Jordans

Jordans is a British breakfast-food brand whose roots lie in milling and whose best-known products are granola cereals and granola bars. The brand is associated with Holme Mills in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, where William Herbert Jordan began milling operations after purchasing the site in 1855. The mill produced flour for more than a century, but the later development of the Jordans consumer brand came from the Jordan family’s decision to move beyond traditional milling. In 1972, brothers Bill and David Jordan founded Jordans Cereals after encountering granola in California. They introduced granola to the British market as the company’s initial product category, establishing a business focused on cereal products rather than conventional flour milling. The family’s milling heritage remained an important part of the brand’s identity, while the consumer proposition developed around breakfast cereals and convenient cereal-based foods. Jordans expanded into cereal bars in 1981. This broadened the brand beyond the breakfast bowl and gave it a portable snack format. Over time, its principal product territory has remained granola and related cereal products, with the brand positioned around a natural, wholesome and ingredient-led image. The available reference material does not establish a complete product catalogue, detailed retail distribution, or a current list of national markets, so those aspects are not stated more specifically here. The company also participated in initiatives connected with healthier food choices and environmental conservation. Between 2002 and 2006, Jordans and Yeo Valley Organic supported the Organic and Natural Food Company, a startup that operated Green Machine vending machines offering foods positioned as healthier options in United Kingdom schools. In 2009, Jordans launched the Big Buzz campaign with the British Beekeepers’ Association and the Bumblebee Conservation Trust to draw attention to declining bee populations and support conservation awareness. Jordans received a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in April 2003. Bill Jordan was appointed an MBE in the 2005 New Year Honours for services to the food and drink industries. The ownership structure changed substantially in the following decade: Associated British Foods acquired an initial 20% stake in September 2007, purchased a further 42% in June 2008, and had taken full ownership by 2013. Jordans now sits within Jordans Dorset Ryvita, the ABF subsidiary that also includes Dorset Cereals and Ryvita crispbreads. In the United Kingdom, the business has been described as the country’s fourth-largest cereal manufacturer, behind Kellogg’s, Nestlé and Weetabix, although no date or underlying market-share figure is provided in the reference material.

Jordans’ history combines a nineteenth-century milling site with a twentieth-century consumer-food business. In 1855, farmer William Herbert Jordan purchased Holme Mills in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire. The site continued to operate as a flour mill until 1970, preserving the family’s connection with grain processing but not yet representing the modern Jordans cereal brand. The consumer business was established in 1972 when brothers Bill and David Jordan founded Jordans Cereals. Their inspiration was granola, which they had encountered in California. Granola became the company’s first product and provided the basis for a brand focused on breakfast cereals rather than flour. The company subsequently extended its range into portable formats: in 1981 it began producing granola bars. Jordans also explored food and education initiatives. From 2002 to 2006, Jordans and Yeo Valley Organic backed the Organic and Natural Food Company, a startup that supplied Green Machine vending machines in United Kingdom schools. These machines offered foods presented as healthier alternatives for pupils and staff, linking the participating brands with debates about school nutrition and access to food. The company received a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in April 2003. Bill Jordan later received an MBE in the 2005 New Year Honours for services to the food and drink industries. Conservation became another visible part of the brand’s public activity. In May 2009, Jordans launched the Big Buzz campaign in partnership with the British Beekeepers’ Association and the Bumblebee Conservation Trust. The campaign addressed concern about the decline of bee populations and promoted awareness of the importance of bees and other pollinators. Associated British Foods began acquiring ownership in stages. It bought 20% of the company in September 2007, followed by another 42% in June 2008. The business ultimately became fully owned by ABF by 2013. Jordans is now part of Jordans Dorset Ryvita, an ABF subsidiary that also encompasses Dorset Cereals and Ryvita crispbreads. The available reference material identifies Jordans as the United Kingdom’s fourth-largest cereal manufacturer after Kellogg’s, Nestlé and Weetabix, but does not provide a dated percentage market share. It also identifies the business as belonging to the Association of Cereal Food Manufacturers, which is a member of the European Breakfast Cereal Association.

• 2013

  Jordans becomes fully owned by ABF

  [1]Jordans (cereal)en.wikipedia.org

  Associated British Foods had completed the process of taking full ownership of the business by this year.

• 2009

  Big Buzz conservation campaign launches

  [1]Jordans (cereal)en.wikipedia.org

  Jordans launched Big Buzz in May with the British Beekeepers’ Association and the Bumblebee Conservation Trust to address declining bee populations.

• 2008

  ABF increases its ownership

  [1]Jordans (cereal)en.wikipedia.org

  Associated British Foods acquired a further 42% stake in June.

• 2007

  Associated British Foods acquires an initial stake

  [1]Jordans (cereal)en.wikipedia.org

  Associated British Foods purchased 20% of the company in September.

• 2005

  Bill Jordan receives an MBE

  [1]Jordans (cereal)en.wikipedia.org

  Bill Jordan was appointed an MBE in the New Year Honours for services to the food and drink industries.

• 2003

  Queen’s Award for Enterprise

  [1]Jordans (cereal)en.wikipedia.org

  The company received a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in April.

• 1981

  Granola bars are introduced

  [1]Jordans (cereal)en.wikipedia.org

  Jordans began producing granola bars, extending the brand into a portable cereal-based snack format.

• 1972

  Jordans Cereals is founded

  [1]Jordans (cereal)en.wikipedia.org

  Bill and David Jordan founded Jordans Cereals after discovering granola in California. Granola was the company’s first product.

• 1970

  Flour milling ends at Holme Mills

  [1]Jordans (cereal)en.wikipedia.org

  Holme Mills ceased flour production after more than a century of milling activity.

• 1855

  Holme Mills enters the Jordan family’s history

  [1]Jordans (cereal)en.wikipedia.org

  Farmer William Herbert Jordan purchased Holme Mills in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire. The mill produced flour until 1970 and later became associated with the origins of the Jordans cereal business.

A British cereal brand centered on granola and cereal bars, with a wholesome, natural and environmentally conscious image.

• Breakfast cereal · 1972

  Jordans Granola

  Granola was Jordans’ founding product category after Bill and David Jordan encountered the food in California. It established the brand’s position in breakfast cereals and remains its defining product territory. The available source material does not specify the complete range of recipes, ingredients or current pack formats.

• Cereal bars · 1981

  Jordans Granola Bars

  Jordans began producing granola bars in 1981, extending its cereal expertise into a portable snack format. The source material identifies the category and launch year but does not provide a complete list of current variants or formulations.

• 2009Big Buzz

  United Kingdom

  Jordans launched Big Buzz in May 2009 with the British Beekeepers’ Association and the Bumblebee Conservation Trust. The campaign focused on the rapid decline of bee populations and related conservation concerns.

  Source

• 2008

  ABF increases its stakeM&A

  Background

  Following its initial investment, Associated British Foods continued the staged acquisition of Jordans.

  Action taken

  ABF acquired a further 42% of the company in June 2008.

  Aftermath

  The increased holding preceded the company’s eventual integration into ABF ownership and the Jordans Dorset Ryvita structure.

  Source

• 2007

  ABF takes a minority stake in JordansM&A

  Background

  Jordans was an established cereal and cereal-bar business with a long family history when Associated British Foods began acquiring ownership.

  Action taken

  Associated British Foods purchased 20% of the company in September 2007.

  Aftermath

  The transaction began a staged change in ownership that culminated in ABF’s full ownership by 2013.

  Source

1. 1Jordans (cereal)en.wikipedia.org