The Burts story

It’s been over 50 years since Jeff Burt first relocated to East Sussex and started the Burt’s story. A lot’s changed since then, but one thing’s always been the same; we’ve always stood by our founding principles of providing the very best quality produce and service to our customers.

Our Story

1967

After running a chain of successful shops in London for A. Hall Pearce & Sons, Jeff Burt (Terry’s father and David’s Grandfather) relocates to East Sussex where he works for a small shop in Heathfield.

1971

Jeff opens his own shop in Haywards Heath in West Sussex, trading as “A. Macmillan” after former Prime Minister and local resident Harold Macmillan. Mr Macmillan is invited to open the new shop and goes on to become a loyal customer.

1972

Aged just 12, Terry Burt joins his father in the running of A.Macmillan. Following their founding principles of quality produce and great service, it quickly develops into one of the leading retail shops in the area.

1981

At the age of 21, Terry decides he wanted to start his own new venture, and opens T. Burt butchers in Bexhill, East Sussex.

1983

Having established a solid reputation as a high street retailer, T. Burt butchers moves into new markets, bringing the same principles of high quality produce and service to supply the catering trade.

1989

Aware of the importance of new health and hygiene standards – and with laws becoming more stringent – the business purchases the first of its many temperature-controlled vehicles

1996

Awarded the prestigious Q Guild for butchers, a well-known national award that recognises high quality and service in the industry.

2000

David Burt joins the business as a fresh-faced 17-year-old with the aim of continuing with plans for growth and expansion.

2001

T Burt butchers is renamed and rebranded as Burt Family Butchers, recognising the heritage and values that have served the business so well.

2007

Always at the forefront of the industry, Burts is one of the first butchers in the country to recognise that dry-ageing of meat adds superior flavour and tenderness.

2012

Awarded several large-scale contracts, including the Goodwood Estate which caters for up to 250,000 people per year, and Kudos catering who, with multiple conference sites across the south, can cater for between 50 and 5,000 people at any one time.

2013

Work is completed on our purpose-built factory. Taking six months to finish, the state-of-the-art premises are approved by the FSA and enable us to keep completely up to date with any changes in health and hygiene laws.

2014

Burts is nominated as a Compass approved supplier and becomes a member of the National Association of Catering Butchers.

2017

The business rebrands to Burt Catering Butchers, to better represent Burts as it stands today within the industry, and demonstrate the values of high quality produce and service that have served us so well, right from the start.

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