Working closely with both customers and suppliers has long been key to the Hancocks success story. Throughout our history, we’ve had numerous long-standing relationships with amazing brands and confectioners – but none have run longer than that with Walker’s Nonsuch. Our relationship with them began in the very early days of Hancocks as a wholesaler. But Walker’s own story stretches much further back.
This year marks a huge milestone for Walker’s Nonsuch. It has been 130 years since Edward Joseph Walker started making delicious toffees and founded Walker’s Nonsuch Toffees, so now is a perfect time to reflect on their delight-filled journey. Who better to tell the story than Edward’s great-granddaughter, and good friend of Hancocks, Katie Walker?
“It was my great-grandad who opened a sweet shop in 1894 in the small town of Longton, Stoke on Trent. He began cooking toffee in the back kitchen and selling it. It must have tasted pretty good as queues of people were waiting on the pavement, excitedly returning day after day to buy more!”
The hype and excitement around Walker’s toffees was not a flash in the pan. With such a delicious recipe, the only way was up and before long it was time to upgrade.
“After the initial booming success, the Walker’s Nonsuch Toffee factory was born. Using the same special ingredients and secret cooking methods but on a larger scale.
“Toffee was hand-poured into metal baking trays and then sent down a cooling tunnel to set. This was called Break Up Toffee. The traditional toffee hammer was required to break up the toffee so that it could be sold by the quarter in local shops.
“A cut and wrap machine was then purchased. This meant that the toffee came through a machine and was chopped into small oblong pieces. After that, the toffee was twist-wrapped and sold in hand-tied bulk bags.
“We produced some truly delicious flavours such as creamy toffees, mint toffees, and rum & butter toffees. Pixie Toffee Lollipops were another roaring hit with the customers.”
The range of mouth-watering, top-quality toffees meant that Walker’s had made a name for themselves in the world of confectionery. Shoppers adored their signature toffees and couldn’t get enough of them. They didn’t just catch the eye of shoppers, though…
“In 1962 my Dad met up with a man called Ray Hancock. Ray and his wife Liz also ran a sweet shop in Shepshed near Loughborough. Ray had the idea of wholesaling his sweets to other small, sweet shops and opened up a unit in Loughborough. Ray asked Dad if he could buy some toffees from him. However, he couldn’t pay him straight away and asked for credit. Back then, Dad was not a big risk taker but because he genuinely liked Ray he said yes.
“Thank goodness he did say yes! As today, 62 years after starting with Hancocks, they are still a fantastic customer for us.
“It shows that customers are not just customers but are partners and friends. The Hancocks and Walker’s relationship is still as strong today as it always has been as we enjoy our 130th year in business. Thank goodness Ray and Dad met!”
Thank goodness indeed! With more than six decades of stocking the wonderful, we have been providing wholesale customers with the finest Walker’s Nonsuch lines for as long as we have our own Kingsway brand. As a valued part of the Hancocks family, we congratulate Walker’s Nonsuch on this massive milestone – and look forward to many more years of toffees like no other.
