The story
Holland's was founded by father and daughter John and Sarah Whittaker in 1851, as a confectioners shop in Haslingden, Rossendale, Lancashire. Sarah married Richard Holland in 1869, taking control of the business and renaming it Walter Holland and Sons. In 1907, the business moved to a much larger bakery in Baxenden, from where pies were delivered locally by horse and cart.
Delivery vans were first introduced in 1927, with the company moving to its current premises two years later. By 1938, there was a fleet of twenty vans making regular deliveries around the North West. Cake production ended at the bakery, due to sugar rationing during World War II, and meat pies became more popular.
After the war, in 1946, the decision was taken to sell the company to R.Gummer Ltd., a provisions firm of London and Liverpool. Holland's was bought out by Pork Farms in 1972, who in turn were bought by Northern Foods in 1979. Holland's thus became part of one of the major food manufacturing groups in the United Kingdom.
Remaining part of the Northern Foods portfolio, following the sale of Pork Farms to Vision Capital in January 2007, Holland's pies and puddings are sold at 85% of fish and chip shops in North West England.
From Wikipedia’s article on Holland's Pies, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4