Rakusen's

Rakusen's is a British kosher food manufacturer based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The business traces its origins to 1900, when watchmaker Lloyd Rakusen began baking matzos in a room at the back of his home. The small-scale operation developed into a factory business in Leeds and became associated with the production of Jewish and kosher food for consumers in Britain. The brand is best known for matzo, matzo meal and matzo crackers. These products are especially prominent during Passover, when Rakusen's matzo is sold through British supermarkets and specialist food retailers, but the company also maintains a year-round presence. Its broader range includes soups, beans, Tomor margarine and other packaged food products. The assortment gives the business a role beyond seasonal Passover supply, although unleavened bread products remain its defining category. Rakusen's has historically operated as a family business. After Lloyd Rakusen died in 1944, the company passed to his family and continued to develop as an established Leeds manufacturer. Its location remains central to the brand's identity and production history. In 2015, Andrew Simpson took over the company, marking a change in ownership while preserving the business's focus on kosher food manufacturing. Rakusen's products are certified kosher by the London Beth Din. This certification is important to the brand's core market and supports distribution through mainstream British supermarkets as well as Jewish and specialist retail channels. Some products are also suitable for, and popular with, vegetarian and vegan consumers, broadening their relevance beyond the kosher market. The brand's positioning combines traditional British Jewish food heritage, kosher assurance and accessible supermarket distribution. It is primarily a United Kingdom brand rather than a globally scaled food group, and publicly available reference material does not establish a separate international corporate structure, stock-market listing or corporate parent. Rakusen's continues to operate from Leeds and remains associated with traditional matzo and related kosher grocery products.

Rakusen's began in Leeds in 1900 when Lloyd Rakusen, a watchmaker, started baking matzos in a back room of his home. The operation grew from this domestic beginning into a factory in the city, establishing the foundations of a specialist food manufacturer serving Britain's Jewish and kosher food market. The company's early development was closely tied to matzo, an unleavened bread traditionally eaten during Passover. Over time, Rakusen's became known not only for whole matzo but also for matzo meal and matzo crackers. These products helped make the brand a recurring presence in British retail, particularly during the Passover season. The company also developed a wider packaged-food range, including soups, beans, Tomor margarine and other products. Lloyd Rakusen died in 1944, after which the business passed to members of his family. The family continued the company's operation and maintained its Leeds manufacturing identity. This succession helped preserve Rakusen's as a long-running British Jewish food business rather than a short-lived specialist bakery. In the modern retail market, Rakusen's products have been stocked by many British supermarkets. Some items are available throughout the year, while special Passover matzo is particularly visible during the religious holiday period. The brand's distribution through mainstream retailers has allowed it to serve both observant Jewish households and wider consumers interested in traditional, vegetarian or vegan-friendly packaged foods. Rakusen's products are certified kosher by the London Beth Din. The certification provides formal assurance for the brand's principal market and is a central part of its commercial identity. At the same time, the product range's suitability for some vegetarian and vegan consumers gives it relevance beyond the strictly kosher segment. Andrew Simpson took over the company in 2015. Public reference material identifies him as the current owner and indicates that the business continues to operate in Leeds. Rakusen's therefore combines more than a century of local manufacturing history with a continuing role in Britain's kosher grocery market. Its strongest brand associations remain matzo, Passover, Leeds production and traditional Jewish food.

• 2015

  Andrew Simpson takes ownership

  [1]Rakusen'sen.wikipedia.org

  Andrew Simpson took over Rakusen's, succeeding the company's earlier family ownership.

• 1944

  Family succession

  [1]Rakusen'sen.wikipedia.org

  Following Lloyd Rakusen's death, ownership passed to his family and the company continued as a Leeds-based food manufacturer.

• 1900

  Business established in Leeds

  [1]Rakusen'sen.wikipedia.org

  Watchmaker Lloyd Rakusen began baking matzos in a back room in Leeds, creating the foundation of the Rakusen's food business.

Traditional British kosher food with strong Jewish heritage, seasonal Passover relevance and broad supermarket availability.

• Unleavened bread

  Matzo

  Rakusen's core product category and the food with which the brand is most strongly associated. Its matzo is sold year-round in some British supermarkets and receives particularly strong seasonal distribution during Passover. The product is made for the kosher market and is certified by the London Beth Din.

• Baking and cooking ingredient

  Matzo meal

  A processed matzo product used as an ingredient in Jewish cooking and baking. Matzo meal extends the brand beyond ready-to-eat crackers and bread, while retaining the company's traditional Passover and kosher-food associations.

• Crackers

  Matzo crackers

  Rakusen's matzo cracker products are part of the brand's best-known offering. They serve as a packaged, shelf-stable form of unleavened bread and are sold through British supermarket and specialist retail channels, with seasonal relevance during Passover.

• Packaged foods

  Soups

  Soups form part of Rakusen's broader kosher grocery range. They complement the company's better-known matzo products and demonstrate that the brand's business extends into general packaged food rather than being limited to bakery items.

• Packaged foods

  Beans

  Packaged beans are among the additional grocery products associated with Rakusen's. Their inclusion gives the brand a wider pantry-food presence and supports year-round retail distribution alongside seasonal matzo sales.

• Margarine and spreads

  Tomor margarine

  Tomor margarine is a named product associated with Rakusen's wider range. It represents the company's participation in kosher packaged grocery categories beyond its signature unleavened bread products.

• 2015

  Change of ownership to Andrew SimpsonM&A

  Background

  Rakusen's had operated through a family ownership structure after the death of founder Lloyd Rakusen in 1944.

  Action taken

  Andrew Simpson took over the company in 2015.

  Aftermath

  The business continued operating from Leeds as a kosher food manufacturer.

  Source

1. 1Rakusen'sen.wikipedia.org