Our story: The one where we got our first home
Our business started in a small, 1,000 sq. ft space in the village of Moulton in Northampton.
Director Jo had previously worked for the Development Corporation.
And, when her and Nigel were setting the business up in 1983, Jo asked her previous employer:
“Could we have a small unit, please?”
In return, they kindly offered six months of free rent and rates in a unit.
Nigel had his experience in farming and butchery.
He and Jo had the secret recipe, ‘the Wagstaff complete cure’.
They also had £5,000 from Nigel’s redundancy, and a £5,000 bank loan.
And now a first home for Houghton Hams!
The space was modest in size, so it meant everything was done in one area.
But that didn’t affect quality – the finest artisan hams and gammons were produced.
The pork legs would come in and butchers from Buswell’s – where Nigel was employed during his van sales days – would work on their way home.
We’d cure the legs. We’d cook them. We’d pack them.
And then Nigel and Jo would hand deliver the products in their cars!
Fast forward to today, we’re still close by to Moulton – on the outskirts of the village.
But we now have 11 units that cover more than 40,000 sq ft, with our latest factory development progressing towards completion!
