The success of the business quickly began to grow as distribution channels were opened up throughout the south of England making Ginsters Cornish pasties much more accessible to the rest of the country. Eventually, distribution progressed so rapidly that the quality Cornish pasty could be enjoyed throughout the UK.

In 1977, Samworth Brothers acquired Ginsters. With the support of Samworth Brothers, both the brand and the product portfolio has grown from strength to strength by providing quality food wherever people want it.

Ginsters Original Cornish Pasty is the nation's biggest selling product in the Chilled Savouries market and the brand offers food across the sandwiches, wraps, quiche, hot pie, cold pie and ready to eat meals markets. The bakery is an industry leader in local sourcing, for which it has received many plaudits. It also won Management Today's UK Food Company of the Year in 2005.

Today, the company employs 700 people and has its own fleet of 150 vehicles based at sales offices across the country, delivering direct to motorway service stations, forecourts, convenience stores, and foodservice customers. The Ginsters range is also available from the major high street multiples, delivered by Samworth Brothers own distribution service.

Ginsters is proud to be one of more than seventy members of the Cornish Pasty Association (www.cornishpastyassociation.co.uk), which is fighting to protect the integrity of one of Britain's most treasured regional foods.

For further information please contact:

Ginsters
Lynher Bakery
Tavistock Road
Callington
Cornwall PL17 7XG

Tel: 01579 386200
Fax: 01579 386240
Email: andy.valentine@ginsters.co.uk
Map: Google Map for Ginsters