Derbyshire’s only family-owned oil company is celebrating its 50th anniversary this month. 

Originally called Tom Pearson Oils, the business was started in September 1972 by Tom Pearson and his wife, Rachel, from their home in North-East Derbyshire. Initially running one rented tanker from Callywhite Lane in Dronfield, the business now has a depot at Sheepbridge Chesterfield, one at Shottle near Belper and employs 30 people. 

Asked why he set up the business Tom says “I was working for Castrol as a salesman covering South Yorkshire to Stockport and they offered me a promotion, which would have meant the family moving away from Derbyshire, which we didn’t want to do. A friend had set up a similar business the year before in Nottinghamshire and encouraged me to do the same in Derbyshire.” He smiles as he recalls “the pressure was on to secure at least one order a day, so that the driver had a delivery to do!”. Tom Pearson Oil’s first customer was Banner Plant, part of the Henry Boot plc. 

Early in 1973, Tom signed a contract of supply with Chevron, which he has credited with transforming the business when, later that same year, the Arab oil-exporting countries hit the UK (and other nations that were perceived to be in support of Israel) with an oil embargo (to be known as the Yom Kippur War). But Tom Pearson Oils, thanks to its contract with Chevron, did not suffer the same supply restrictions as other fuel distributors and the business boomed.

What followed was a period of expansion; in 1974 Tom bought his first new tanker and was granted planning permission to build a depot on Sheepbridge Industrial Estate, to which the business relocated in 1977 and still operates from today.

In January 1978, Tom and Rachel changed the name of the business to Peak Oil Products (Northern) Limited and in 1983 acquired a second depot at Shottle Station, near Belper. Whilst the station building at Shottle is now the depot’s office, this charming location gained a new lease of life in 1997 when passenger trains started running again between Wirksworth and Duffield, stopping at Shottle, on the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway.

During the past 5 decades, Peak Oil has quite literally weathered storms; during the ‘Big Freeze’ of December 2010, they couldn’t get a truck in, or out of their depots for 3 days! It has also kept afloat when wars have sent the markets into turmoil and continued delivering to their faithful customers when fuel crisis have hit.

When asked why he thinks customers choose Peak Oil as their supplier, Tom says “a prompt and competitive service, delivered by our dedicated employees, many of whom have worked for the business for over 30 years”. 

The business remains in the family and is now run by Neil and Helen Pearson, who are responding to the ever changing environmental and political needs of the sector. Conscious of the need to offer a lower carbon alternative product to their customers, Peak Renewable Diesel was launched in 2020 and is available in bulk deliveries and at their forecourt in Chesterfield - the first retail pump of Renewable Diesel in the U.K. Also on the horizon is Renewable Heating Oil, which is currently in its second phase of testing and will offer households and businesses an environmentally friendly alternative to heating their homes and workspaces without the need for major boiler changes. 

On reaching the half century milestone, Neil Pearson says “I am extremely proud of all that my parents have achieved over the last 50 years and we wouldn’t be here without the continued support of our loyal customers.” Asked about the future of the business, Neil says “I’m really excited to see how the business will evolve over the coming years as we find more alternatives to fossil fuels, but it’s a tough sector, which is at the mercy of political volatility and increasing corporate consolidation.” Neil goes on to say that “there are now fewer fuel distributors than ever before and the industry is progressively being controlled by a handful of large, national companies, so we need to keep on our toes!”

Peak Oil remains one of the few local and family operated companies out there to deliver quality goods with an exceptional service and Tom and his family wish to thank their loyal customers, staff and suppliers for their business, service and support over the past 50 years.

As a local business that supports local businesses, Peak Oil would like to thank Alwin Greyson Photography Ltd (Sheffield), Cake Corner (Bakewell), Kilner Cakes (Holmesfield), Peak Ales (Chatsworth) and Steel City Marketing (Sheffield) for their contributions in marking its 50th anniversary.

Editor’s Note: When the business was founded 50 years ago, crude oil was $26.06 a barrel. Crude oil reached an all time high of $147.27 in July, 2008 as the financial crisis kicked in. At the height of the Cover pandemic in 2020, the average price of crude oil was just $39.68