Yogurt maker based in Chalfont St Peter celebrates 70th anniversary year as supermarket growth continues

Tracy Snowdon, Community Champion at Asda High Wycombe and Chris Timotheou, MD of Tims Dairy.

A family owned business based in the Chiltern Hills is kicking its 70th year anniversary on the back of listings in extra Asda stores.

Tims Dairy, the maker of award winning fresh yogurts, which employs some 70 people first started supplying Asda stores across South East England in August 2012, with its products listed in 42 stores.

Working alongside the supermarket chain, Tims Dairy has seen a steady growth in sales since its first full year (2013) and has seen an over growth of 47% sales during that time – with listings in 2019 having increased to 73 Asda stores.

Based in Chalfont St Peter, Buckinghamshire, the business is run by brothers, Chris, Peter, Bides and Tony Timotheou.

They make yogurt in batches at its dairy, using fresh pasteurised British milk, natural ingredients and bio-live cultures while continuing to modernize to enhance the process from production to delivery.

Last year alone, Tims Dairy saw an increase in sales of 16.5% and it now has a significantly increased range stocked at Asda, adding 175g and 450g Greek style honey, vanilla, raspberry and blackcurrant, plus our 450g Greek style thick set natural and our 500g Greek style natural.

It has also launched a newly branded 424g pot of ‘Spring Dew’ yogurt, a set fat-free traditional yogurt, further adding to the range.

2019 marks seven decades in business and bosses visited the nearest store to the dairy at Asda in High Wycombe to celebrate.

Sally Dorling, Marketing Manager of Tims Dairy said: ‘Sales have steadily grown with Asda since day one. Happily, all of our range seems popular and we get quite a bit of positive feedback from Asda shoppers.

We like the way that the range is merchandised altogether, and the branding stands out which attracts trial. The great taste then brings people back for more and more.

Our family has a traditional Greek heritage and we’ve been making fresh live yogurt since 1949. People enjoy the premium quality and taste of our yogurts and our 70 years of expertise is uncompromising, and our range is multi award-winning for great taste.

People love the fact that we are local, we use fresh British milk and cream and only natural ingredients, so they can trust everything from provenance to quality to taste.

Our position as a supplier to Asda has allowed us to grow as a company whilst retaining the roots of our family business – it’s great that Asda take the time to support local suppliers.‘

Phil Goddard, Local and Regional Buying Manager at Asda, said: ‘Tims Dairy is a great example of the award-winning, quality locally-made products Asda is proud to stock for our customers to enjoy.

Tim’s Dairy is a success story in terms of how we’ve grown our relationship and the benefits are mutual – a local business continues to grow and succeed and as a result lots more customers in lots more stores now have the opportunity to enjoy their great-tasting yogurts.‘

Tims Dairy was founded in 1949 by the family’s uncle, Euripides Nicolau, who was then joined by their father, Michael Timotheou. They started in a basement workroom in Warren Street, London, producing yogurts and milk desserts by hand which were potted in glass jars and delivered in bicycle with a basket to small ethnic delis and restaurants.

Production in those days was very hands-on with all the family playing their part to ensure the best in quality.

Soon after production was from the family home in North London. Five-gallon milk churns were delivered fresh daily to the doorstep – instead of bottles of milk – which always raised a smile from the neighbours! All eight of the family had to help out – washing the glass pots, sealing the fresh yogurts and learning the intricacies of their forefathers’ yogurt recipe.

In 1996 they moved into Chalfont St Peter from London in 1996, taking on the Mopes Farm site in Denham Lane where they have continued to grow the business. Over the years they have invested in new plant and technologies, modernizing the site and, more recently, a well-supported project to expand.

This has increased production capacity and enhanced the process from production to delivery. Heritage, passion and skill are still at the heart of every pot, so that the quality and great taste people enjoyed all those years ago can still be savoured today.

The dairy is currently managed by brothers Chris, Peter, Bides and Tony Timotheou. In 2017 they were awarded the fantastic accolade of ‘Family Business of the Year’ for London and the South East. They celebrate 70 years as a family business in 2019 and their award-winning Greek style yogurts are testament to all these years of dedication and expertise.