St Ivel

St Ivel is a British dairy brand with origins in the West Country. It was introduced in 1901 by Aplin & Barrett, a dairy company based in Yeovil, Somerset, as a name for a range of dairy products. The brand became associated with milk, cream, butter, spreads, yoghurts, desserts and other chilled products, supported by a network of production facilities concentrated in south-west England and, at different times, Wales and other parts of Britain. The history of St Ivel is closely connected with the consolidation of the British dairy industry. Aplin & Barrett developed the brand during a period when regional dairies were expanding their processing, distribution and doorstep-delivery businesses. In 1960, Aplin & Barrett was acquired by Unigate Dairy Company, a large British dairy group. Under Unigate ownership, St Ivel was used across several product divisions, including milk, cream, low-fat spreads and yoghurt. The brand’s manufacturing footprint included sites at locations such as Chichester, Evercreech, Whitchurch, Westbury, Hemyock, Harby, Chard, Minsterley, St Erth and Welsh cheese-making locations including Haverfordwest and Carmarthen. Corporate restructuring in the late 1990s and early 2000s changed the scope of the St Ivel business. Unigate’s remaining operations were reorganised through Uniq, while individual divisions and brands were sold to other food companies. Dairy Crest acquired Unigate’s cream division in July 2000 and bought the low-fat-spreads division, including the Gold brand, from Uniq in November 2002 for £86 million. Dairy Crest also acquired most of the St Ivel-related brands at the beginning of the 2000s, following a severe decline in doorstep milk deliveries, historically one of Unigate’s important business areas. The yoghurt business illustrates the effect of this period of portfolio rationalisation. St Ivel’s owner, Uniq/Unigate, produced Shape yoghurts at Wootton Bassett in Wiltshire. Shape was sold to Danone for £32 million. The Wootton Bassett factory, which had opened in 1908, closed in February 2003; the site was later sold for £19 million in August 2004, converted into the Beaufort Park housing development and demolished in June 2005. This transaction separated one of the most recognisable yoghurt activities associated with the wider St Ivel portfolio from the brand’s remaining dairy operations. Under Dairy Crest, St Ivel continued to be used for selected products rather than representing the full former Unigate dairy empire. The brand supplied milk to Marks & Spencer and was used for milk promoted to school-age children with added omega-3 fatty acids. It was also associated with Mr Juicy, a fruit-juice product available in several flavours, particularly orange, although the brand’s central identity remained rooted in dairy. Dairy Crest’s successor, Müller, continued to use St Ivel for buttermilk in 2020. The brand’s current scope, ownership arrangements and complete product range are not fully documented in the supplied reference material.

St Ivel began in 1901 when Aplin & Barrett, a dairy company based in Yeovil, Somerset, introduced the name for a range of dairy products. Its emergence reflected the growth of regional dairy businesses in Britain, which combined milk collection, processing, manufacturing and local delivery. St Ivel subsequently became associated with a broad group of everyday dairy products rather than a single category. Aplin & Barrett was acquired by Unigate Dairy Company in 1960. The takeover placed St Ivel within one of Britain’s larger dairy organisations and expanded the operational context in which the brand was managed. St Ivel products were made at numerous sites, particularly in south-west England, with additional production in Wales and elsewhere. The historical manufacturing network included facilities at Chichester, Evercreech, Whitchurch, Westbury, Hemyock, Harby, Chard, Minsterley in Shropshire and St Erth in Cornwall. Welsh facilities at Haverfordwest and Carmarthen were connected with cheese production, while the Cornish operation specialised in Cornish clotted cream and desserts made with clotted cream, including rice pudding. It also produced cheesecakes for Marks & Spencer. The brand’s corporate history became more complicated as Unigate restructured. Uniq was formed from the part of Unigate left after its cream division was sold to Dairy Crest in May 2000. Dairy Crest completed that cream-division acquisition in July 2000. The changing economics of dairy distribution were significant: doorstep milk deliveries, once a major part of Unigate’s business, declined sharply. In response, many assets and brands were separated or sold during the late 1990s and early 2000s. The yoghurt activities provide a clear example. St Ivel’s owner at the time, Uniq/Unigate, produced Shape yoghurts at Wootton Bassett in Wiltshire. Shape was sold to Danone for £32 million. The Wootton Bassett plant had opened in 1908 and closed in February 2003. The site was sold for £19 million in August 2004, later redeveloped as Beaufort Park housing estate, and demolished in June 2005. Dairy Crest acquired most of the relevant St Ivel brands around the beginning of the 2000s. In November 2002, it bought the low-fat-spreads division from Uniq for £86 million; that division included the Gold low-fat-spread brand and manufactured products at Kirkby on Merseyside. Dairy Crest’s St Ivel-related activities included milk, cream and other chilled products. St Ivel milk was supplied to Marks & Spencer and was also promoted to school-age children with added omega-3 fatty acids. The broader brand portfolio also included Mr Juicy fruit drinks, sold in several flavours with orange identified as the most common. As the business contracted from its former multi-site, multi-category structure, St Ivel remained in use for selected products. Dairy Crest was later succeeded in the relevant business by Müller, which was still using the St Ivel name for buttermilk in 2020. The brand therefore represents both the heritage of regional British dairying and the later consolidation of dairy manufacturing into fewer corporate owners and product lines. Its current full portfolio and corporate status are not established by the supplied sources.

