Doff is one of the UK’s longest established garden brands. Founded in 1946, the name “Doff” came from a family business in which salesmen were encouraged to “doff their caps” while selling door-to-door around villages of the Duchy of Portland in the post-war years.

80 years ago, Britain looked very different. Gardens were practical. Food mattered. Allotments were everywhere. People grew because they needed to.

What began as a modest market enterprise quickly gathered pace. By 1952, the business had moved into a small production unit above a terraced house, where the foundations of the company were properly laid. 

From those practical beginnings, Doff grew around straightforward products, useful advice and a clear understanding of what gardeners needed.

By the mid-1950s, the company had moved again, this time to the Midland Railway Goods Shed. It was there that Doff developed its first slug pellet, beginning the product range that would become the backbone of the business and remains our most best selling product today.  

Over the decades, the tools changed. Gardens changed. Consumers changed.

But our principles have always stayed the same: make reliable products that help people grow with confidence. From independent garden centres to national retail shelves, Doff products have helped generations of gardeners tackle weeds, feed plants, protect crops – everything they need to ‘keep on growing’.

While brands have come and gone, Doff has remained focused on what matters: practical products, honest value and knowledge built over time.

This anniversary is not just about looking back. It is a chance to celebrate the people, products and partnerships that built the business, while looking ahead to the next generation of British gardening.