Our Family Business
Boddington’s has been in business in Mevagissey, Cornwall since 1946.
Our family business has been built on our proud origins as Strawberry Specialists, over four generations of Boddingtons.
We now produce and supply a growing range of the finest Conserves, Chutneys and Relishes to trade customers and direct to consumers.
2024
Rebrand of the preserves side of our business as ‘Boddington’s.
New labels & website.
Taste of the West 2024 Awards; Blackberry SILVER Award, The Chilli Jam GOLD Award. Farm Shop & Deli Show product awards; The Strawberry Conserve GOLD & The Chilli Jam GOLD.
2023
Preserves side of the business became a limited company trading as Boddington's.
Market test for The Chilli Jam at the Royal Cornwall Show which won Reserve Product, confirming its place in the Boddington’s lineup.
The Strawberry Conserve won our first Great Taste Star! Taste of the West 2023 Awards; The Raspberry Conserve GOLD Award, The Apple Chutney SILVER Award. The Chilli Jam won SILVER in the Great British Food Awards and South West Winner Award.
2022
Taste of the West Awards; The Strawberry Conserve GOLD Award, The Orange Marmalade GOLD Award & The Red Onion Relish SILVER Award.
2021
Phil’s daughter Jo, takes over the social media and marketing.
Phil’s son Will Boddington decided to come back to Cornwall and work to grow the family business – and who knows maybe one day take ownership and continue the legacy of Boddington’s.
2020
Reintroduction of Strawberry Liqueur to our product range.
New exhibition kit.
2019
Phil and Louise travelled to Japan to meet a couple of our customers to discuss further business.
2018
Replacement of label line with a more up-to-date model which makes jar size changes easier.
2017
We introduced a Christmas range of products.
2016
Started working with Harper Adams University to have an annual Placement student working within the marketing team.
Label redesign.
2015
Developed The Red Onion Relish, again this was due to customer requests.
2012
Label redesign to incorporate fruit on the labels.
2011
Creation of The Apple Chutney following a customer request - the first branch out from sweet -based products.
2010
Invested in a rotary filling and sealing machine – Sweet Preserves offered in plastic 28g individual portions with a foil lid.
Invested in a Labelling line – end of labelling by hand!
2007
Added breakfast jars to the list and Marmalade.
2006
Invested in an electric cooker, moved away from the gas burners and small pans, and started cooking in 35kg batches at a time, rather than 1.5kg! Also bought a ‘depositor’.
2005
Development of The Strawberry Vinegar.
Attended Speciality and Fine Food Fair and IFE, both trade shows in London.
Further development to the packhouse to enable us to expand the volumes that were cooked.
2004
Built a new packhouse for sorting and packaging the strawberries for supermarkets.
Visited Olympia for a trade show and Spirit of Christmas for a retail show, both in London.
Supermarkets increasingly saw strawberries as a commodity crop. It was becoming too expensive to sell to supermarkets so we reduced growing crop size to only sell locally, and moved the jam production into the packhouse. Supermarkets saw strawberries as a commodity crop thus becoming too expensive to sell to supermarkets so reduced growing crop size to only sell locally.
2003
Richard’s son Phil returned to the business following horticulture training and extensive Played with the notion of ‘all things strawberry’, adding mint, cider, mead, and sparkling wine as limited edition versions of the jam via collaborations from other local producers as well as freeze-drying the fruit.
Collaborated with a local vineyard to make wine, and distillery to make the first Strawberry Liqueur.
Started attending shows both locally and nationally. Introduced Blackberry & Raspberry Conserves.and experience gained in America, Australia, and the UK. Over the next decade, the farm produced over 200 tons of fruit a year, and was the biggest fruit grower in Cornwall.
2002
Developed the brand Boddington's Berries. Kilner jars were introduced. First marketing campaign and introduction of ‘Boddington’s Berries’ with new logo and first label designs. Pioneered strawberries direct into supermarkets with own label.
2001
Louise Boddington made a batch of 340g Strawberry Conserve jars in the farmhouse. Mrs Boddington was on the way to display these in the pick-your-own shop that we had at the time. She had barely covered 100 yards before all the Strawberry Conserve had been sold to pick your own customers in the car park, never making it to the shop. This was the moment Boddington’s diversified into jams and our picking supervisor, Jeff, became the chef (fitting as his initials are ‘J.A.M’!).
2000
Phil Boddington and his wife Louise took over ownership of the business.
1990
Richard’s son Phil returned to the business following horticulture training and extensive travel and experience gained in America, Australia, and the UK. Over the next decade, the farm produced over 200 tons of fruit a year, and was the biggest fruit grower in Cornwall.
1980
Richard began to expand the growing area and started to supply the supermarkets.
1970
Began to specialise in strawberries through the 70s and 80s, growing fruit for local markets and running a thriving pick-your-own (PYO) enterprise.
1965
William's son Richard joined the partnership, growing tomatoes, Chrysanthemums and strawberries.
1946
It all began when William Boddington opened a market garden in fields above Mevagissey, just after the Second World War, growing fruit, vegetables, and flowers. William was from a farming background in Oxfordshire, he had arrived in the village some years before as a sea cadet at the age of 16, married a local girl and stayed.
