The Company...

Celebrating Over 100 Years

Gerald McDonald & Company is a leading supplier of ingredients to the food, drink, flavour and fragrance industries. Based in Basildon, east of London we have excellent access to the UK ports of Felixstowe, Tilbury and now the London Gateway.

Founded in London in 1917

Since 1917 our mission has remained the same; to source the finest quality ingredients. We blend, grind, or mill to our customers’ specifications with promptness and efficiency being paramount to the service we provide.

We deliver juices, concentrates, herbs, spices and essential oils from our purpose-built blending facilities and warehouses to customers in the UK and worldwide.

Our History

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  • Gerald J. W. McDonald becomes a partner of W & C Pantin & Company, a London based commodity traders in spices and leather. He leaves to form Gerald McDonald & Company in 1917.

  • Company founded by Gerald J. W. McDonald. Grandfather of the current managing director. Leased premises at 9 Botolph Lane, London.

  • Purchase of W. J. Crook Ltd. A food chemical trading company.

  • Gerald I. M. McDonald becomes managing director and also joins the Citrus Fruit Juice Control Committee.

  • Lime juice filtration begins at Palmers Wharf, London.

  • Company starts comminuted fruit manufacture in Ferdinando Cacace & Figli, Palermo.

  • Company moves from Botolph Lane, London EC3 to St Andrew's Hill, London EC4

  • Gerald A. McDonald becomes managing director.

  • Company purchases own spice mill.

  • Joint venture with Agres sri, Sicily in a new fruit processing factory.

  • Construction starts on purpose-built processing and storage facility in Basildon, Essex.

  • Company moves from London to Cranes Farm Road, Basildon.

  • Juice blending plant installed at Basildon.

  • Gerald McDonald (Spices and Herbs) incorporated.

  • Juice blending plant extended to include pasteurisation, aseptic filling and homogenisation.

  • Extension of juice blending plant to double production.

  • Gerald McDonald Asia (GMA) is set up in Kobe, Japan. Exporting and importing goods from Japan and surrounding markets.

  • Company celebrates it's centenary year with a visit from HRH Duke of Gloucester.

Future Growth and Expansion

Our move out of London in 2000 heralded growth and expansion, bringing all parts of the company under one roof and enabling a greater control over the products supplied. Today, Gerald McDonald & Company continue to invest in the latest processing, blending, packaging and storage facilities to ensure we offer the best possible product and service to customers.  We also invest in equipment to reduce our impact on the environment.

Reducing our carbon footprint

In 2014 we replaced our existing air conditioning with a modern and efficient heat pump system, and replaced all our lighting with LED spotlights.

Expected annual savings are 167,228 kWh units and 77 tonnes of CO2.

Our Sicilian Citrus Factory

Agres srl, is a citrus processing and blending factory near Palermo, Sicily.

The company has been associated with Gerald McDonald and Company Ltd for three generations and this partnership brings together many years of agricultural, production and marketing expertise.

More Info

More about our Company History

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