RJ Balson & Son, established 1515, relaunches in the United States under new family stewardship
NEW YORK, February 2026 — RJ Balson & Son, England's oldest family butcher, established 1515 in Bridport, Dorset, has relaunched in the United States.
The business has traded continuously for over 510 years, beginning in the Tudor shambles and continuing today from its Victorian era shop in Bridport. More than 25 generations of the Balson family have passed the craft hand to hand. The work has endured wars, recessions, industrial change, and the rise of modern retail. What has remained constant is the daily practice of butchery and the responsibility of keeping the recipes intact.
The United States is not new territory for the family. A previous American operation built a loyal following before ceasing operations at the start of Covid-19 due to supply chain pressures. In February 2026, the business returned, rebuilt from the ground up with a full rebrand, new production partners, a direct to consumer model, and a frozen cold chain network shipping nationwide. The first production run sold out in under a week, driven largely by returning customers who had been waiting for the sausages to return.
RJ Balson British-Style Bangers are made in the United States using the family’s traditional recipe and US sourced pork. Known in the UK as a “banger,” it takes the form of a classic fresh pork sausage that has been a staple of everyday cooking for generations. The name comes from the tendency of earlier sausages to burst in the pan as they cooked.
A proper British banger is more finely ground than most American sausages, lightly bound with rusk for a soft, even texture, and seasoned with restraint. The flavor is savory and balanced, mild with a clean peppery finish, rounded with a touch of honey to enhance the meat rather than overpower it. Each Balson Banger pack contains five links at 14 ounces, sold frozen and ready to cook.
Expanded product lines currently in development for the US market include a Saxon-style sausage with a more herbaceous profile created to mark the brand's 510th anniversary, alongside chipolatas and British back bacon.
Sara Sturges, British American and stepdaughter of Richard Balson, 25th generation master butcher, now oversees the US branch as Founder & CEO..
“Growing up around the shop in the UK, and watching the discipline and craft my family has carried for over five centuries set the standard for how I approached rebuilding and relaunching the brand here in the US. Proudly as the first woman in over 500 years to operate a branch of the business, and the 26th generation, my responsibility is simple, to carry the craft forward and bring a true and authentic taste of Britain to American tables.”
RJ Balson & Son USA ships frozen nationwide via rjbalson.com and britishbangers.com
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ABOUT RJ BALSON & SON
RJ Balson & Son is England's oldest family-owned business and oldest family butcher, established 1515 in Bridport, Dorset. The business began in the medieval shambles and has remained in continuous family ownership for over 500 years. The current Bridport shop traces its retail lineage to the late nineteenth century, when refrigeration enabled modern butcher shops. More than 25 generations have preserved the family's methods and recipes through daily work rather than reinvention.
In 2026, RJ Balson & Son USA relaunched under family stewardship, bringing traditional British sausages to American customers through a direct shipping model via rjbalson.com. Expanded product lines currently in development for the US market include a Saxon-style sausage with a more herbaceous profile created to mark the brand's 510th anniversary, alongside chipolatas and British back bacon. Retail availability through select partners is expected later in 2026.