Gordon and Ena Baxter created the Foundation together with Gordon’s brother, Ian, in 1981. The purpose was to ensure that the family could give something back to the people who helped to lay the foundations of their successful family enterprise. Gordon looked for innovation and liked to support well-managed groups, especially those which worked hard to help themselves. It was that ethos of hard work and innovation that helped this formidable husband-and-wife team build the Speyside business from a small enterprise into a much-loved brand, famed far and wide for its soups and preserves.
It was Gordon's grandfather, George, who founded the company in Fochabers in 1868, aided by his wife Margaret. Expansion followed under William and Ethel Baxter, before Gordon and Ian became the third generation to lead the family firm. When Gordon returned to Fochabers after the war, there were just 11 employees. Over the years, he and Ena travelled extensively and worked tirelessly to build one of Scotland's best-known family firms. They oversaw a period of sustained expansion, with the company becoming one of Moray's major employers and its products becoming known around the world. Gordon passed control to his daughter Audrey Baxter - the fourth generation of the family to run the business - in 1992.
Gordon and Ena passed away in 2013 and early 2015 respectively, but their legacy lives on. Today, in their name, trustees are proud to support worthy community projects right across the North and North-east of Scotland.
The Foundation holds four funding rounds a year, with applications welcomed from community groups and charities which are working to make a lasting difference in their local areas.