Joined in 2023 
82 
63 About this deal
At the moment we've got customers in Japan, the US, Australia and New Zealand," said John, who received an MBE in 2012. "We're scattered all over the world. The sweets are loved all over the world, but only 12 people make them (Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News) After a successful few years in business with his brother, William sold his market stalls in Bolton and St. Helens to focus on production in Wigan. William Santus Co Ltd has been making mints and traditional sweets by hand since 1898, in fact you could say it’s the ‘Original Traditional Sweet Shop’ and is the home of the world famous, Uncle Joes Mint Ball. Chocolates and toffees come and go in fads, but the perennial appeal of “Uncle Joe’s Mint Balls” lives on and after all these years the factory remains. The same sweets are produced in the same, careful manner; over gas fires and hand-made.
Redevelopment of all in house systems and procedures to continually achieve SALSA accreditation ensures consistent high produce and service quality. The company has worked with other businesses on spin-off products over the years, from Uncle Joe's gin to ice cream. With another trade exhibition in the US coming later this year, John and Antony are looking forward to taking Mint Balls to even more corners of the earth ahead of the company's 125th anniversary. Uncle Joe's Mint Balls are mints produced by William Santus & Co. Ltd. in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England since 1898. [1] Despite their name, the mints are not truly spherical but oblate spheroids. The ingredients of Uncle Joe's Mint Balls are pure cane sugar, oil of peppermint and cream of tartar and are described on the tin as "suitable for vegans".
After the success of our Halloween and Christmas bag designs, our lever lid tins range has been expanded to include seasonal tins and we are so pleased with the results! It is certainly looking like they will be just as successful as the seasonal bags. Enjoy yourself as you take a trip down memory lane, you’ll even be able to listen to comedian Mike Harding sing the song he wrote for us as a fan of Uncle Joes Mint Balls. Buying Our Sweets The cream of tartar gives the sweet its consistency, and this allows the mixture to be folded up on the cooling table, meaning the flavour is spread throughout. It's an exact science for the Santus team - workers simply use touch and feel to know when the mixture is ready for the next stage, otherwise it could break the forming machine used to create each individual sweet.
The early mint balls were made by William Santus' wife, Ellen, before production moved to a factory near Wigan Wallgate railway station in 1919. [3]Today, the business is in the hands of brothers John and Antony Winnard. Their great-great-uncle focused sweet sales on Wigan, Bolton and St Helens - but now Uncle Joe's is a global brand.
That tight-knit ethos is clear to see at the Dorning Street factory - where just 12 locals work including John, Antony and Anita. The workforce includes Denise Banks, who has been with the company since leaving school in 1978. The humble simplicity of the process is part of the reason why Uncle Joe's is becoming loved all over the world. There is an artisanal feel to the brand - the sweets have a distinct look and taste, the logo is instantly recognisable and the company is proud to be from Wigan. We're still making them as we did in 1898 and long may it reign. Our father and grandfather basically said 'if it's not broke don't change it'. It was a good recipe to start off with." Sadly, not all those small businesses have survived the coronavirus pandemic, and Santus admits turnover is still not as high as three years ago. And, as with so many other small firms, the company is currently facing rising costs - yet it still uses the same ingredients and works with the same company for its iconic red tins, fiercely refusing to compromise on quality in a way bigger firms might be tempted to.
“Death of Wigan’s Uncle Joe”
The 1930′s were possibly the most significant years in the history of the company. Wiganers were first introduced to Uncle Joe through the campaign of adverts that appeared in the Wigan Observer in October 1932. The sweets had been in production prior to that, but his celebrity status was only just beginning. 1933 saw the official patenting of the Uncle Joe’s Mint Balls and in 1937 the company became fully registered. Mr Santus must have decided that they were in a position to advertise their services. He had great faith in his product, and in a letter to his advertising agency, dated 1937 wrote, “Most people would like Uncle Joe’s Mint Balls if only they could try them once – this seems to be a proven fact.”
Naturally, the Second World War posed a problem for sweet production leaving the factory with almost no sugar boilers as they all headed off. It's only in the next room where Uncle Joe's enters the 21st century - and it is where the brand's global reach becomes clear. A modern machine bought eight years ago is capable of wrapping 2,000 sweets a minute - more than 30 sweets every single second. John hopes the company will continue to do Wiganers proud. He added: "I think when people talk about Wigan they generally mention Uncle Joe's in their favourite things about the town. I think pies are probably high up there as well." Brown cane sugar is boiled in copper pans up to the perfect temperature - hot enough to caramelise it for a distinctive flavour, but not too hot that it burns. Once at that point, it is poured onto a table for cooling before peppermint oil is added, causing a rush of minty steam to soar into the air and clear any nostril in the room. John Winnard MBE next to the factory's iconic red gable end (Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)
The comic magazine Viz made a strip called 'Uncle Joe's Mint Balls' which was about Joseph Stalin, who was sometimes called 'Uncle Joe' by Western media, and his quest to show off his untarnished testicles to the world's press (such testicles would be known as 'mint balls' in the vernacular of Northern England, where the comic is printed.) To work at the factory, workers had to pass two quite niche criteria – they had to be Methodist and know someone who already worked at the factory to ensure a ‘friendly and happy’ atmosphere. Find sources: "Uncle Joe's Mint Balls"– news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR ( October 2019) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message)
Great Deal 
New Comment