About Sarson’s

Sarson’s history began in 1794 when they first started making vinegar in Craven Street, London. Today, they make six million litres of Sarson’s vinegar every year – that’s 15 million bottles! Brewed from British malt, using Wood wool from larch timber grown by the Leighton Estate in Wales and craft brewed in Siberian pine vats. The process takes seven days to create a rich and round taste and it has been done in the same way for over 200 years using quality British ingredients. For more information, visit www.sarsons.co.uk.

About Mizkan Euro

Mizkan Euro is the European subsidiary of Mizkan, a privately-owned, Japanese business started in 1804, which is the number one Sushi seasoning supplier in the world. Headed by Kazuhide Nakano, Mizkan is a global business with over 210 years’ experience in producing high quality products. Mizkan Euro has continued this worldwide trend of producing high quality foodstuffs by adding Branston Pickle, Hayward’s Pickled Vegetables and Sarson’s Vinegar to its portfolio of brands as part of its growth plan, cementing its position as pickles and chutneys, relishes and vinegar category experts in Europe.

The challenge

Sarson’s maintains its uniquely rich and round taste by nurturing traditional methods of manufacturing craftsmanship that have been with the company since it was established. For example, Sarson’s is brewed from British malt, fermented with British-manufactured larch Wood wool, and matured in Siberian pine vats. Sarson’s is committed to quality and craftmanship and an ethos of sustainability which means that, wherever possible, it sources its manufacturing inputs locally and from renewable resources.

All this brings challenges. One particular challenge has been sourcing larch Wood wool – a vital ingredient for Sarson’s, which uses it as a substrate for acetobacter to turn alcohol into vinegar. Larch is used because it does not discolour or taint the vinegar. The company insists that all its Wood wool must be made from British-grown larch and manufactured according to traditional, high quality principles.

In June 2018, Sarson’s decided to review its Wood wool suppliers.

The solution

After a thorough assessment of the market, Sarson’s partnered with Great British Wood wool for a guaranteed supply of sustainable Wood wool, sourced from UK-based estates. Great British Wood wool is the only manufacturer of Woodwool that exclusively uses sustainably sourced British timber. In response to the approach from Sarson’s, Great British Wood wool was able to find a larch supplier in Mid Wales: the Leighton Estate, owned by the Crewdson family. A survey established that the Leighton Estate was capable of supplying Sarson’s larch needs, and Great British Wood wool geared up to be able to meet Sarson’s requirements.

The benefits

Sarson’s now enjoys the certainty offered by a 25-year supply contract for larch from the Leighton Estate. Additionally, Great British Wood wool uses traditional, craft-based manufacturing methods to guarantee the highest quality product. The company carries out all processes, from sourcing to processing, in house. This end-to-end manufacturing capability is a unique feature of Great British Wood wool, and it is a strategy designed to ensure quality at every step.

Great British Wood wool has recently passed Mizkan’s highly demanding work practices, record-keeping and health and safety audits to become an approved supplier.

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