One man, a stable block and a set of standards he refused to compromise. Seventy years on, Blakemans supplies sausage and meat products to the wholesale, catering and foodservice trade across the UK. The scale has changed. The standards haven’t.
Over 70 years of getting it right.
How it started
James Thomas Blakeman started the business in 1953 with hand-held machines, a stable block and a clear idea of how things should be done.
Make a good product
Look after the customer
Deliver when you say you will
Those principles built the business. They still run it today.
Our story so far
1970s
The Cod Wars left the fish and chip trade short of fish and looking for another protein to put on the menu. Sausages were the obvious answer, but natural casings split in a frying range. James worked alongside a synthetic skin producer until he had a sausage that deep fried properly every time. It is a problem we solved for our customers, and the thinking behind it has not changed.
1977
The factory moved to larger premises on Northam Road, Hanley. The £250,000 investment, worth over £1.5 million today, took production past seven tonnes of sausage a week. Jim and Ann’s daughter Susan, now Finance Director, joined the team in 1982 to look after administration, accounts and training.
1988
We opened a purpose-built, open plan site at Trubshaw Cross, Longport. It set a new standard for hygiene and efficiency, and it kept us ahead of the market.
1955
Jim and Ann invested in automated machinery. The family went from producing three tonnes a year to three tonnes a week. James’ son Philip, now Managing Director, learned every process in the factory during this period, right down to gaining his HGV licence so he could drive the refrigerated delivery lorries.
2000
James Blakeman became Chairman. Philip and Susan took charge of the day to day running of the business and opened a new facility at Millennium Way, Newcastle-under-Lyme. It doubled our production capacity and took us into cooked products for the first time.
2006-2008
We added an 18,000 square foot extension at Millennium Way for extra cold storage. In 2008 we brought the Longport manufacturing under the same roof, so the whole operation ran from one site. The investment also gave us a product development suite, so we could formulate bespoke recipes to customer briefs.
2017
Demand called for another step forward. We converted a cold store into an automated production facility that takes a block of frozen meat to a cooked, chilled and packed finished product in 40 minutes.
2018
We started making Pigs in Blankets on a small scale and worked on the recipe and technique until the bacon stayed on through cooking. Demand grew quickly, so we invested in the Millennium Way site again to keep up with it.
2022
Phase 5 was completed and running by the end of May. The self-contained production area serves our on-site cooking plant, letting us run more products at once while keeping proper segregation. It means we can keep supply consistent for our customers.
2023
Our founder and chairman, James Thomas Blakeman M.Inst.M, died aged 93, shortly after seeing the business reach its 70th anniversary. His workforce lined the yard as his cortege, led by his beloved lorries, took him past the factory one last time.
2025
A new chapter began as we joined the Cranswick family in May. As a leading supplier of pork in retail and foodservice markets, it was a natural fit. The relationship promises to unlock new heights for the future of Blakemans.
2026
New look, same great taste… the Blakemans brand has undergone a refresh. It brings a more modern, unified feel whilst taking care to protect the heritage that customers recognise and value.
Where we are today
Today, we supply sausages, pigs in blankets, burgers and patties, stuffing and meatballs, raw or cooked, frozen or chilled, packed to a wide range of specifications. Our ranges, including favourites like Supreme and Premier are trusted across the wholesale, catering and foodservice sectors, and we supply domestic and export catering and fast food markets.
Our in-house new product development team creates bespoke recipes to your brief. We run a 24 hour operation with rigorous product testing, real-time data through every area of the business and procedures that go beyond what regulation and customers ask for.
The business has changed a lot since 1953. The way we judge ourselves has not.
Quality. Consistency. Service.
Part of Cranswick
Blakemans is now part of Cranswick plc. It gives us the scale and investment to keep growing, while the quality standards our customers rely on stay exactly where they are.
