70 YEARS OF INDUSTRY EXPERTISE

Needham Chalks, now owned by Harlow Agricultural Merchants (HAM) Ltd, was established in 1947 at its current home in Needham Market.

Then, the chalk was dug by hand mainly for the agricultural sector as farmers looked to become more productive and the knowledge of soil properties improved.

From 1947 to 1979 Needham continued to work from its base in Needham Market, however with the drive from farmers to increase soil management Needham Chalks (HAM) Ltd took the decision to increase its production and with this the acquisition of Newport Quarry in Essex.

Shortly after this Barton Mills in West Suffolk was purchased and then the move into Norfolk came with the purchase of Castle Acre in West Norfolk and Caistor in East Norfolk.

We also use Anstey and Codicote quarries, making us their primary users for chalk supply to western East Anglia.

With the backing of Harlow Agricultural Merchants (HAM), who bought the company in 2012, we continue to be the largest supplier of quarried chalk in our region and continue to expand into other sectors of the agricultural and industrial markets.

In conjunction with our chalk production we are the UK’s largest supplier of whole and knapped flints.

Needham Chalks (HAM) Ltd now sells over 100,000 tonnes of chalk for spreading to agricultural soils across East Anglia as well as for industrial purposes.

The future for Needham Chalks (HAM) Ltd is looking bright, with lots of new ideas and projects being shaped up by our committed work force. Such projects include our new sand and gravel operation at Caistor in Norfolk, with similar projects currently being developed at our other quarries. GPS mapping for our soil sampling analysis has been in practice since 2013 and we look forward to developing this side of the business further.