About Clifton Food Range
A Family Business
Clifton Food Range® is part of Nickel-Electro Ltd, a family firm based in Weston-super-Mare which was incorporated as a limited company in 1941, but its roots can be traced back to 1935 when the business first started. Now in its 3rd generation of family members, the company prides itself on being a strongly established, independent British manufacturer.
Originally based in Birmingham, Nickel-Electro re-located to the seaside in 1962 along with several other Midlands based companies. Weston’s local borough council had decided that tourism and farming had to be bolstered with new industry and so building land and relocation costs were subsidized in order to attract new businesses to the town.
The company’s original name back in 1935 was Nick-El -Ectro and upon incorporation in 1941 changed to Nick-El-Electro. In 1964 the company name was finally settled as Nickel-Electro, a much easier name to pronounce! We cannot trace the origins of the name but we have nothing to do with electro-plating!
Continuous investment in the latest manufacturing and information technology means that the company can remain competitive and innovative with new products and designs.
Over the years Nickel-Electro has developed into a leading manufacturer of laboratory consumables and equipment. Its extensive knowledge and expertise in manufacturing highly accurate temperature control equipment for the scientific market, has enabled the company to introduce the Clifton Food Range® which offers chefs sous vide equipment with unparalleled specific temperature accuracy to produce consistently perfect results.
The Clifton brand takes its name from The Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol which was designed and built by the famous Victorian engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel and is recognized as engineering excellence.
The company has a highly motivated management team with a strong, loyal and multi-skilled workforce.
Clifton Baths
Clifton baths are now in use in the most acclaimed kitchens worldwide and chefs regularly refer to them as ‘Cliftons’. The origins of the product lie in the precision range which Nickel-Electro manufactures for scientific applications. In 2005 it became apparent that some forward thinking Michelin starred chefs were starting to use Clifton Science products for sous vide cooking. Managing Director Melvin Dickson proudly comments;
“Laboratory baths are used in quite a genteel environment and so I decided that we had to introduce a far more robust range which is designed specifically for continuous use in the professional kitchen with such features as timers, side lifting handles and wide bore drain taps to clear down quickly after service. The following two years saw considerable growth in the adoption of the sous vide method and being a small independent manufacturer we were in the fortunate position of being able to capture the market quickly.”