We’ve been specialising in the import and distribution of ingredients for nearly 170 years.
We’re proud of our heritage, the expertise of our teams, and our systems and processes which ensure we can provide consistently top quality products for our customers.
About Us
The expertise of the team at Curtis has underpinned the growth of the business over the last 20 years.
History of Curtis
We’ve been specialising in the import and distribution of ingredients for nearly 170 years
Technical Information
Technical & Quality
Accreditations & certifications, quality control, safety, environmental standards
Find out about our accreditations and certifications, our quality control and safety standards, and specialist manufacturing units, and our environmental standards
It’s what we’re all about: we’ve specialised in the sourcing, packing and supply of dried fruits, nuts and seeds into the UK food market since 1850, not forgetting grains, pulses and spices.
We aim to work in partnership with our suppliers and our customers, to innovate, inspire, and drive increased sales of our natural products.
In a world where people are becoming more conscious of the link between good food and good heath, and with nutritionists, the World Health Organisation and climate change scientists advising that we need to change our diets so that they are plant-based, rather than meat based, what we do becomes more relevant than ever.
More and more people are turning towards a vegan diet each year, or embracing ‘flexitarianism’, where plant based eating becomes ‘the new normal’ and eating meat becomes a once-or-twice a week event. As such, we’re working to highlight the benefits nuts and seeds give, as an alternative source of protein.
Dried fruits offer fibre benefits, as well as containing natural sugars, which are easier to digest that refined sugars, and provide a slower release of energy that is better for the body. We create new recipes and healthy snacks to encourage people to make positive choices with deliciously healthy alternatives to fast food and confectionary.
Curtis Today
Our Ongoing Mission
Our consumer products under our own Snacking Essentials and Funtime Fruits brand names offer natural snacking products for the UK retail markets. Our Home Baking Essentials and Curtis Catering brands offer a huge range of packed ingredients in sizes to suit both consumer and wholesale catering requirements.
We also produce own-label products to a huge number of UK customers, including many familiar high street names, in both the retail and wholesale markets.
The team at Curtis is led by Mark Setterfield. Mark’s experience and expertise in the ingredients market has underpinned the growth of the business over the last 20 years.
The other directors have also been with the company for many years, with commercial director Peter Felix, sales director Lynne Tempest and finance director Andrew Rooke partnering with suppliers and customers to deliver consistently excellent results. Other long-standing members of the team are Florina Brooks, who heads up our technical department, and Roz Moules, operations manager.
Curtis History
How we got to now
Robert Mayne Curtis was the founder of RM Curtis & Co Ltd. He established the business in the City of London in 1850 and the company has traded continuously since then. Robert initially specialised in the import and distribution of herbs and spices.
His son (another Robert Mayne Curtis) continued running the family business into the 1900s. He increased the number of ingredients he imported. He sold the company in 1921, when it was incorporated as a limited company.
The company was bought by the current shareholders in 1981, and underwent a management restructure in 2001. We now specialise in dried fruits, culinary nuts and seeds, along with our cereals pulses, herbs and spies. There has been significant ongoing investment since 2001, with a focus on plant, machinery and our technical and quality processes. The company currently holds BRC grade AA certification.