History
A little about how we got here
We’ve come a long way since 1967, when our founder, Hermon Hodge, was a young travelling salesman for a local animal feed company.
Hermon realised there was a need for an alternative to the large, faceless oil companies that controlled the supply of tractor diesel and heating oil.
Farms, firms and homes all needed a local, flexible fuel supplier who would look after their needs and offer value for money – and so Ribble Fuel Oils was born.
At first it was a two-man, or rather a one man and one woman, operation as Hermon and his wife Andrea took orders in the morning and delivered them in the afternoon. So successful was their hands-on approach that the business grew steadily as many more oil users realised the benefits of this first class service.
It was only a matter of time before we needed more room and so, in 1984, we moved into our purpose built depot on Walton Summit, at the heart of the motorway network. The past few years have also seen the opening of our depots in Manchester and Liverpool giving complete coverage of the North-West.
When the next generation of the Hodge family, sons David and Ian, joined the Company, they started out by sweeping the yard before working hard to learn every aspect of the job. So it’s no surprise that, through effort and determination, Ribble Fuel Oils has become one of the largest family-owned fuel companies in the North West, built purely on service and good value.
Nowadays, when companies are getting bigger, more remote and less able to offer a personal service, we are proud that we are still a local family firm that puts our customers first.
After more than four decades of service to fuel oil users, it’s thanks to our loyal customers and all our dedicated staff, that we remain the foremost oil supplier in the area.