As we embark on a journey down memory lane, we invite you to join us in celebrating a significant milestone - 45 years of bringing joy to gifting.
From our humble origins to the present day, our mission has been unwavering: to bring joy and wholehearted togetherness to gifting, evoking heartwarming memories that last a lifetime.
With corporate and personal gifting experience reaching back to 1979, we’re experts at delivering carefully curated hampers featuring responsibly sourced, artisanal foods and estate-bottled wines. Each gift sent with us is hand-picked and packed, then delivered with care, as if being sent to our own loved ones.
We have grown steadily to become one of the largest privately owned gift hamper companies in the UK and have proudly delivered over 3.5 million hampers in this time.
Join us as we reflect on our milestones, celebrate our achievements, and look forward to the future with optimism and excitement.
1979: Humble Beginnings
Our story began in 1979 with a simple, yet heartfelt mission. After arriving home from their honeymoon, Peter and Rachael Austin were inspired to establish a fish farm in East Hendred on one of the chalk stream tributaries of the River Thames.
Captivated by the crystal-clear water, Peter and Rachael set out on a journey to farm and market trout. In the same year, they began to sell organically caught, fresh fish and wild smoked salmon to the local community and by mail-order
1985-93: Corporate Gifting & The Hamper
Throughout the 1980's, Peter and Rachael saw an opportunity to expand their business into mail-order gifting of the finest smoked salmon, exclusively imported champagne and truffle chocolates for the Christmas season. Over time, they began to deliver hampers throughout the year - a significant milestone in the origin story of Clearwater Hampers, and what would later become hampers.com.
Foreseeing the wide-spread growth of the internet, Peter and Rachael made the visionary decision to register the hamper.com and hampers.com URL’s in the early 1990's. Even though we may be small, we're never been afraid of taking risks...
Alongside predicting the digital trends of tomorrow, Peter and Rachael set their sights on the international food scene, delivering food and wine hampers to ex-patriates wishing to send gifts to their loved ones back in the UK. Beginning a legacy of dedication to quality treats and alcohols, they also began importing exclusive fine foods and wines to the UK.
2007-2019: Hampers go Global
For nearly 30 consecutive years, sales grew considerably and the business saw huge success in suppling hampers to the corporate market, at home and abroad, with gifts for their staff, customers and suppliers. Exports soared in the 1990’s, culminating in the significant achievement of a Queen’s Award for Export in 2003.
Significantly, we became the first hamper company to offer next day delivery, and the first mail-order gift company to offer online order tracking, revolutionising the e-commerce gifting industry.
Joining forces with Peter and Rachael, Ian Longworth, became a member of the team in 1991. As an experienced financier, Ian joined the team to help manage the finance function.
Then, in 2007 he conducted a management buy-in of the business, after working for the company for 16 years. With him, Ian bought a wealth of financial expertise and big ideas for international growth. At this point, we really began to gain some traction….
2019: A New Family at the hampers.com Helm
A few years later, corporate finance expert, Patrick Gore, joined the hampers.com family bursting with dynamic ideas to streamline operations and future-proof the brand.
"I knew the business from the inside, and therefore was fully aware of the foundation and opportunity I was buying. I could see the potential for developing a higher quality experience for customers, based around local, high quality food and drink with exemplary customer service. In order to achieve this, I knew we would have to invest in IT systems, processes and softwares to future-proof our technology base. In addition, we would need to invest in our people who remained our most important asset. Then, we would be able to grow the brand and truly bring joy to gifting."
Patrick Gore, Director of hampers.com
In 2019, Patrick Gore conducted a management buy-in to purchase the business from Ian Longworth, becoming the Director of hampers.com. With his trusty side-kick, step-daughter and skilled Operations Director, Hannah, by his side, their vision was to breathe new life into the business.
It was a moment of kismet that sparked the idea - both Hannah and Patrick were at a crossroads in their career, looking for an exciting new challenge. For Hannah, building the business into a force for positive social and environmental change was a huge driving force.
