Uncle Joes Mint Balls 120g tin

Product Information

At the moment we've got customers in Japan, the US, Australia and New Zealand," said John, who received an MBE in 2012. "We're scattered all over the world. The 1930′s were possibly the most significant years in the history of the company. Wiganers were first introduced to Uncle Joe through the campaign of adverts that appeared in the Wigan Observer in October 1932. The sweets had been in production prior to that, but his celebrity status was only just beginning. 1933 saw the official patenting of the Uncle Joe’s Mint Balls and in 1937 the company became fully registered. Mr Santus must have decided that they were in a position to advertise their services. He had great faith in his product, and in a letter to his advertising agency, dated 1937 wrote, “Most people would like Uncle Joe’s Mint Balls if only they could try them once – this seems to be a proven fact.” We extended our sugar free collection with a range of Mint with a Hint. This range of sweets was created by accident earlier this year after a member of staff making a batch of sugar-free mint balls at the Toffee Works, added liquorice extract by mistake. Colleagues tasted the end result and we liked them so much that we put them into production and started working on other flavours. Find sources: "Uncle Joe's Mint Balls"– news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR ( October 2019) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) Antony says it's a 'basic' production method that has remained since 1898 (Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)

Brown cane sugar is boiled in copper pans up to the perfect temperature - hot enough to caramelise it for a distinctive flavour, but not too hot that it burns. Once at that point, it is poured onto a table for cooling before peppermint oil is added, causing a rush of minty steam to soar into the air and clear any nostril in the room. The sweets are loved all over the world, but only 12 people make them (Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News) The humble simplicity of the process is part of the reason why Uncle Joe's is becoming loved all over the world. There is an artisanal feel to the brand - the sweets have a distinct look and taste, the logo is instantly recognisable and the company is proud to be from Wigan.William Santus Co Ltd has been making mints and traditional sweets by hand since 1898, in fact you could say it’s the ‘Original Traditional Sweet Shop’ and is the home of the world famous, Uncle Joes Mint Ball. Chocolates and toffees come and go in fads, but the perennial appeal of “Uncle Joe’s Mint Balls” lives on and after all these years the factory remains. The same sweets are produced in the same, careful manner; over gas fires and hand-made.

To work at the factory, workers had to pass two quite niche criteria – they had to be Methodist and know someone who already worked at the factory to ensure a ‘friendly and happy’ atmosphere. That tight-knit ethos is clear to see at the Dorning Street factory - where just 12 locals work including John, Antony and Anita. The workforce includes Denise Banks, who has been with the company since leaving school in 1978. Redevelopment of all in house systems and procedures to continually achieve SALSA accreditation ensures consistent high produce and service quality.

“Death of Wigan’s Uncle Joe”

It's only in the next room where Uncle Joe's enters the 21st century - and it is where the brand's global reach becomes clear. A modern machine bought eight years ago is capable of wrapping 2,000 sweets a minute - more than 30 sweets every single second.

After a successful few years in business with his brother, William sold his market stalls in Bolton and St. Helens to focus on production in Wigan. We have products that cover Gluten-Free, Vegan, Sugar Free and Traditional. All aimed at impulse buying, gift and seasonal markets. This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.We're still making them as we did in 1898 and long may it reign. Our father and grandfather basically said 'if it's not broke don't change it'. It was a good recipe to start off with."

John hopes the company will continue to do Wiganers proud. He added: "I think when people talk about Wigan they generally mention Uncle Joe's in their favourite things about the town. I think pies are probably high up there as well."The comic magazine Viz made a strip called 'Uncle Joe's Mint Balls' which was about Joseph Stalin, who was sometimes called 'Uncle Joe' by Western media, and his quest to show off his untarnished testicles to the world's press (such testicles would be known as 'mint balls' in the vernacular of Northern England, where the comic is printed.) After the success of our Halloween and Christmas bag designs, our lever lid tins range has been expanded to include seasonal tins and we are so pleased with the results! It is certainly looking like they will be just as successful as the seasonal bags. The early mint balls were made by William Santus' wife, Ellen, before production moved to a factory near Wigan Wallgate railway station in 1919. [3]