The Manchester Bee Paper Straw

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British Family Business
Established 1868

Award Winning Service
Manchester Evening News & FPA

Tell Plastic to Buzz Off!

The straw is fittingly emblazoned with the Manchester Bee, an iconic symbol of the city's unity and admirable work ethic.

A donation from the sale of each box of straws will also be made to the We Love Manchester Charity.

Now Available as a Sip Straw!

Since its launch, The Manchester Bee Paper Straw has flown into drinks everywhere from the Etihad to the Manchester Christmas Markets.

Now, a new straw joins the hive - The Manchester Bee Paper Sip Straw! At a neat 5.5" (14cm) with a small bore, this straw is the perfect size
for cocktails, mixed drinks and pretty much anything served in a Rocks glass.

Like with its bigger sibling, a donation from the sale of each box of sip straws will be made to the We Love Manchester Charity.

Make Your Pledge

The Manchester Bee Paper Straw has been buzzing around and flying into drinks since November 2018 whilst encouraging
operators to sign up to the Plastic Free GM Pledge. Any business can sign up to the pledge by clicking below.

For orders and queries, please contact sales@stephensons.com and we'll do our best to assist you.
If you'd like to purchase the Manchester Bee Paper Straw, please click the button below.

1860

The company's founder Henry George Stephenson moves to Manchester, where he begins selling pottery on the Salford Flat Iron Market.
1868

Henry moves into Manchester's newly built Barton Arcade, opening the first Stephensons store.
1900

The business is officially registered with Companies House as 'H.G. Stephenson Limited'.
1914

Business continues to thrive until the advent of the Great War which brought major recession and limited supplies.
1918

Henry dies leaving his sixth son, Ernest, to guide the business through the Great War.
1919

Miss Anne Smith joins Stephensons aged 19. Anne goes on to work for the company for 70 years, becoming the longest serving employee.
1939

Harold Stephenson, son of Ernest, is elected to the board.
1940

Stephensons halt retail operations after Barton Arcade suffers extensive damage during the first night of the 'Manchester Blitz'.
1945

Barton Arcade reopens fully after the war, although supplies of anything more than plain white earthenware and basic glass remained virtually impossible to find until the 1970's.
1966

Ernest retires at the age of 79, with his nephew Harold taking full control of the company.
1967

After 99 years at Barton Arcade, Stephensons moves to the Kennerley Works site in Stockport.
1970

Michael Stephenson, a fourth genration family member, becomes Managing Director.
1998

Julian Lewis-Booth, Michael's eldest son, joins Stephensons as Sales Director.
2005

Julian's brother, Henry, joins the business as Marketing Director, later becoming Managing Director.
2006

The Stephensons website is launched to propel the company into the 21st century.
2013

The Kennerley Works site is expanded to over 30,000 square feet.
2015

Stephensons acquire a 13,000 foot warehouse in Cheadle.
Today

Today, with over 150 years of proud history, the Stephenson’s story is still being written…