A Family Tradition

The Gardiner family have been deeply involved in printing inks since 1952. Douglas Gardiner and his son, Ray, decided to leave their senior positions with a major ink company in 1981 and  set  up their own firm. Gardiner Colours has been a family business from that foundation and it remains true to all the values that this suggests.

Three generations of the family have now overseen the company's growth to the point where it has now become one of the country's leading independent manufacturers of quality inks, coatings and varnishes. Ray Gardiner has been our managing director for most of this time. He has worked tirelessly to develop the company from its origins.

The business today has expanded beyond recognition. It responds to the pressing needs of print and packaging customers across the UK and beyond. It has already outgrown two factories and the third, which was bought as recently as 2005, has seen additional investment. The company also has a warehouse in Leeds to complement the facilities at its Normanton headquarters. Factory investment has been matched by technical innovation with new products being developed all the time to offer superior performance and better value for money.

The next generation of Gardiners are now playing key roles in the business.  Nevertheless, the original philosophy of quality inks matched by unsurpassable service still holds true.