One evening in 1865, a Fleetwood pharmacist named James Lofthouse got talking to three deep-sea fishermen who had just sailed back from the treacherous cod grounds off Iceland. They could barely speak above a croak. Lofthouse's fix for their ravaged throats went on to become one of the most recognisable lozenges in the world — and it is still made in the same Lancashire town today.
A Chemist's Remedy for the Icelandic Fishing Fleet
Fleetwood in the 1860s was a booming fishing port, and its trawlermen spent weeks at a time in the freezing, damp conditions of the North Atlantic, chasing cod as far as Iceland. Coughs, colds and sore throats were an occupational hazard. James Lofthouse, who ran a chemist's shop in the town, mixed up a tincture of liquorice, eucalyptus oil and menthol and gave small bottles of it to the fishermen he had met. It worked well enough that word spread quickly along the docks.
From Liquid Tonic to Travel-Proof Lozenge
The original remedy was a liquid, but glass bottles and pitching fishing boats do not mix — they broke far too easily in rough seas. Lofthouse thickened the tincture and pressed it into small, sturdy lozenges instead, robust enough to survive a stormy voyage in an oilskin pocket. The lozenge kept the strong menthol-and-eucalyptus hit of the original tonic in a form that could actually make it out to sea intact.
A Family Business That Stayed Independent
The company that grew from Lofthouse's shop, Lofthouse of Fleetwood, has remained a family business for over 150 years, still headquartered in the same Lancashire town. The exact recipe has always been kept a closely guarded secret, known only to a handful of people at any one time. Doreen Lofthouse, who joined the firm after marrying into the family and later led it as chairman, was instrumental in turning Fisherman's Friend from a local remedy into a global export brand before her death in 2021.
From a Fleetwood Chemist's Shop to Over 100 Countries
What started as small bottles handed to a handful of trawlermen is now produced by the billion in the same town. Today the Fleetwood factory turns out several billion lozenges a year, exported to well over 100 countries. Key milestones along the way include:
- 1865 – James Lofthouse creates the original liquid tincture for Fleetwood fishermen.
- Lozenge conversion – the tincture is thickened and pressed into lozenges so it can survive life at sea.
- Extra Strong original – the classic strong menthol lozenge remains the brand's signature product.
- Sugar-free version – introduced as demand grew for a lower-sugar alternative to the original.
- Global export brand – Fisherman's Friend lozenges are now sold in more than 100 countries worldwide.
Despite that global reach, the lozenge has never really left its roots: the packaging still nods to Fleetwood's fishing heritage, and the company remains proudly independent rather than part of a larger confectionery group.
Still Stocking the Original
We stock Fisherman's Friend in our Fisherman's Friend collection for anyone after that same extra-strong hit that first won over a few croaky Fleetwood trawlermen back in 1865.
FAQ Recap
- Who invented Fisherman's Friend? Fleetwood pharmacist James Lofthouse, in 1865.
- Why was it created? To soothe the throats of deep-sea fishermen sailing from Fleetwood to the Icelandic cod grounds.
- Why a lozenge and not a liquid? The original bottled tincture broke too easily at sea, so it was thickened into a solid lozenge.
- Is it still made in Fleetwood? Yes — the lozenges are still produced in the same Lancashire town by the family-run Lofthouse of Fleetwood.
- How widely is it sold today? In more than 100 countries around the world.