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Sweet taste of success

Ben rooth
22/ 7/2008

THEY have been immortalised in song and are officially recognised as one of the north west's top 10 brands.

But, for most, Uncle Joe's Mint Balls are the iconic sweets which are synonymous with Wigan as well as being an integral part of Greater Manchester's culinary heritage.

The first thing that grabs anyone's attention when they park outside the company's headquarters in Dorning Street is the fantastic minty aroma that pervades the street.

The company, which manufactures the sweets, William Santus, has been based on this site since 1919 - and little appears to have changed externally since then.

A sign emblazoned across the side of the building still reads `Santus - Uncle Joe's Mintballs - Keeps You All Aglow' just as it has done for most of the past century. Yet, while the interior has also changed comparatively little, the production line itself embraces state-of-the-art 21st century technology.

Today, the company manufactures more than 300 tonnes of sweets each year, which are stocked in most leading supermarkets as well as hundreds of independent stores nationwide.

Turnover last year was £1.2m and the company employs 25 staff. The precise recipe for Uncle Joe's Mintballs has been kept secret since they were first made 110 years ago and today the recipe is known only to John and Antony Winnard, who are the great-great-nephews of the founder.

"Chocolates and toffees come and go in fads, but the perennial appeal of Uncle Joe's Mint Balls lives on," said joint managing director John.

Affection

"I think it's fair to say that people in the north west feel a great sense of affection for Uncle Joe's and their consumption is seen as a normal part of everyday life.

"But the product more than holds its own elsewhere in the country - and around the world - where it is frequently regarded as gift item.

"We are quite happy with where we are at the moment in terms of trade but we are constantly trying to develop new business opportunities for the product."

Every year, John attends numerous trade shows around the world and he is currently looking into more opportunities to give the mint balls a stronger presence in the corporate gift market.

The recipe consists of sugar, water, cream of tartar and peppermint essence - although the precise measurements and temperatures remain secret.

The sweets are still produced in the same way that they always have been - hand-made over gas fires.

Antony adds that another reason for the continuing success of Uncle Joe's is because all the ingredients are kept as `natural' as possible.

"Uncle Joe's Mint Balls contain no artificial additives or colours, they are GM free, gluten free and are suitable for the vegetarian and vegan market," he said. And we believe that these factors will also be a reason why sales will continue to grow in the future.

"The cost of the raw materials we use in the manufacture of the sweets has been turbulent over the last five years, but this will hopefully become more settled in the future.

"And the current recession possibly poses a number of opportunities for our growth. Past experience dictates that people don't tend to take as many foreign holidays during the hard times, and spend more on comfort foods like sweets."

The story goes that Uncle Joe's Mint Balls were discovered one day in 1898 when William Santus' wife was experimenting in her kitchen.

But Wiganers weren't introduced to Uncle Joe until 1932, when a series of adverts started appearing across Greater Manchester.

Antony says: "Uncle Joe emerged in the early 1930s - but to this day uncertainty surrounds where the name comes from. He could have been Mrs Santus' uncle but it is most likely that he was entirely fictional and called Joe because of the universal familiarity of the name.

"Whatever his origin, one thing is sure, his genial, aristocratic air and sensible, friendly advice have secured him a place in history forever."

The mint balls' initial success owes much to their popularity among miners, who appreciated them because they couldn't smoke underground and because the combined action of sucking and the peppermint flavour were believed to help keep their lungs free of dust.

Indeed, one of the advertising slogans from the 1930s read: "Uncle Joe's: When you can't smoke they satisfy".

They are still used in the Staffordshire potteries for a similar purpose today.

Antony adds: "Mr Santus was a true PR man who was ahead of his time in many ways.

"In the early days, he used to dress up as Uncle Joe himself and stand outside football and rugby matches letting people know about his sweets.

"He even gave a few of them away for people to sample, which was quite radical in its day."

Leading brand

In numerous business surveys, Uncle Joe's Mint Balls consistently emerges as one of the north west's leading brands and the company is understandably highly protective of its trademark.

Today, Santus manufactures and supply over 50 different sweets, including cough candy.

The company has also been immortalised in lyrics by singer and radio presenter Mike Harding who wrote `The Uncle Joe's Mint Ball Song'.

This tune still enjoys immense popularity and is regularly performed by numerous folk bands.

But when John and Antony took the helm of the company after the death of their father - also named John - in 1990, the company's prosperity was more mixed.

"Back then, the company was turning over £500,000 a year and, through sheer hard work we managed to elevate this to more than £1m within three years," explains John. In that first year, we were running at a loss and in 1991 we made a small profit, but by 1993 we enjoyed one of the biggest profits the company had ever made.

"Both Antony and I worked round the clock in order to achieve this. It was then that we decided to resurrect the traditional works outing and our staff told us that they wanted to go to Blackpool for the day.

"This was something that was important for us to do - without their help we would never have managed it.

"There's a new generation coming through who might want to take the helm - but only after they've proved their abilities working for other businesses.

"The family certainly feels a strong sense of pride in what the company has achieved and the future has never looked as healthy.

"I can honestly say that if our great-great uncle William Santus came back now, he wouldn't recognise the company - but I hope that he would approve."