Scottish food makerssince 1885.
From a butcher's shop in Biggar to a family group of about 1,100 people: cooked meats, poultry, salmon, Scottish specialities and ready meals, with our own cold stores, refrigerated fleets and worldwide sourcing.
- Founded in Biggar as a family butcher's shop
- 1885Founded in Biggar as a family butcher's shop
- Manufacturing sites across Scotland and England
- 7Manufacturing sites across Scotland and England
- Colleagues across the group
- c.1,100Colleagues across the group
- Products: a range “well into the thousands”
- 1,000sProducts: a range “well into the thousands”
Sources: 1885: Our Story page · 7: Modern Slavery Statement 2025 · c.1,100: Modern Slavery Statement 2025 · 1,000s: Current home page
To confirm with Browns: The headcount (about 1,100) and seven manufacturing sites come from the 2025 Modern Slavery Statement. Are these the figures you'd like to publish, and is there a current product count or tonnage you're happy to share?
A range that runs well into the thousands
Cooked and sliced meats are where we started. Today our sites also make poultry, Scottish specialities and ready meals, and supply salmon, seafood and coated products, for retail, wholesale, foodservice and other manufacturers.
- 01Cooked & sliced meatsWhole joints, sliced, shredded and diced: ham, beef, pork, pastrami and more.
- 02PoultryCooked chicken and turkey: roast, steam-cooked, pasteurised and coated.
- 03Salmon & seafoodScottish smoked salmon, and frozen fish and seafood from around the world.
- 04Ready mealsChilled and frozen ready meals from FoodPro in Wigan.
- 05Scottish specialitiesHaggis, black and fruit pudding, Lorne sausage and more.
- 06Convenience & coatedCoated chicken, skinless sausages, burgers and frozen family favourites.
Our philosophy is driven by customer satisfaction; listening to each customer to define and fulfil their needs, whilst continuing to achieve the highest quality across our products, outstanding levels of service and competitive prices.
One family, many businesses
Each business in the group carries one of six colours, so you can see at a glance where it fits: from the factories that make our food to the cold stores, fleets and import desk that get it to you.
To confirm with Browns: No brand will be published until you've confirmed it. Your current site, your careers site and your 2026 Modern Slavery Statement each list a different set of businesses.
Made, stored, moved and sourced by one group
Seven manufacturing sites and two storage and distribution locations across Scotland and England, joined up by our own refrigerated fleets. Choose a site to see what happens there.
Kirkconnel
Kelloholm, Kirkconnel, Dumfriesshire, DG4 6RBOur head office, and the Brown Brothers factory where we've made cooked and sliced meats since moving to Dumfriesshire in 1993.
- Butchery, cooking, slicing and packing of whole muscle joints, sliced meats, slicing logs, and shredded and diced meats.
- Laser and high-speed slicing lines, thermoforming, and separate high-risk areas.
- The 2023 extension added butchery capacity (particularly for Scottish pork), a larger goods-in area with an 800-pallet cold store, a new blast freezer, more cooking capacity and better staff facilities.
From horse and cart to a national group
In 1885 the Brown family delivered their cured bacon around Lanarkshire by horse and cart. The Godfrey family bought the business with six staff, and have grown it into one of the leading independent manufacturers in the industry.
- 1885
A butcher's shop in Biggar
The Brown family open a small butcher's shop in Biggar, curing their own bacon and delivering by horse and cart across Lanarkshire. Business flourishes, and two more traditional 'factory' units open to meet demand.
- 1985
The Godfrey family
The Godfrey family buy the Browns' business, with six members of staff, and carry on the Brown family's values, tradition and quality.
To confirm: 1985 (Our Story, careers site, CSR report p.2) or 'the late 1980s' (home page, CSR report p.4)? Companies House shows Browns Manufacturing Ltd was incorporated on 20 July 1987.
- 1993
To Dumfriesshire
The business moves to a new factory in Dumfriesshire and becomes Brown Brothers Manufacturing Ltd. The site makes and distributes both frozen and chilled products.
Find out more - 1996
35,000 sq ft and a butchery
After new slicing equipment arrives in 1994, phase one of the site extension creates a 35,000 sq ft site with a new butchery.
- 1997
FoodPro joins
The first expansion after the move: buying ready meal maker FoodPro takes the group into a new area of expertise.
Find out more - 1998
65,000 sq ft
Phase two adds a cold store, despatch, a high-speed slicer and thermoforming.
- 1999
Fenton Barns
Browns buys meat and poultry business Fenton Barns, in East Lothian.
Find out more - 2000
110,000 sq ft
Phase three extends the high-risk area of production.
- 2001
Lions Speciality Foods
Browns acquires Lions Speciality Foods, a major manufacturer of chilled and frozen salmon and seafood.
To confirm: The current home page says Lions was 'founded in 2012'. Brown Brothers' history also says Tarbert Fine Foods launched in 2001.
- 2004
Locharbriggs cold store
A cold storage site in Dumfries adds storage, transport and logistics services.