• 2020

  St Ivel name remains in use for buttermilk

  [1]St Ivelen.wikipedia.org

  The brand was still used for buttermilk produced by Müller, successor to Dairy Crest’s relevant dairy operations.

• 2003

  Wootton Bassett factory closes

  [1]St Ivelen.wikipedia.org

  The Wiltshire factory associated with St Ivel and Shape yoghurt closed after the yoghurt business had been sold to Danone.

• 2002

  Low-fat-spreads division acquired by Dairy Crest

  [1]St Ivelen.wikipedia.org

  Dairy Crest bought the low-fat-spreads division from Uniq, including the Gold brand.

• 2000

  Cream division transferred to Dairy Crest

  [1]St Ivelen.wikipedia.org

  Dairy Crest acquired Unigate’s cream division during the restructuring of the former Unigate business.

• 1960

  Aplin & Barrett joins Unigate

  [1]St Ivelen.wikipedia.org

  Unigate Dairy Company took over Aplin & Barrett, bringing St Ivel into its expanding dairy group.

• 1901

  St Ivel is introduced

  [1]St Ivelen.wikipedia.org

  Aplin & Barrett of Yeovil introduced St Ivel as a name for a range of dairy products.

A traditional British dairy brand rooted in regional milk processing and associated with everyday chilled dairy products, with later use across selected milk, buttermilk and related offerings.

• Dairy milk

  Milk

  Milk was one of the principal categories associated with St Ivel. The brand supplied milk to Marks & Spencer and was used for milk promoted to school-age children with added omega-3 fatty acids. The milk business also reflects St Ivel’s historical connection to Unigate’s doorstep-delivery and regional dairy operations.

• Cultured dairy

  Buttermilk

  Buttermilk is the clearest product identified as continuing under the St Ivel name in the supplied modern reference. In 2020, Müller, the successor to Dairy Crest’s relevant dairy operations, was producing buttermilk under the brand.

• Dairy cream and desserts

  Cream and clotted-cream products

  St Ivel’s historical cream activities included ordinary cream and Cornish clotted cream. The St Erth site in Cornwall also made desserts containing clotted cream, including rice pudding, as well as cheesecakes supplied to Marks & Spencer.

• Dairy fat

  Butter

  Butter is identified in the supplied dossier as a typical St Ivel product category. The available reference does not specify particular product variants, launch dates or the period during which the brand was used for butter.

• Dairy and dairy-alternative spreads

  Low-fat spreads

  The St Ivel-associated spreads division included the Gold low-fat brand and manufactured products at Kirkby on Merseyside. Dairy Crest acquired this division from Uniq in November 2002, helping separate the spreads activity from the remaining Unigate business.

• Yoghurt

  Yoghurts

  Yoghurt was part of the wider St Ivel/Uniq dairy portfolio. The Wootton Bassett operation in Wiltshire produced Shape yoghurts until the brand was sold to Danone. The factory closed in February 2003, so this production activity is historical rather than evidence of a current St Ivel yoghurt range.

• Fruit juice

  Mr Juicy

  Mr Juicy was a St Ivel-associated fruit-juice product available in several flavours. Orange was described as the most common flavour in the supplied reference. Its inclusion shows that the historical St Ivel portfolio extended beyond strictly dairy products.

• 2002

  Sale of the spreads division to Dairy CrestM&A

  Background

  The sale followed the decline of Unigate’s traditional doorstep milk-delivery business and the wider separation of its operating divisions.

  Action taken

  Dairy Crest acquired Uniq’s low-fat-spreads division, including the Gold brand, in November 2002 for £86 million.

  Aftermath

  The transaction further reduced the operational breadth of Uniq and moved another St Ivel-associated product division to Dairy Crest.

  Acquisition price. £86 million (November 2002)

  Source

• 2000

  Transfer of the cream division to Dairy CrestM&A

  Background

  The transaction took place during the break-up and reorganisation of Unigate’s former dairy operations.

  Action taken

  Dairy Crest acquired Unigate’s cream division in July 2000.

  Aftermath

  The deal reduced the range of activities remaining within the Unigate/Uniq structure and placed the cream business within Dairy Crest.

  Source

• 2000

  Unsuccessful bid for Unigate’s milk divisionM&A

  Background

  Robert Wiseman Dairies sought to expand its position in the British milk market during the restructuring of Unigate’s dairy operations.

  Action taken

  Robert Wiseman Dairies attempted to buy Unigate’s milk division in March 2000, but the bid was unsuccessful.

  Aftermath

  The milk division was not transferred to Robert Wiseman Dairies through the proposed transaction.

  Source

• Sale of Shape yoghurt to DanoneM&A

  Background

  Shape yoghurt was produced by the Uniq/Unigate business at Wootton Bassett in Wiltshire.

  Action taken

  The Shape yoghurt brand was sold to Danone for £32 million.

  Aftermath

  The Wootton Bassett factory closed in February 2003, ending that manufacturing operation under the former St Ivel-related ownership.

  Acquisition price. £32 million (Date not specified in source)

  Source

1. 1St Ivelen.wikipedia.org