A Growing Community
Faced with difficult growing conditions, a group of farmers joined forces to preserve traditional English ingredients and create a better future for growers.
Their vision and a collaborative approach led to the creation of Condimentum and the state-of-the-art mill we have available for processing ingredients at our headquarters on the outskirts of Norwich.
Our Heritage
Many of our growers come from families who have been farming in East Anglia for generations.
Mustard has been grown for Colman’s in Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, and southern Lincolnshire since the early 1800s. When Colman’s was looking for suppliers for their new mint sauce in the 1960s, they found the best mint was growing just a few miles away from Norwich.
150 years of farming knowledge and technical expertise
Our growers joined forces to create Condimentum and supply English mint and mustard for generations to come. We bring together 150 years of farming knowledge and experience with technical expertise.
Our community is closely linked to these crops and supplying Colman’s of Norwich. This link is recognised on Colman’s labels and when you pick up a jar, you know our ingredients went into it.
Thinking big
The English Mustard Growers (EMG) were aware Colman’s existing facilities were aging and feared for the future of the brand they love. They knew the mint growers were in a similar situation and so they got in touch with the Norfolk Mint Growers and suggested they work together.
THE CREATION OF CONDIMENTUM
Then in 2018, it was announced Colman’s would leave Norwich. The mint and mustard growers’ partnership and the discussions they had with Unilever about Colman’s Mustard and Mint Sauce, led to the creation of Condimentum and a bold plan for the future: their own mill.
They brought in Paul Wilkinson as Chairman and David Martin as Chief Executive, to make their dream become reality.
Milling fresh ingredients in mint conditions
Our heritage is closely bound with Norwich but when it came to deciding where to build our mill, there was an even more important consideration: we needed to process the mint leaves within 2 hours of them being picked to maintain their freshness. That’s why we picked Norwich Food Enterprise Park at Honingham for our new home.
one of only three mills worldwide
Work on our 25,000 sq ft premises began in 2019. It is one of only three mills worldwide capable of milling Double Superfine mustard flour. We process over 2000 tons of mustard seed and 1000 tons of fresh mint leaf each year.
Our state of the art mill was built by Smith’s of Honingham, who won the award for Integration and Collaborative Working for the project at the Norfolk Constructing Excellence Awards. Collaborative working runs through everything we do.
21st Century design that can replicate an iconic 200-year-old flavour
Providing the unmistakable flavour of Colman’s Mustard and Mint Sauce is something we’re incredibly proud of. And that taste needs to be the same as it was when these condiments were put on your parents’ and grandparents’ tables.
When we created the new mill, we needed to mill the mustard to exactly the same specification as the old Carrow Road site’s earthenware. The particle size and its distribution was vitally important in order to replicate the taste. It was a challenge we relished and we delivered!
We process ingredients to your specifications.
Working in partnership
Collaboration is at the heart of Condimentum’s approach. We’re proud to form a chain from seed to harvest to processing through our unique relationship bringing together people at every stage of production including growers and Unilever.
