Iconic food brand begins new chapter

By Ged Henderson

06 Apr 2023

Alston Dairy

An iconic Lancashire food brand is set to start a new chapter after being acquired by the James Hall group of companies for an undisclosed sum.

Family run yogurt maker Ann Forshaw’s and its associated Alston Dairy was founded in the early 1980s.

James Hall & Co serves a network of independent Spar retailers and company-owned stores across the North of England from its base at Bowland View in Preston.

The acquisition sees the family-owned group expand its portfolio of food manufacturing businesses in the North West to five, adding Forshaw’s to Clayton Park Bakery, Fazila Foods, Graham Eyes Butchers and the Great Northern Sandwich Company.

Operating within the group will mean business as usual for Alston Dairy. Company founder Ann Forshaw and her granddaughter Emma Coupe, who joined in 2017, will remain as directors and will run the company on a day-to-day basis, and all staff will continue in employment.

The family’s Bolton Fold Farm, next door to the dairy, will also remain under ownership of the Forshaw family.

With a mission of producing high quality yogurt from farm to pot within 24 hours, Alston Dairy will continue to purchase milk from the farm to maintain the product’s unique characteristic by using the freshest milk possible.

Dominic Hall, joint managing director of James Hall & Co, which can trace its roots back to 1863, says: “The Ann Forshaw’s brand has an outstanding reputation for producing premium yogurt products.

“We have sold Ann Forshaw’s products in our Spar stores for many years and they have played an important role in our dairy categories, becoming firm customer favourites.

“We continue to strive to source locally as much as we can and acquiring Alston Dairy will allow us to protect that ambition and keep the brand local.

“We are keen to grow the business further and see a huge amount of potential in the Ann Forshaw’s brand.

“We will grow the presence in more Spar stores and continue to develop products in new categories, ensuring that greater numbers of customers can enjoy the products.”

Ann began the business that bears her name in the early 1980s after completing a one-day yogurt making course.

Armed with the knowledge gleaned from the course, she set about making low fat yogurt, sweetened with apple juice, using the skimmed milk which at the time was a waste product on the farm from the cream that they produced.

The business, based on the outskirts of Longridge in the Ribble Valley, has had its share of challenges over the past four decades. However, it has overcome them all through Ann’s determination and her family’s support.

The family had bought Bolton Fold farm when it came up for sale in 1980. The opportunity to own their farmland and house was too good an opportunity to pass up, despite interest rates at 18 per cent.

The yogurt business came out of the need to create extra revenue. In those early days Ann sold 30 dozen pots a week to small local shops. As the business grew, Lancashire based grocery chain EH Booths was one of the first supermarkets to stock Forshaw’s products, followed by James Hall. There were difficult times to be navigated.

At one stage the bank proposed the sale of some of the farmland and 40 of the dairy herd to help solve some of the financial challenges.

However, as a result of her determination the bank gave Ann another six months, declaring after that time that she and her family had “done the impossible”.

The late 1980s also saw a new dairy built to cope with the volume needed to supply Forshaw’s then main customer, a German supermarket chain, only for it to lose the work and 80 per cent of the business to another company on price. More determination and persistence were required.

Ann says: “Across several decades I have poured all of my energy and passion into growing the business and with the support of a wonderful team we have developed the brand and product range in to what it is today.”

Looking at the sale, she says: “I felt that the time was right for me to sell the business and I was keen to ensure that Alston Dairy and the Ann Forshaw’s brand was sold on to a company that has shared values and is similarly family-owned, so I am very pleased to complete the deal with James Hall.

“I am also very excited to remain as a director of the business, together with Emma, to bring to life the new ideas that we have for Ann Forshaw’s products.

“And I am very much looking forward to a future where even more Spar customers can access our fantastic yogurt range.”

The market for those products remains large with Britons spending more than £2bn a year on yogurt products. In 2021, production of yogurt in the UK totalled approximately 463,000 tonnes.

