Princes Group is an international food and drink group involved in the manufacture, import and distribution of branded and customer own-brand products. Customers include major supermarkets, convenience stores, foodservice operators, wholesale suppliers and other food manufacturers. Princes’ brands and products span over 20 different categories including fish, meat, fruit, vegetables, soups, pastes, pasta, cooking sauces, edible oils and a broad range of soft drinks sectors.
2018 Princes announce business review after net profits fall to £0.5m In October 2018 they announced factories in Manchester and Chichester are to close, with a further review of operations still going
Owned and operated brands
Some of the well-known brands (*= Licensed brands) Princes manufacture and produce are:
Aqua Pura - natural mineral water brand sourced from Cumbria
Batchelors* – a brand that dates back to 1895 with a range that includes canned soups and peas
Branston* – a brand well known for its store cupboard favourites such as baked beans, spaghetti bolognese, macaroni cheese and ravioli
Cookeen – traditional baking fat used in pastry and made from 100% vegetable oil
Crisp 'n Dry – popular UK vegetable oil brand
Crosse & Blackwell - canned food brand that includes favourites such as baked beans, soups, pasta, vegetables and ready meals
Farrow’s – British-grown giant marrowfat processed peas
Flora* – popular sunflower oil brand
Jucee – popular squash drinks brand
Mazola - corn and speciality oil brand. Range includes corn, peanut, grapeseed, rapeseed and sunflower oils
Napolina - Italian-style ingredients brand. Range includes sun-ripened tomatoes to fruity olive oils, pasta and pasta sauces, as well as more specialist grated cheese, pulses and pizza products
Olivio* - cooking oil first launched in 1991, made with a blend of vegetable and olive oils
Princes – a brand in itself, the Princes range now includes a diverse selection of over 350 food and drink products including canned fish, meat, fruit and vegetables, microwavable ready meals, sandwich fillings and soft drinks
Pura Organic Oil* – organic sunflower oil and rapeseed oil brand first launched in 2010
Shippam’s – traditional English brand whose range includes spreads and canned ready meals
Trex – home baking brand which is a dairy-free alternative to butter
Vier Diamanten – popular Austrian canned fish brand
Wielkopolski – cooking oil used for frying, baking, salad dressings, and in cakes and desserts
Since 1989 Princes is owned by the Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) – Japan's largest general trading company with over 200 bases of operation in approximately 80 countries worldwide.