"I could see tremendous opportunities to drive sustainability through cultivating innovative approaches to our supply chains and supporting our local communities. In addition, through leveraging my experience in building strong cultures, my goal was to place people at the forefront of our efforts and transform our business into a force for positive change. Since joining the company, we have achieved significant milestones: earning Best Companies recognition within two years and achieving 100% carbon neutrality, whilst actively working towards B-Corp certification."
Hannah Lia, Operations Director at hampers.com
Patrick and Hannah quickly got to work with digitising operations, streamlining processes and brainstorming creative new hamper ideas.
But this couldn't have been done without Becky, hampers.com's expert foodie and Head of Product and Marketing. At the forefront of taste-testing and carefully curating our hampers, Becky's vision was to source the most delicious, sustainable snacks and drinks available.
“My vision was to increase the quality of the hampers and source the best of British artisanal foods and drinks. It was really important to us to source sustainable suppliers who aligned with our vision for hampers.com. We also wanted each gift to have an essence and something we always think about is how the gift can be enjoyed, making the gifting experience extra special for the recipient."
Becky Tookey, Head of Product and Marketing at hampers.com
2020: New Name, New Look
Fast forward to 2020, when we unveiled a brand new look for hampers.com, accompanied by an array of delicious new gift hampers. We even went as far as adding an 's' to what was then, hamper.com!
Whilst our appearance transformed, our core values remained the same. Rooted in the belief that gifting is a gesture of love, joy and togetherness, we embarked on a journey to enhance every element of our offering.
Driven by a commitment to enhancing the gifting experience, we reimagined our website, infused it with vibrant colours and adorned it with a fresh logo and branding.
Our goal? To create a space where finding the perfect gift for your loved ones is just as delightful as receiving it.
2022: Certified Carbon Neutral Gifting
Then, in 2022 we achieved Certified Carbon Neutral status - a significant milestone on our journey to become a business for positive change.
To determine this, we undertook a rigorous assessment with Carbon Footprint, who measured our annual carbon production. The QAS approved assessment provided the highest levels of confidence that our carbon emission calculation methodology is independently verified and transparent. This means you can trust us to deliver 100% Carbon Neutral gift hampers, 100% of the time.
Once we understood the breakdown of our carbon footprint, we carefully considered, selected and approved projects to offset it. At hampers.com, carbon offsetting isn't just about reducing emissions – it's about creating positive transformation.
This is why the projects we support go beyond combating climate change; they provide employment, improve health and empower communities. We're proud to invest in projects that care for both people and the planet, creating a brighter, more sustainable future for all.
2022: Accredited Real Living Wage Employer
Ensuring that our commitment to purpose-driven practices extends to every member of our team, in 2022, we were proudly named an Accredited Real Living Wage Employer.
This means that every member of our staff, whether temporary or permanent, receives an hourly wage that exceeds government standards. By prioritising fair wages, we hope to empower our team to thrive. At hampers.com, a hard day's work is always met with a fair day's pay.
“This was something we felt strongly about for some time; we already paid all of our permanent staff considerably more than the Real Living Wage. Having the official accreditation means that we are now externally accountable for continuing this commitment to our team. It’s important to us that we extend this pledge to our temporary staff too, who are so important to our success at the busiest times of the year.”
Hannah Lia, Operations Director at hampers.com
2024: Our 45 Year Milestone
As we raise our glasses to our 45 year milestone, we're filled with gratitude for the countless moments of connection, celebration, and love that we've experienced along the journey.
And most importantly, we're proud to have stayed true to our pledge to be a business for positive change. In 2023 alone, we reduced our carbon footprint by a further 25%, planted over 1580 trees and continued to work closely with our local food bank.
As we celebrate this milestone, we're also looking ahead to the future. Big changes are on the horizon as we continue to innovate, evolve, and elevate the gifting experience.
We aim to do even more to give back to the planet and it's people by striving for another major milestone - becoming a certified B Corp company.
To our loyal customers, dedicated team members, and valued partners – thank you for joining us on this remarkable journey. Your support, loyalty, and enthusiasm have been the driving force behind our success. We're honoured to have shared 45 years of togetherness, joy, and celebration with you.
Cheers to many more years of bringing joy and wholehearted togetherness, one gift at a time!