Enjoyed this? Read more from Ged Henderson

Latest news

1

Morecambe shortlisted in National Visa Awards celebrating the UK’s thriving towns David Waddington and John O'Neill

Morecambe shortlisted in National Visa Awards celebrating the UK’s thriving towns

04 Jul 2025

2

County council sets out 'areas of focus for 2025-26 in document Coun Stephen Atkinson

County council sets out 'areas of focus for 2025-26 in document

04 Jul 2025

3

Warden Construction completes project to help Preston school double pupil numbers Warden Construction completes project to help Preston school double pupil numbers

Warden Construction completes project to help Preston school double pupil numbers

04 Jul 2025

4

Grant Thornton advises RJ Power Networks on sale to Ipsum Jamie Roberts

Grant Thornton advises RJ Power Networks on sale to Ipsum

04 Jul 2025

5

College principal resigns Karen Buchanan

College principal resigns

04 Jul 2025

Background image for hub sign up block

LBV Hub

Leverage Lancashire Business View platforms

Post your news
Post your events
Post your offers
Build your network
Improve your SEO
Gain coverage in the magazine
Sign-up
Events
LBV123 July/August Launch Event
Lancashire Business View magazine launch
Networking
16 Jul 2025

LBV123 July/August Launch Event

Burnley

08:30 - 10:30

Lancashire Built Environment Conference 2025
BEC 315 X 315 Px
Networking
25 Sep 2025

Lancashire Built Environment Conference 2025

Blackpool Football Club, Blackpool, FY1 6HX

08:30 - 13:00

CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course

Preston Campus, Preston , PR1 2HE

09:00 - 17:00

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course

Preston Campus, Preston, PR1 2HE

08:00 - 17:00

Tri-Site Survey Equipment Showcase
unnamed (2).jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
09 Jul 2025 - 09 Jul 2025

Tri-Site Survey Equipment Showcase

Crow Wood Hotel, Burnley, BB12 0RT

09:30 - 16:00

Blackburn Cathedral hosts Champagne and Diamonds Event with Ainsworth Jewellers
Champagne-Jewellery 10 07 25_page-0001.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Awards
10 Jul 2025 - 10 Jul 2025

Blackburn Cathedral hosts Champagne and Diamonds Event with Ainsworth Jewellers

Blackburn Cathedral, Blackburn, BB1 5AA

18:00 - 20:30

Choose Chorley for Business - Talent Reimagined Business Breakfast
talentreimaginedbb.png.png
LBV Hub Seminars
10 Jul 2025 - 10 Jul 2025

Choose Chorley for Business - Talent Reimagined Business Breakfast

Strawberry Fields Digital Hub, Chorley, PR71PS

08:00 - 10:30

Shaping Preston's future by remembering its past
1750160034867.png.png
LBV Hub Networking
16 Jul 2025 - 16 Jul 2025

Shaping Preston's future by remembering its past

Society1, Coworking Space, Preston, PR1 3LT

18:00 - 20:30

Chamber Summer BBQ
LBV Hub Social
17 Jul 2025 - 17 Jul 2025

Chamber Summer BBQ

The Borough, Dalton Square, Lancaster, LA1 1PP

17:30 - 20:00

Preston Tech Connection: Web3 is Dead. Or is It?
July Longer Banner.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Networking
29 Jul 2025 - 29 Jul 2025

Preston Tech Connection: Web3 is Dead. Or is It?

Society1, Coworking Space, Preston, PR1 3LT

18:00 - 19:30

Preston Freelancer Meet-Up: July
Longer July Banner.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Networking
31 Jul 2025 - 31 Jul 2025

Preston Freelancer Meet-Up: July

Society1, Coworking Space, Preston, PR1 3LT

10:00 - 11:30

Cumbria Business Expo 2025
https---cdn.evbuc.com-images-880461633-4862066883-1-original.20241022-110415.jpeg.jpg
LBV Hub Exhibitions
19 Sep 2025 - 19 Sep 2025

Cumbria Business Expo 2025

Carlisle Racecourse, Carlisle, CA2 4TS

09:00 - 15:00

Advertise with us

Reaching 50,000 members, our print, digital and event platforms offer a fantastic way to raise your business profile and help you grow.

Find out more LBV122 Online Graphic
Subscribe now

Weekly news bulletin