Buoyant Scottish food group continues to build on its reputation globally with high-end new products
WITH more than 150 years of experience in producing some of the UK’s best loved foods, it is fair to say that Baxters knows the recipe for success.
Established in Fochabers in 1868, selling jams to locals, Baxters has grown over four generations into a global organisation with a range of leading brands and more than 160 products in its portfolio.
These days, Baxters is best known for soup and pickled beetroot but continues to make other pantry staples such as jam, chutney, condiments and relishes.
At the heart of Baxters’ success has been its ethos to “be different, be better” – coined by founder George Baxter in 1868.
Kirsty Chalmers, head of marketing at Baxters Food Group, said: “It is often hard to ‘be different, be better’ in such a competitive market but, at Baxters, we never settle – we’re always looking for ways to improve and innovate.
“During the past two years, that’s led us to a huge recipe refinement programme across our soup portfolio, renovating over half of our soup SKUs to continue to offer the best tasting soup in a tin.”
This approach saw enhancements made to some of the company’s best-selling soup recipes, including Highlanders Broth, Scotch Broth and Potato & Leek, as well as the launch of four exciting new flavours.
This includes adding two new flavours to its Vegetarian Range – Indian Spiced Cauliflower and Honeyed Root Vegetable.
Meanwhile, Mexican Chicken & Lime, which offers immunity-boosting benefits, was introduced to its Super Good range and, in its luxury range, decadent and luxurious Hot Smoked Salmon Chowder joined the portfolio.
To this day, Baxters soups are still cooked in small batches and taste-tested every 30 minutes by the production team at Fochabers, in Moray.
This unique batch cooking process and production methods allow consumers to enjoy the famous bite and taste the ingredients in every mouthful.
Each recipe, including the brand’s latest creations, is personally tasted and approved by fourth-generation family member and executive chairman, Audrey Baxter.
With pickling in the company’s DNA, 2023 saw Baxters new range of pickle products flying off the shelves.
Launched at the end of 2022 to meet the demand for adding crunch, colour and tang to home cooked meals and bolstered by their popularity on platforms such as TikTok, where #Pickle(s) has amassed 10.7billion views, the range features pickled onions, gherkins, pickled cabbage, sauerkraut and kimchi.
Baxters Kimchi has quickly claimed the top spot in the branded pickled cabbage category, solidifying the company’s reputation as a leader in pickles.
Chalmers added: “Baxters is a proud Scottish company and, even as we have expanded into global markets and developed our portfolio over the years, the connection to our Scottish home and our heritage remains incredibly important to us and consumers of our products.
“Being celebrated as one of Scotland’s top brands fills us with joy and we are thrilled to have moved up the ranks from ninth in 2022 to sixth position in 2023.”
