Bart History

Our story starts and ends with flavour. We’ve been discovering, selecting and sharing the best spices, herbs and seasonings from around the world for close to 60 years; in a relentless pursuit of great flavour to light up every kitchen, plate and face across the UK.

Bart was founded in 1963 by husband and wife Reg and Jo Bartlam. Back then, we were called Bart Prints Ltd. and we sold spices out of Jo and Reg's garage at their home in Bristol.

In 1975 we entered our first major retailer when we started selling Bouquet Garnis to Waitrose. This was the beginning of a relationship that would last over 45 years and allow the business to grow and expand. In 1983 this enabled us to move into our first purpose built factory in Bedminster, in the heart of Bristol. This factory would become the home of Bart for the next 37 years.

In 2005 we became the first major herbs and spices supplier to bring Fairtrade certified spices to the UK consumer. For us, there has never been anything more important than the quality and flavour of our ingredients and that comes hand in hand with the wellbeing of the farmers who grow them and the sustainability of the farms they manage.

We were able to replicate the success of our spices in 2011 when we became the first major herbs and spices supplier to bring Fairtrade dried herbs to the UK consumer.

To further increase the positive impact that we were having in the counties from which we source, we partnered with Frank Water in 2012. Frank Water are a Bristol based charity who help to bring safe water and sanitation to marginalised communities across the world.

"At Frank Water, we’re building a water-secure future where the world’s water sources are protected from the impact of the climate crisis and where everyone, everywhere has long term access to safe water, decent toilets and good hygiene."

Following on from our patent of the Bart Spoonkler in 2012 - the unique lid that we use across our herb and spices range - we began producing wet pastes and sauces for the first time at our Newbury factory.

In 2021 we made our biggest move to date. We opened our state of the art facility in Severn Beach, Bristol. The move has enhanced the sustainability of our operations by reducing carbon emissions associated with stock movement between sites and warehousing, whilst improving operational efficiency.

"This is a major milestone for Bart. We’re proud of our British heritage and the fact we have been providing our customers with a vast range of quality herbs, spices, seasonings and pastes for nearly 60 years. With this investment, we’re committing to an exciting, sustainable future for the business that positions us perfectly for further growth."