Our History

It’s 1965 and you can buy yourself a very beautiful E-type Jaguar for £1,867, and why not? A gallon of petrol costs 26p. With the bossa nova rhythm of ‘The Girl From Ipanema’ drifting from your radio, you can drive to the local pictures and watch Goldfinger in the comfort of a dralon seat. The song is interrupted with the announcement that the first man has walked in space. Hider Food Imports Limited have unloaded from Hull quayside their first ever imports of nuts and dried fruits. Douglas Hider opens the doors for business on Robinson Row, Hull Old Town, and his fine food family business is born.

Here at Hider, we are very proud of our heritage as a business which grew from historic Hull the ‘third port of England’ . An ancient trading and merchant’s city, Hull is steeped in history, and has immeasurably contributed to the commercial growth of the North of England., and beyond.

After 60 years in the Fruit and Nut business, Douglas Hider retired in 1982, handing over control of the Chairmanship to his son, David Hider, who had joined the business in 1979. The third generation of managing the family business now falls to the Managing Directorship of Duncan Hider, son of David, who joined in 1996, ably supported by Trading Director, Mike Thirkettle (joined 1981).

Hider Food Imports Limited have gained a reputation for supplying quality products which are delivered by our own expanding fleet of vehicles. A dedicated telesales department is employed to support our external sales team in order to provide all customers with a rapid response to any specific requirements.

Our best selling brands include Green & Black’s, RJ’s Licorice, Fudges Bakery, Botham’s of Whitby, Mrs Crimble’s, Border Biscuits, Fentimans, Belvoir Drinks, Walkers Shortbread and Buderim Ginger.

We are direct importers of the best-selling Hazer Baba Turkish Delight, genuine Bavarian Organic Breads, seasonal Christmas Stollen from Schlunder Brot und Kuchen and Clement Faugier Chestnuts.

We produce Christmas and Easter brochures each year which feature a superb range of luxury gift food, as well as our regular quarterly product list.

Presented under our ‘Hider own-label’ is a wide range of pre-packed nuts, snacks, dried fruit, confectionery and pulses with merchandising and display stands available to enhance the attractive label. Our ‘Essence of Quality’ brand is testimony to the fact that we only sell the best.

MARKETS SERVED

With such a wide variety of products, Hider Foods are linked to many sectors and many household names. Our products end up on the shelves of some of the top multiple retailers along with many other more specialist delicatessens and independent retailers, including garden centres and farm shops.

Department stores and their high quality food halls select our products to adorn their shelves. Selfridges & Fortnum & Mason are well respected names and well serviced customers of Hider Foods.

Whilst branded products are a large part of our business, the main core business is in nut kernels and dried fruits. These are UK re-cleaned on site using the latest laser technology x rays and packed “in house” in our modern production facilities.

Retail packs are not always required, and for the manufacturer or larger user we can deliver directly imported ingredients. These ingredients go on to make fine snack bars, ready meals, prepared sandwiches and cakes. In the light of the busier household, where the key to eating is convenience, this is a rapidly expanding part of the business.