Find out more - 2007
Mostell, and a bigger FoodPro
Browns buys poultry sales business Mostell. FoodPro moves to a new, larger site, raising output substantially.
Find out more - 2008
Mostell Logistics and Belchers
The group's own refrigerated transport business is created. Browns also buys Belchers of Ayrshire, one of Europe's largest retail frozen producers.
- 2010
Mostell Seafood and Ocean Catch
Buying Mostell Seafood brings a wider seafood range, and the Ocean Catch brand, into the group.
Find out more - 2011
Tilbury
A large frozen distribution centre at Tilbury opens, with Tilbury Transport serving London.
Find out moreTo confirm: The home page says Tilbury was 'purchased in 2010'; Our Story says it opened in 2011.
- 2012
The Scottish Gourmet
The group moves into home-delivered, restaurant-style meals. Lions Speciality Foods relaunches its premium Tarbert Fine brand with a new salmon range.
- 2013
Hall's of Scotland
In January, Browns buys the Hall's brand, its production site and its van sales operation from Vion. Hall's dates back to 1932. The same year, Importo starts offering import and export services.
Find out more - 2014
150,000 sq ft cooked meat factory
The Kirkconnel site reaches 150,000 sq ft, with more high-risk, slicing and despatch space. Browns also buys and absorbs bacon specialist D & R Stevenson, and Ramage joins the group.
- 2015
The Kitchen Table
Mostell launches The Kitchen Table, a coated chicken range for foodservice. At Kirkconnel, new truck yards and offices are built for distribution, design and import/export teams.
To confirm: From 2015 on, the timeline is drawn from your own news and reports. Please confirm, and add anything we've missed.
- 2016
Awards and a Lidl contract
FoodPro and Hall's of Scotland are each named Best Chilled Food Supplier at the Food Awards. Brown Brothers wins a contract to supply Scottish cooked meats to 91 Lidl stores in Scotland.
To confirm: Are you happy to name customers such as Lidl here?
- 2018
Outstanding Family Business
The group wins the Outstanding Family Business Award at the DG Business Awards. NPD and Sales Support Manager Bob Beattie is named Individual Champion in Developing the Young Workforce.
To confirm: The CSR report lists a 2019 Herald Outstanding Family Business Award. Are both correct?
- 2020
Foundation Apprenticeships and Baraka
The first pupils begin Foundation Apprenticeships in Food and Drink Technology at Browns. In July, Baraka joins the group.
Find out more - 2023
The Kirkconnel extension
An extension of just under 5,000 m² adds about 30% more factory floor, for low-risk processing, Scottish pork butchery, an 800-pallet cold store and a new blast freezer. EcoVadis Bronze follows, along with investment in a CO2 refrigeration plant.
To confirm: The extension was due to be fully operational by April 2023. Did that happen on time?
- 2024
A royal opening, and AK Stoddart
In March, the Princess Royal officially opens the new extension at Kelloholm. In June, Browns makes a multi-million-pound investment in AK Stoddart Ltd, creating what Browns described as Scotland's largest privately owned meat business. Browns is named one of Scotland's Top 100 companies by Grant Thornton.
To confirm: The June 2024 post gave turnover as £300m, with a target of £500m. Would you like either figure on the site?
- Today
A family business of about 1,100 people
Seven manufacturing sites and two storage and distribution locations, supplying the major supermarkets, foodservice, business to business and independent retailers across the UK, with worldwide sourcing, import and export.
To confirm: What else since 2015 should be here: new sites, products, customers, investment or people?
Good jobs, close to home
Whether you're leaving school, finishing college or changing direction, there's a route for you, with training from your first day and qualifications you can take anywhere.
- Kirkconnel & Kelloholm
- Dumfries
- Prestwick
- North Berwick
- Biggar
- Bellshill
- Wigan
- Essex
Caring for our future
Our H.E.A.R.T. values guide how we look after our people, our communities and the environment, from CO2 refrigeration and solar power to school visits in Sanquhar.
Our journey to net zero
CO2 refrigeration, a solar roof at Kirkconnel, recyclable cooked meat packs and no black plastic on our sites.
Read more
Over 100 local causes a year
School visits and apprenticeships in Sanquhar and Kelloholm, Meals & More, Whiteleys Retreat and The Brick Project.
Read moreWhat's been happening
Sanquhar Academy Hot Dog Event June 2025
We were delighted to return to Sanquhar Academy to host a fun hot dog event in celebration of the students’ achievements. It was a fantastic opportunity for…
QMS Scotch Butchers Club Event
We were delighted to join forces with the Scotch Butchers Club and Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) at an event to showcase the value-add capabilities of…
Sanquhar Primary Visit 14/05/25
Today, Brown Brothers had the pleasure of welcoming the P3 class from Sanquhar Primary School! The children had a fantastic time learning about the…
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Production, butchery, engineering, technical, logistics and office roles across our sites, with training from day one.