O’Hagan’s Sausages has been established for 25 years and serves award winning sausages which are handcrafted on a daily basis using only the finest ingredients.
The company prides itself on having pioneered the sausage revival in the UK during the 1980’s, leading to significant improvements within the industry. Founder Bill O’Hagan opened the company’s first shop when he moved to England from South Africa and was appalled at the quality of English sausages; the legacy of World War 2 meant sausages were mainly made with rusk and scrap meat. Since those early days the company has enjoyed success – O’Hagan’s has gone on to win the Best Sausage Maker award and is now recognised as a household name in the food sector.
The company employs four full-time employees, with a handful of additional members of staff supporting the core team during the busy Summer period. Employees are required to have an extensive knowledge of O’Hagan’s products and the food sector generally, to ensure that the company retains its position as a leader in its field.
O’Hagan’s originally opened a shop in Greenwich, London in the late 1980’s, but more recently the O’Hagan’s family decided to move to the South Coast to enjoy a slower pace of life. The London shop struggled without the founders on hand so the decision was taken to re-open the store in Chichester, West Sussex, and business was soon flourishing again. This business model remains – the sole retail outlet is nestled inside a rural pub in Fishbourne with other direct sales coming from markets across the South Coast.
The company also specialises in a number of areas including BBQs for weddings and events, catering stalls at festivals as well as sales to the hospitality trade. The traditional sausages that O’Hagan’s creates have been developed over many years and are fully authentic, whilst a number of recipes are O’Hagan’s unique creations.
Since O’Hagan’s was established it has experienced significant change both in the food sector and consumer perception. At its outset O’Hagan’s was the first fresh sausage shop in the world, but with high street butchers responding to consumer demand by offering better quality products and supermarkets also echoing the trend, competition has been fierce. In recent years the shift by consumers towards greater food transparency and increased awareness of provenance has helped O’Hagan’s which prides itself on providing excellent sausages at affordable prices.
O’Hagan’s started working with Evans Weir two years ago when the Chichester Accountants took over the company’s year-end, bookkeeping and payroll services.
Liam O’Hagan enjoys the business relationship he has with Evans Weir: “Since working together, O’Hagan’s and Evans Weir have enjoyed a strong relationship. When we needed to consider a new accountant we planned to see a few local firms, but after just one meeting with Evans Weir we liked the approach and the suggestions they made so saw no others! The team are efficient and make our financial information clear and easy to understand. We would recommend Evans Weir to anyone looking for a friendly, solid accountancy firm.”