Our History

Cranswick Pet Products’ corporate history can be traced back over 200 years through the Bucktons brand. George Buckton Ltd was acquired by former CPP owners Cranswick Plc in 1993, and with it was inherited a rich background of trading in cargoes from spices and chemicals to pigeon corn and seeds.

Bucktons originally started when Mr George Buckton founded a general merchants company called George Buckton and Sons Co. Ltd. This company part owned a schooner which operated from the original premises at 56 High Street, in Hull. The schooner later became known as ‘The George’, and was used for an array of varying cargoes, as shown in the original documents from the time held today in the Hull University Archive.

After the first world war George Buckton and Sons Co. Ltd was bought by the Hutchinson family. It was the last chairman of this family who, in the 1960s, decided to concentrate the Bucktons business on pigeon feed and corn, and today this remains a core area of business for the brand.

Cooked meats provider Cranswick PLC acquired the Bucktons business in 1993. Other acquisitions soon followed, and the pet side of their business grew. This included the purchase of the Tropical Marine Centre (TMC) business in 1995, and the Magnet brand the following year. A strong, reliable subsidiary was formed, known as Cranswick Pet and Aquatics, which consisted of two main businesses, namely TMC and Cranswick Pet Products.

In 2005, Cranswick Pet Products moved into a newly built office and warehouse complex, with state of the art manufacturing and impressive holding facilities. This investment was a fantastic boost for the company and in the following five years significant growth was achieved.

In 2009, the decision was made by Cranswick Pet Products and TMC to collaborate on a management buy out from Cranswick PLC. Now independently trading as Cranswick Pet and Aquatics Ltd, the additional funding, focus and flexibility that comes with this move will help the company further grow the business with innovative products and second-to-none service levels.