STORY: EPP celebrates 50 years in business

European Process Plant Ltd (EPP) is celebrating its 50th anniversary in business this year.

Founded in February 1972 by Godfrey Morris and Colin Hall, after half a century in operation it has become a successful supplier of high-quality bakery and food processing equipment from leading specialist manufacturers across Europe.

“Over the years we have developed our offering, to not only include designing, supplying and installing the best baking equipment but also having quick access to those essential spare parts and engineering advice," says Steve Merritt, managing director of EPP.

"Our team are also able to help with maintaining the equipment and in the unlikely event of a breakdown, a swift and reliable response team. We have a fantastic team currently working for us with many exciting developments and opportunities.

"We work closely with our customers and can offer bakers test facilities with our manufacturers to trial new products and processes both in the UK and at our manufacturers premises across Europe in order to perfect the end results.

“It’s exciting to be contributing to creating bespoke baking processes and products and to satisfy our customer needs with some of our successes, with some spinning off into other countries around the world.

"EPP has evolved over the years whilst still maintaining our core principles that it was founded with – we only work with the best European manufacturers to supply our UK and Irish customers; this ensures we supply the top equipment in our designs and are able to deliver the best after care service and support that our customers have come to expect.”

EPP has been disruptive to the UK baking industry over the last 50 years, being responsible for introducing many firsts for the UK, such as the first fully automatic puff pastry laminator, the first modular convection tunnel oven, the first automatic scotch pie line, the König Mini Rex (star of the craft and supermarket bakery) as well as being responsible for bringing large scale production of part baked frozen bread to the UK, to name but a few.

EPP: A history

Godfrey Morris first came up with the vision for EPP whilst working for a UK bakery equipment manufacturer, G&R Gilberts of Hackbridge. During the 1960s, his many business trips to all corners of the world showed how other European countries and start-up manufacturers were setting new trends in bakery automation.

Sandwich bread production was already quite efficient but Godfrey saw the opportunity for much of the UK baking industry to benefit from these European company’s innovations and, with Colin Hall, another former employee of Gilberts, and son of a baker, started EPP.

Godfrey and Colin had great ambition and a very clear objective – revolutionise the UK production of flour-based goods in terms of speed, scale, quality and consistency.

Stewart Morris, Godfrey’s son, has now worked at EPP for some 35 years (now longer than Godfrey himself and EPP’s longest serving employee). The business quickly grew and EPP moved into premises on Banstead High Street and then later to the purpose-built offices and stores in Epsom where it still operates today. During this time, EPP continued to selectively forge new working relationships with other equipment manufacturers across Europe and expand its range of equipment. 

Godfrey and Colin sold the business after growing and running EPP successfully for some 25 years to the then General Manager, Keith Stalker, and Josie Mitchell, Accounts Manager, who went on to run the business for a further 20 years. A further management buy-out took place five years ago, where they brought in EPP’s current Managing Director, Steve Merritt. Keith and Josie still have shares in the business.

Over its 50 years, EPP has grown with some of the leading European manufacturing partners, such as König, whom it has worked with for some 45 years, when König was a start-up. EPP launched the König Mini Rex into the UK.  

EPP has also been part of the growth of some of the now well-known industry baking names across the UK and has been responsible for designing, supplying, installing and maintaining numerous turnkey and bespoke equipment solutions to hundreds of businesses. Newest to the team at EPP is James McConnell.

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