Our Story
About Henry Denny
Henry Denny was born in Co.Waterford in 1789. His dad Abraham was a shoemaker that we believe spent time on farms when selecting his suppliers for Hyde.
It must have been the smell of bacon that caught Henry because he became a real innovator in the bacon trade developing new methods of producing the ham we know and love today.
1820
Henry Denny started out on his own in 1820 and by then there were eighteen bacon factories in and around Waterford. Henry had three sons and when he passed away in 1870 his eldest son Abraham took over the business in Ireland and his two younger brothers Thomas and Edward moved to London where they acted as agents for the parent company in Waterford.
1829
Henry Denny’s son Abraham died in 1892 and he passed down the business to his son Charles E. Denny. Charles shared the same forward thinking as his grandfather Henry, and so he took further strides in developing the Denny methods.
At the turn of the century competition from many Countries, particularly Denmark, was steadily increasing but Irish bacon was still the market leader.
1894
Henry’s other son, Edward Denny, formed an association in Hamburg with J.D. Koopman who was shipping bacon. J.D bought a bacon factory in Jutland and built one in Silkeborg. Dennys were involved in the business from the start sharing their unrivalled knowledge, expertise, and production techniques before buying the business in 1894.
1921
Henry Dennys & Sons started to make their mark in Northern Ireland in 1921. They once again shared their expertise with the Pigs Marketing Board of Northern Ireland and set up the first Wiltshire Bacon factory in the province.
1933
A defining moment in Dennys history arrived in 1933 at an International Food Fair in Manchester, when Denny was awarded a gold medal for making the finest sausages, which is now in the Waterford Museum of Treasures. This gave birth to the Denny Gold Medal Sausage that we know and love today.
1970
By 1970 Henry Denny and Sons had built up quite a range of products.
2015
Henry Denny launches Fire & Smoke inspired by the BBQ Pitmasters of the Deep South.
Today
