History of Lea & Perrins

In 1823, English chemists John Wheeley Lea and William Henry Perrins decided to open an apothecary shop on Broad Street in Worcester, near the River Severn. They brewed a new spice, which after 18 months had matured into a delicious sauce. It was so delicious, in fact, that they decided to sell it.

They began making Worcester sauce on August 28, 1837, and the first bottles went on sale the following year. Worcestershire sauce is perhaps Worcester's most famous product. Later, they created the Lea & Perrins brand Worcestershire sauce.

The sauce was an instant success — thanks in no small part to Lea & Perrins’ aggressive and successful marketing strategy, which initially involved bringing bottles of the sauce aboard British ocean liners for passengers to sample with their meals.

The partners filled more bottles, and the taste of Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce spread throughout Europe, America and the world. To make the sauce, they let it steep for two years, stirring regularly; then they removed the solids from the mixture and bottled it.

In 1839, Worcestershire sauce was introduced in the USA. It was such a success that the importer, John Duncan of New York, opened a processing plant, imported the ingredients from England, and made it exactly according to the English recipe.

On October 16, 1897, Lea & Perrins moved the manufacture of the sauce from their Broad Street pharmacy to a factory on Midland Road in Worcester, where it is still made today. During World War II, the factory was seized by the British Army and destroyed by a factory fire in 1964

Towards the end of the century, all bottles were given Lea & Perrins’ iconic orange label to set them apart from imitators (the label has changed little since). in 1904, Lea & Perrins received Royal Assent, which the company still holds today.

History of Lea & Perrins

History of business of Worcestershire Sauce

It started when Lord Sandys, a local aristocrat who had been Governor of Bengal, visited the chemist shop asking for a recipe he had found in India to be made up. Chemists John Lea and William Perrins made an extra jar for themselves, but found they did not like the concoction and stored it in the cellar. Sometime later they retasted the preparation to discover it was delicious.

John Wheeley Lea and William Henry Perrins, chemists and partners since Jan. 1823, start to make Lea and Perrin’s Worcestershire Sauce in the back of their chemist shop at 68 Broad Street in Worcester, England. Worcester is a thriving commercial town on the River Severn, which connects it to the Bristol Channel and international maritime trade.

They were experimenting with vinegar-based seasoning sauces and had abandoned a batch that did not taste right. Sitting in the basement, the sauce fermented and developed complex flavors.

In 1842, Lea & Perrins sold 636 bottles of Worcestershire sauce. In 1845, factory was set up in Bank Street, Worcester. Ten years later the yearly sales were up to 30,000 bottles of Worcestershire sauce.

By the end of the century Lea & Perrins’ iconic orange label had been added to all bottles to ensure they stood out from copycat competitors (the label has hardly changed since) and in 1904 Lea & Perrins was granted the Royal Warrant which it holds to this day.

The partners bottled more, and a taste for Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce spread throughout Europe, to America, and across the world. To produce the sauce, they allowed it to sit for two years with periodic stirrings; the mixture was then sifted of the solids and bottled.

Soy sauce remained the main secret ingredient until World War II, when supply problems caused it to be replaced by hydrolyzed vegetable protein.

In 2005, Lea & Perrins is bought by U.S. food company Heinz (H.J. Heinz Company).
History of business of Worcestershire Sauce