Walker's Shortbread

Walker's Shortbread Ltd. is a Scottish manufacturer of shortbread, biscuits, cookies and crackers. The company's well-known shortbread is baked in the Moray village of Aberlour, following a recipe developed by Joseph Walker in 1898.[1] Walker's Shortbread operates four factories in Aberlour, where the company is also headquartered, and two in nearby Elgin, Scotland.[2]

Walker's Shortbread Ltd.
TypePrivate
IndustryBaked goods
Founded1898 (1898) in Torphins, Scotland
FounderJoseph Walker
HeadquartersAberlour, Scotland
Area served
Worldwide
ProductsShortbread, biscuits, cookies and crackers
Websitewalkersshortbread.com

The company is Scotland's biggest exporter of food[3] and employs over 4,000 people in 15 locations.[4] It is sold in tartan packaging all over the world.[5]

History

The business was founded by Joseph Walker in the village of Aberlour, Speyside, in 1898. It quickly started producing shortbread.[6]

In 1992, Walker's Shortbread started producing oaten biscuits for Duchy Originals, having been approached the previous year.[7]

In 2006, Walker's announced that the bakery in Aberlour would be closing and turning into a research facility for the company.[8]

The company has received the Queen's Award for Export Achievement three times.[9] Walker's Shortbread is also still owned and managed by the Walker family.[10]

In 2017 Walker's Shortbread was granted a Royal Warrant of Appointment from Her Majesty The Queen for the supply of Shortbread to the Royal Household.[11]

In 2018 the company's profits were diminished by a global increase in the price of butter by around 50%[12] due to global supply shortages and demand increases, resulting in the company seeing a 60% drop in operating profit.[13]

In 2020, the company rebranded, changing their name to Walker's Shortbread Ltd.[14] The company's name was previously written without an apostrophe and was known as "Walkers Shortbread Limited".

In 2023, the company announced it was exploring how to create a vegan version of the butter-based biscuit.[15]

Locations

Walker's Shortbread have their headquarters at Aberlour House in Aberlour and have a production site in Elgin.

See also

References
  1. "About us". Archived from the original on 6 January 2014. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  2. "Walker's Shortbread". Biscuit people. 11 January 2017. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  3. "Business | The Scotsman". www.scotsman.com.
  4. "History of Walker's Shortbread". www.englishteastore.com. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  5. "All you need to know about Walker's Shortbread". The Scotsman. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  6. Emma Kay, A History of British Baking: From Blood Bread to Bake-Off (Pen & Sword, 2020) pp. 113–114.
  7. McCrea, Diane (2007). The handbook of organic and fair trade food marketing. Oxford: Blackwell Pub. pp. 176–180. ISBN 9780470996089.
  8. "Walker's Shortbread closing village bakery" - PoliticalGateway.com 13 June 2006
  9. "WalkersShortbread.com - History".
  10. Bindrim, Kira (2 July 2007). "Walkers Shortbread names new CEO". newyorkbusiness.com. Crain Communications, Inc. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  11. "Her Majesty The Queen Grants Royal Warrant To Walker's For Shortbread". www.walkersshortbread.com. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
  12. UK, Oscar Williams-Grut, Business Insider. "The butter market is going crazy". Business Insider. Retrieved 26 March 2019. {{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  13. "Shortbread firm hit by butter price surge". 18 July 2018. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
  14. Symon, Ken (7 October 2020). "Walker's Shortbread returns furlough payments as it reports increased turnover and marginally reduced profits". businessInsider. Insider Publications Ltd. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  15. Woolfson, Daniel (3 March 2023). "Royal shortbread maker poised to go vegan". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
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