BRAND SPOTLIGHT
Walkers:
The Soul of Scottish Shortbread
Walkers' first delivery cart, pulled by retired tram-car horse Lovie.
Begun as a popular village bakery, Walkers has been making shortbread
in the Scottish Highlands since the late 1800s. The original recipe is still used today, and the products are now avail-
able in more than 70 countries worldwide. Here's a brief look at how this family com- pany has evolved over the years.
BY DEBORAH MOSS Jim Walker with his grandfather Joseph Walker. W The original bakery in Aberlour, Scotland.
hen Joseph Walker started his bakery more than 100 years ago, he began with a 175-square-foot shop in Torphins, Scotland. Today, the company has more than 250,000 square feet of manufacturing space, 1,500 employees and more than 500 products sold around the world. Though much has changed since Walkers' humble begin-
nings, it is still run with the same core values: honesty, integrity and authenticity. With slow and steady growth for more than a century, this company is still deeply rooted in Scotland even as it has expanded all over the globe.
The Early Years
In 1898, after four years of training to become a baker, Joseph Walker borrowed 50 pounds (about $81) to start his own bakery. Walker was fascinated with shortbread and, using his mother's simple recipe, set out to make the best in the world. With one employee and a cart pulled by a retired tram- car
horse named Lovie, Walker delivered his breads, cakes and con- fections locally. By 1910, he had moved his operation to the larger nearby village of Aberlour. Though his village bakery offered many products—breads, cakes and cookies—his shortbread became particularly popular; a combination of local influences, such as soft water and a temperate climate (the locally made butter never has to be heated or frozen), quality and consistency are credited for its success. But the early expansion didn't
A dedicated staff is vigilant about quality control on the production line. NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2012 57