William Ransom & Son plc ('Ransom') is the UK’s oldest independent pharmaceutical company. Based in Hitchin, Hertfordshire for over 160 years, Ransom now employs over 200 people at various sites throughout the UK, with small satellite operations in certain overseas markets such as Italy and Eire.

The Group is a fully integrated healthcare business specialising in the development, manufacture, distribution and marketing of natural healthcare products. The Group owns and markets its own consumer healthcare brands in the UK and abroad, and also manufactures licensed pharmaceuticals and botanical ingredients on behalf of other companies.

Head office is in Hitchin, and principal manufacturing sites are in Hitchin, where botanical extracts are made, and in Witham, Essex, where the Group's finished pharmaceutical manufacturing facility is located. Warehousing and distribution of consumer products is centralised at the Group's dedicated facility in Bradford, Yorkshire. Sales and marketing activities are carried out by our own dedicated team, which is one of the largest of its kind in the UK, and are co-ordinated from the Group's Cardiff office.

Key brands which are owned by the Group include Health Perception, Optima Health and Nutrition, AloeDent, AloePura, Radian B, Metanium and Pavacol-D.

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Mission Statement

Ransom's objective is to become the UK's leading natural product based consumer healthcare business. Our strategy is to build on our unique combination of botanical and pharmaceutical expertise to acquire, develop and grow consumer healthcare brands. Where we are able to offer our manufacturing, plant extraction and development capabilities to others, we will actively seek their business. We aim to be the supplier for choice in terms of quality, value and ability to deliver in all areas of our activity. We are committed to developing our employees and enabling them to share in the substantial increase in shareholder value, profitability and sales which our strategy can deliver. Our growth is achieved without compromising the company's supportive, family culture or its social and environmental responsibility.

Customer Care

Nothing is more important to us than the long term partnerships we develop with our customers. We work hard to ensure their complete satisfaction. We know you have heard this before – but ask our impressive list of clients, from major multinationals to family businesses. They keep on coming back, confirming us as their number one supplier in our field. Some of our corporate relationships have spanned over 100 years!

Raw Material Sourcing

A broad international supplier base provides Ransom with a huge range of raw materials, from our own wild harvested English elderflower to obscure and exotic roots from the tropics. We pride ourselves on both the diversity of products in our portfolio and our resourceful purchasing strategies which ensure that high quality raw materials are available to us all year round.

Research and Development

Product research and development is at the heart of our business and are given the same emphasis now as they were when William and his son Francis were developing their company. They published numerous important research papers, concentrating on the standardisation and analysis of galenical preparations, and this tradition continues today; our technical specialists are frequently called upon to address international conferences and seminars to present their latest work. Pharmacists, chemists and food technologists work not only on extraction technology but also on the innovative applications of that technology to finished products, and have created several patented products along the way.

Ransom's development team is part of an EU-funded consortium researching the application of cannabis extracts to treat rheumatoid arthritis and migraine.

Quality Assurance

At Ransom, Quality Assurance and Quality Control are two distinct teams with one aim: to ensure that our products are consistently the best available. Pharmaceutical and contract customers can be confident that Ransom's production and documentation systems are licensed and regularly audited by the UK government's Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (the 'MHRA'). We hold many pharmaceutical product licences (also known as marketing authorisations).

Ingredients made for the food and beverage and personal care industries are also produced to the same very high standards and following the same procedures. Membership of numerous industry associations and participation on groups and committees establishing national and international quality standards ensures that Ransom is always abreast of the latest innovations and regulations.

Manufacturing Capability

Following the relocation of our manufacturing operations and sale of our town centre site in 2003, we have made multi-million pound investments in our two dedicated principal manufacturing centres. We manufacture finished pharmaceutical products and ingredients for our own branded consumer healthcare range, as well as for other small and multi-national healthcare, nutraceutical and functional product companies.

Our new botanical extraction facility in Hitchin, Hertfordshire produces botanical Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API's) for the pharmaceutical industry, as well as functional ingredients for the food and drink sectors. [Go to Ransom Natural Products].

At our new pharmaceutical finished product manufacturing unit at Witham in Essex, we produce creams, ointments, powders and specialist liquid pharmaceuticals. Our modern pharmaceutical facilities are licensed by the UK government's Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (the 'MHRA') and our niche expertise is acknowledged by the multinational companies who rely on our bespoke manufacturing and packaging services. [Go to Ransom Pharmaceuticals].

Export Markets

Ransom has always recognised the importance of the global market and has devoted significant resources to developing strong commercial relationships throughout the world. A long history of world-wide trading, particularly within the Commonwealth based on our highly regarded extraction expertise has now been complemented by the development of a network of agents selling our innovative natural consumer healthcare products around the world. Our network of sales offices and agents keeps us well informed of the latest products and trends in their areas as well as serving our clients' needs in all of our market sectors. Customers outside the United Kingdom should contact us to find our local agent for consumer healthcare products and specialist botanical extracts and liquids.

Environmental Policy

As befits a company with our family heritage and natural product base, Ransom takes its environmental and social responsibilities very seriously. Throughout our long history we have sought to maintain the highest ethical standards across all of our business practices. This philosophy stems from the Quaker beliefs of our founder, William, and the subsequent generations of Ransoms responsible for the management of the company have all proudly upheld this tradition. If you would like further details about Corporate Social Responsibility, click here.

Animal Testing Policy

Ransom does not test any of its products on animals.