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WHY NOT VISIT OUR LATEST NEWS PAGE FOR AN UPDATE OF FORTHCOMING EVENTS, PICTURES OF 'UNCLE JOE' ON HOLIDAY, INTERESTING FACTS AND MUCH MUCH MORE!!
William Santus and Company have been making a variety of sweets for over 100 years. The survival in this industry may be surprising in itself, but what is more remarkable about Wm. Santus and Co. is the legendary status which has surrounded their ‘Uncle Joe’s Mint Balls’. Immortalised in countless articles, cartoons and poems; there has even been a song written about them!
Uncle Joe's Mint Balls are synonymous with the town of their production, having been immensely popular there since their creation. This town is, of course, Wigan, Lancashire.
 Uncle Joe's Mint Balls are still manufactured using the same traditional methods as when Mrs Santus originally made the sweets in her kitchen in 1898. The completely natural 'secret recipe' has been passed down through the family generations. Uncle Joe's Mint Balls contain no artificial additives or colours, they are GM free, gluten free and are suitable for the vegetarian / vegan market.
Meet Uncle Joe...
Wiganers were first introduced to Uncle Joe through the campaign of adverts that appeared in the Wigan Observer in October 1932. The sweets had been in production prior to that, but his celebrity status was only just beginning. No one seems to know where exactly he hails from; the story goes that he was based on one of the Atty’s who was called Joe but a Joe Atty is nowhere to be found. He could have been Ellen’s uncle but it is most likely that he was entirely fictional and called Joe because of the universal familiarity of the name. Whatever his origin, one thing is sure, his genial, aristocratic air and sensible, friendly advice have secured him a place in history forever.
Mr. Santus created him and, for his pains, was known generally as Uncle Joe!
And Friends...
Despite the fact that Uncle Joe’s Mint Balls are made only in Wigan, their fame has spread far
and wide. Uncle Joe’s have been sighted at the top of mountains in India, villages in Kenya,
Vancouver in Canada and even in the darkest depths of New York, USA! The pure goodness of Uncle Joe’s Mint Balls is celebrated worldwide. William Santus’ father was a miner. Uncle Joe’s were appreciated by miners not only because they couldn’t smoke but also because the combined action of sucking and the peppermint flavour would help keep their lungs free of dust. They are still used in the potteries for a similar purpose today.
And Family...
On Mrs Santus’ demise the majority shareholding was willed to Frank Winnard, who was Mr. Santus’ nephew. Frank Winnard died in 1984 and control of the Company transferred to his son, John Winnard Snr, who unfortunately died in 1990 aged only 55. His sons John and Antony Winnard, who are the great, great nephews of the Company Founder Mr. William Santus, presently own the Company.
Chocolates and toffees come and go in fads, but the perennial appeal of ‘Uncle Joe’s Mint Balls’ lives on. And after all these years the factory remains unchanged. The same sweets are produced in the same, careful old way; over gas fires and hand-made. How many Wiganers at the turn of the century could ever have imagined that the delicious minty sweet they enjoyed was to become such a legend, not just in its own locality - but world wide and now even on the net!
WILLIAM SANTUS & CO. LTD
THE TOFFEE WORKS
DORNING STREET
WIGAN
LANCASHIRE
WN1 1HE
UNITED KINGDOM
TEL: +44 (0) 1942 243 464
FAX: +44 (0) 1942 323 023
E-MAIL: unclejoe@uncle-joes.com
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