York Foods Have Been Feeding The World Since 1935 – Find Out More About Their Proud History.

1935 – 1940

York Foods was established in Belmore, Sydney, Australia by Edward Morrish Philpott on an original grant land. Edward worked as an apprentice for a butcher shop ‘Sylvestors Brothers’ as a young teenager and soon found a passion in both smallgoods and horses.

In the early days a close group of businessmen including Anderson, Playfairs, Hutton, Dandy, Sylvester’s and EM Philpott would meet on South Head with their horses. Upon sighting a boat entering Sydney harbour, the group of men would race their horses to Sydney dock (now known as the Overseas Terminal). The first to arrive would win the right to be the ‘Provedore’ and service the ship on its arrival. Edward and his Welsh Mountain ponies became well known for their speed and agility and he would win many a ship.

Edward had one son, George Philpott, who joined the business as a teenager.  Edward and George ran the business as EM Philpott & Son and then later on as York Foods Pty Ltd.

1939 - 1945

In 1939 as World War II broke out, the fleet of vehicles owned at the time,for the distribution of smallgoods, would be converted with stretcher accommodation in case of enemy attack on Sydney. Gas bags would also be replenished nightly on top of the trucks for fuel.

During this period, York Foods not only continued to feed the Australian population but we were also significantly involved in shipping Australian Dripping to England during the great food blockade.

During the War, George promised all his workers that their positions within the company would be held open whilst serving their country. As a result York Foods supported a large number of servicemen and women as they returned to Australia.  One of the returned servicemen wrote an exert about his time in Changi.

The fleet of trucks (including GM, Fords, GMC and Leyland’s) were well known throughout Sydney and were used in several parades, including the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation, Hopalong Cassidy and Roy Rogers parades. Frankfurts were distributed from the trucks to the children watching.

York Foods was also a major supporter and exhibitor at the Sydney Royal Shows. York Foods would often be on display within the meat pavilion while Edward would be showing his horses, particularly his Welsh Mountain stallion ‘Wee Georgie’.

Wee Georgie and Miss Silver were the foundations of the Australian Pony studbook as we know it today.
Its association with The Sydney Royal continues today as an avenue to enhance the knowledge of the next generation in regards to food and the importance of our rural communities.

1955 - 1965

York Foods continued to evolve and innovate, being the first to import frozen fish and vegetables into Australia.York Foods also began manufacturing candied honey and canned hams at their premises in Sydney.  The company was the leader in serving natural animal oils, frozen foods and smallgoods during the introduction of home freezers. The fleet of trucks would serve the vast array of convenient stores throughout Sydney prior to the emergence of modern supermarkets.

1970 – 1980s

York Foods continued to operate from the Sydney premises and was a major customer of the Homebush Abattoirs(now known as Sydney Olympic Park).The company bought the first pen of pigs in 1979 and the last pen of pigs at the closing of Homebush Abattoir in 1988, prior to its remake into the site for the 2000 Olympics.

During this time, substantial changes occurred in both the way food was purchased, and the type of foods becoming available. York Foods continued to evolve, and specialised in the production of pure animal based cooking oils.

1990 - 2006
Following a fire at the York Foods property, operations were relocated to Goulburn, in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales. The relocation allowed for a facilities upgrade to export standard which created a larger customer base.

2006 to the present
York Foods is the leader in the production of the world’s purest natural cooking oils.. It has continued to innovate and change with the times including the launch of several world-first products, such as 'Wagyu Oil' and 'Protein Boost'.

Recent awards include:

• 'Best New Retail Product' at the Fine Foods Show 2011 – ‘Wagyu Oil’
• Top 10 Finalist for the 2012 Regional & Rural Development Award.
• ‘Wagyu Oil’ - 2013 Finalist in Gastro-Vision in Berlin
• Staff member - Recipient of the Woolworths Agriculture Scholarship Program
• Staff member - Parade of Champions, Sydney Royal Easter Show 2014

York Foods are also proud supporters of:

• The Royal Agricultural Society of NSW 
• Australian National University (ANU) - ‘International Marketing Plan Competition’ 2012, 2013, 2014 & 2015.
• Australian National University (ANU) - Young Business Leaders’ Challenge for High School Students.
• The Art4Agriculture Program
• MotherJumpers - our staff skydived in November 2012 to raise funds for a new charity: Support for Mums.