Albert Leslie Simpkin founded the company in 1921 upon his return from the Great War. His concept was to manufacture high-quality glucose confections using only natural flavors and colors. He proceeded to target sales through the pharmacy shops, as this enabled him to build up a niche market and avoid competing with the large confectionery manufacturers. Within three years he had an 80% coverage throughout the UK which meant that he opened 12,000 accounts.

Business continued to flourish and he bought a burnt down refrigeration factory in Sheffield, UK. Using the shell he built a purpose made factory of 40,000 square feet and employed 180 people. It was at this time he got the idea of extending the range from bulk Barley Sugars in jars to powdered sweets in 8oz tins. The travel tin evolved due to it being the only container that was relatively airtight. This was an important factor because the sweets had a high fruit juice content and would go sticky when exposed to dampness. The white powder was initially added to stop the sweets sticking together. The tins in the 1920's were not totally airtight, as they were seamed cans so the shelf life was still fairly short, however in the 1950's a can was produced with no seam so the sweets would remain fresh for years.

Due to Simpkins Pharmacy distribution the original tins of Simpkins sweets all contained Barley Sugar Drops which are proven to alleviate the symptoms of Travel Sickness... hence the term TRAVEL SWEETS... Simpkins are proud to be the ORIGINAL manufacturer of Travel Sweets. Today UK sales are still predominantly through pharmacy and health food outlets with Travel Tins and Sugar Free confectionery.

Simpkins have been exporting for over 60 years, originally to the old Commonwealth countries with Vita Glucose tablets, then moving on to travel tins in the early 1940s. Because of the unique taste and texture of the candy in tins, they became very popular throughout Europe in sales areas that were connected with travel.

One of the first major markets in the Far East was Japan. This was aided by the fact that the product already used natural colors and flavors, thus conforming to the strict Japanese regulations. Within a short period of time, the sales spread throughout the Far East. Due to John Simpkin's determined approach to export, Simpkins now export to over 40 countries throughout the world.