ABOUT US
We’ve always believed that the North is an untapped goldmine when it comes to food innovation and flavour ingenuity!
JAM-PACKED WITH
NORTHERN KNOW-HOW!
At Beckleberry’s we are passionate about making incredible ice cream for fine pud enthusiasts. we keep things simple in our single-minded pursuit of the perfect pud. We’re an award-winning, family business where phrases like handmade, small batches, locally sourced and hand-piped all ring true.
We leave no stone unturned in our pursuit of the finest ingredients and most involving flavours and will always nurture ‘traditional skills’ over new-fangled machinery.
OUR STORY
1993
After his A-levels, Peter decided he wanted to jump off the conveyor belt of life, opt out of uni and do something entrepreneurial. His father Ian, a recently made redundant colliery engineer decided that Peter was far too young to have all this fun on his own.
1994
Having decided that he didn’t want to go to university, Peter pondered what to do next? Curiously the answer was to enrol his dad & himself on an ice cream course at Reading Uni!
1995
Some of Peter’s favourite early business memories involve him, his sister, and an enthusiastic group of friends conducting late-night raids on the latest batch of fantastical flavours that he and Ian had stashed away in his mother’s freezer.
1997
By this time, word of our mouth-watering flavours had spread to the nearby restaurant and hotel communities, who sought our help in bringing some extra local finesse to their neglected dessert menus. Birth of 1st Beckleberry’s Sorbet: Mango & Lime
2000
Ian is an enthusiastic alchemist! His imaginative taste buds have been central to Beckleberry’s success, although he’d be the first to admit that Curried Pineapple, Parsnip & Balsamic Vinegar were never going to upstage our top notch vanilla when it comes to the bestsellers list! Birth of our 1st patisserie offer: Choc Truffle Torte
2001
At Beckleberry’s we never settle for second best. We couldn’t hold our heads up high or even attend a family barbeque if we’d cut any corners. That’s why we make our ice creams with less sugar than most producers, never flirting with sickly sweet or synthetic tastes. Instead we plump for adult palates, full-throttle flavours and all-natural ingredients.
2002
This was the year we created our Pear & Almond tart that to this very day stands proud as our best ever seller; a perfectly executed classic where fresh frangipani and succulent pear halves huddle together in a crisp, all-butter pastry case.
2004
The 10,000-square-foot factory we’d purchased had originally served as an ambulance station—a fitting origin story, given that we felt our mission was to resuscitate neglected taste buds. That same year, Beckleberry’s began being served at 36,000 feet by the UK’s favourite underdog luxury airline.
2006
This was the year we decided we needed a sleek coffee shop to properly showcase all our fabulous desserts. Nothing beats instant feedback from customers—which is why all our team members take turns working behind the counter. Choc Orange ice cream remains the top seller at our flagship store.
2008
Our finest hour to date came when our glorious Blackcurrant and Kirsch sorbet swept up three Specialty Food awards in one evening, including the biggest prize in the culinary world—the Fortnum & Mason Supreme Champion trophy!
2014
Our business received a seismic overhaul after we partnered with the world’s largest airline. Even now, thinking about the investment we needed—new dry storage space, new mix production facilities, additional staff, and cutting-edge machinery—makes us feel giddy. However, being chosen over every other ice cream producer in the world by their discerning culinary team still gives us that same giddy feeling.
2017
The year Beckleberry’s comes to the assistance of taste buds in different time zones, be that 3,570 miles away in N.America or 1,152 miles away in Spain.
2020
The onset of a global pandemic forced us to batten down the hatches and attempt to stay afloat. In order to continue as a business and keep our vastly reduced team intact we launched a home delivery service in the North East providing gourmet goodies such as afternoon treat boxes, box-set bundles and loaded brownies.
2021
The response to our home delivery service from the local public was beyond awesome – it helped us believe in ourselves when the team was on their knees and reminded us that our creations are very well loved! After lockdown ended, we managed to pick up a lot of new business as we strived to diversify and future-proof our customer base, unfortunately we then were unable to continue with the home delivery. However, our team had put things are in place to bring back our home delivery offering and it will return!
2024
Following years of searching for a larger premises, our poor old converted ambulance station was now needing urgent medical attention (due to being overloaded with equipment). However, we eventually secured a 30,000sq foot warehouse facility on 1.85 acres of land, less than half a mile from our original site. Then began the process of converting the rustic warehouse shell into a state of the art, all singing, all dancing, ice cream and patisserie production paradise.
OUR ETHOS
Our ethos is all about putting great taste and textures at the heart of everything we do.
We believe that Britain is in the midst of a fine food renaissance, and yet, for all our region’s tireless work and thriving artisan food & drink community, the North East doesn’t always get a fair rub of the green plaudits wise.
Our stance is one of always going the extra yard, never contemplating compromise and never wondering, ‘I wish we’d been a little braver with our flavours.’
MEET OUR TEAM
Looking Forward
Although we’ve now been going for twenty years, we appreciate that we’ve only scratched the surface when it comes to decadent tastes, dazzling desserts and momentous eating occasions.
Naturally sublime sorbets and ice creams sit at the heart of the Beckleberry’s offer. However, with the resurgence of afternoon teas, the rapid evolution of gluten-free, on-the-go and a growing appetite for small batch patisserie, we feel the future looks very bright indeed.
