Hamlyns: A potted history
Hamlyns is part of a family food business, owned and managed by a family with 14 generations of history in oat milling.
The brand is now over 35 years old. Here are some of the key dates in its history:
1965 Grain merchants, Hamlyn and Co, launched Hamlyns Oatmeal in September 1965. The company was a successful animal feed producer, however in 1965 they decided to branch out into a consumer brand, after they were joined by two skilled millers from another local mill. The two men brought with them not just the skills to produce a high quality traditional oatmeal, but a strong customer base, and the brand was an instant success in wholesalers and grocers throughout the North East of Scotland.
Hamlyns Oatmeal was produced at the Fraserburgh Watermill, a water mill in name only, which until then had been used primarily for drying grain.
1973 The company expanded the range to include Hamlyns Porridge Oats.
1977 Hamlyn and Co was acquired by the Hanson Trust, who were building their agricultural interests having acquired milling interests in Kirriemuir, Inverurie and Aberdeen. The Kirriemuir Mill produced oatmeal under the Peter Pan brand, however they recognised the value of the Hamlyns brand, and soon all of the company's oatmeal was branded Hamlyns.
1987 Hanson sold the company to J Bibby Agriculture Ltd, who continued to develop the brand.
1991
Bibbys closed their mills in Buckie and Kirriemuir, and sold the Hamlyns
brand to North Eastern Farmers, a farmers' co-operative. North Eastern
Farmers already had their own oatmeal brand, Up Country, however Hamlyns
was once again believed to be the stronger brand, and Up Country was discontinued
in favour of Hamlyns.
1991 The mill at Boyndie, near Banff, opened in 1991. The mill is still one of the most modern oat processing mills in Europe, combining the latest oat milling techniques with traditional customs.
1998 Hamlyns
was sold to the current owners in 1998. They have continued to develop
the brand and expand the product range, while remaining committed to producing
a premium quality traditional product, 100% Scottish, from seed, to mill
to finished product.
Oats in History
Oats are
grown in almost every part of the world, with the most important countries
being Great Britain, North America, Scandinavia, Russia, Poland, Finland
and Australia.
Oat grains
have been found in archaeological remains in all parts of Great Britain,
and numerous Celtic, Old Nordic and old Germanic names for oats point
to its very old and central function in ancient nutrition.
Oats have
certainly been a popular food crop in Britain since the 13th century,
and for hundreds of years, oats in one form or other, were a staple in
the country's diet. However oats had other uses too - oatmeal had value
as a currency in the payment for rent or wages, or to form part of a dowry;
oat poultices were used to draw poisons from the body; oats still are
popular feed for horses and cattle.
Two hundred
years ago, there was an oat mill every eight miles or so in Scotland used
to feed both horses and humans, and every household made their own staples
using Scottish oats - porridge, oatcakes, hearty soups, haggis.
Porridge
was the staple diet of Highland crofters, who made a large pot at the
beginning of the week, which was poured into the dresser drawer to cool
and eaten in slices as the week progressed.
Today
approximately 650,000 tonnes of oats are produced in the UK each year,
with around 40% of the total being used in UK food production. The balance
is exported or used in animal feed.