The Vestey Group
Union Cartage was one of many businesses owned by the Vestey family
The Vestey family business encompassed every part of the meat trade from 'Mountain range to kitchen range'
The foundation of this meat trade empire and its subsequent growth into one of the country's largest privately owned businesses, is the stuff of corporate legend
William and Edmund Vestey established the Union Cold Storage Company in 1897. They developed cold stores across the UK and throughout Russia, the Baltics, and Western Europe. This enabled them to supply large quantities of quality affordable meat, poultry, eggs and fish to the growing UK population during the Industrial Revolution. In the early 20th century, the business expanded into China, establishing a huge egg processing enterprise from six dedicated facilities on the eastern seaboard. With their own fleet of Blue Star refrigerated vessels founded in 1911, they were able to supply the bakery trades in the UK, USA, Europe and South Africa for over fifty years.
In 1911, the Vestey brothers expanded their services into meat production, processing and distribution. They acquired pastoral land and meat works in Brazil, Uruguay, Venezuela, Australia (where they became the largest private landowner) with additional meat works in New Zealand and Argentina.
Their butcher shops throughout the UK steadily increasing to have around 3,000 shops by 1923. The Blue Star fleet grew to become one of the most iconic shipping lines in history.
In 1923 the firm acquired numerous competitors including J H Dewhurst and it was the Dewhurst brand and its equivalent Alex Munro in Scotland that came to dominate British shopping streets into the 21st century. The Vesteys became the largest meat retailer in the UK with a 20% share of the market and controlled a world wide meat empire employing over 30,000 people, all governed from offices in Smithfield Market, London
This colossal food factory canned and exported meat to five continents for almost 120 years. It was known as "the world's big kitchen" as it fed Europe and the troops of several armies in times of scarcity
An example of the Vestey empire - Fray Bentos in Uruguay
The Liebig company’s freezing facility at Fray Bentos in Uruguay were acquired by the Vesteys in 1924. It started life in 1865 as Liebig's Extract of Meat Company (makers of Oxo) then then name was changed to Frigorífico Anglo and finally Frigorífico Fray Bentos. It closed in 1979
watercolour by Hans Walter Buser of the Vestey meat works at Port Darwin courtesy National Library of Australia
Vesteys were major land and cattle owners in Australia
In 1917 Vesteys accepted an offer from the Australian government to build an abattoir in Darwin in return for 42-year leases on 12 million acres of crown pastoral land
Trojan Star, built in France in 1916 and bought by a Blue Star Line in 1924
The Blue Star Shipping Line
The Blue Star Line was founded in 1911 by the Vestey family to carry eggs and other perishables from China. Prior to World War I seven refrigerated ships sailed under the Blue Star Line banner carrying eggs and other perishables to England from China. After losing many vessels during WWII the company rebuilt the fleet. Notable among the new building were cargo passenger ships, the Argentina Star , Brasil Star, Paraguay Star and Uruguay Star carried some 68 passengers and hanging chilled beef
Smithfield Market: The former Union Cold Store
Union Cold Storage
From the outset UCS was a key component of the Vestey group. Starting in the late 1890s, cold stores were built around the world. This is Smithfield Market Cold Store built between 1898 and 1899 for the London Central Markets and contained extensive basement cold stores. It was the first of several large scale powered cold stores that were built in London at that time
W Weddel and Co
Weddel became active in the 1880’s first nationally and then internationally, recognising the vast potential created by refrigeration for the transport of chilled and frozen meat. Weddel & Co imported mutton and beef from New Zealand, Australia and South America to European markets. For over a century the name Weddel adorned meat packing plants, products and trading offices around the country
Dewhurst - The Master Butcher
JW Dewhurst described themselves in the 1950s as the 'The Master Butcher' and the world's largest group of personal services retail butchers with approximately 6000 employees spread over 1400 branches across the UK including Baxters, Matthews, Wests, Alex Munro in Scotland and Cobb of Knightsbridge. The Group held the Royal Warrant to supply meat to the British Royal Family at Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and Sandringham