The story of The BART Ingredients Company

When husband and wife Jo and Reg Bartlam began selling spices from their garage in Bristol, they couldn’t have imagined where the business would go. First called Bart Prints Ltd., word quickly got around about the Bartlam’s high quality spices, and the business’ path was set.

In 1975, we began selling Bouquet Garnis – the basis of French Provencal cooking – to Waitrose supermarkets under our BART spices brand. This was the start of a relationship that would last for over 45 years, a testament to the way we work with people and forge longstanding, rewarding partnerships to this day.

The next chapter in our story was to move into our first purpose built factory in order to increase our capabilities and improve our efficiency. We settled in Bedminster, a unique and creative place in the heart of Bristol that would be our home for the next 37 years.

We have always lived our purpose. That’s why in 2005, we became the first major herbs and spices manufacturer to make Fairtrade spices available to UK consumers. To us, flavour and quality goes hand in hand with the wellbeing of farmers and their communities.

With the business going from strength to strength, it was time to expand. We extended our Bedminster factory with the long-term lease of Unit 3. This allowed us to increase our capacity and take our next steps as a business.

We continued to uphold our responsibilities as a business, and echoed our 2005 achievement but with dried herbs. We became the first major herbs supplier to bring Fairtrade herbs to the UK market, demonstrating to consumers and retailers everywhere that great taste is great for the planet too.

There was plenty of common ground between us and Bristol based charity Frank Water. Increasing water security and sanitation in marginalised communities, Frank Water was the perfect charity partner to help us live our values. In 2012, we began working together.

Sometimes the simplest changes can transform the cooking experience. In 2012, we patented a new packaging format for our BART branded products that allowed cooks to use a spoon or sprinkle their herbs and spices without having to remove the lid of their jar.

When it came time to expand into wet ingredients like pastes and sauces, we knew we needed a second site. We found one in Newbury, a community that has welcomed us with open arms, and which we are proud to be part of.

In 2017, we became part of Fuchs Gruppe, a privately-owned company based in Germany. With shared values, this charitably held parent company is providing us with access to new efficiencies and supply chain security, and helping us continue our commitment to sustainable flavour.

In 2020, our BART brand won two Great Taste Awards. One for our intense BART Oak Smoked Garlic Paste, and one for our distinctive BART Roasted Punjab Masala blend. We knew our products tasted delicious, but these awards formally recognised our achievements.

To increase operational efficiency, we moved from Bedminster to our new home in Severn Beach. Our new state of the art facility enabled us to increase our capacity and operate more efficiently, reducing our carbon emissions from stock movement between sites and warehousing, enhancing our overall sustainability.