Family-run Derbyshire fuel business started at home celebrates 50 years of continued success

Peak Oil was formed in September 1972 by Tom Pearson and his wife, Rachel – operating with one rented tanker from their home address on Callywhite Lane, Dronfield.

Tom said that he decided to start his own company after being offered a promotion which would have meant leaving Derbyshire.

“I started Tom Pearson Oils – later Peak Oil – largely because I didn’t want to move away from the area where we were living. My then employer Castrol had offered me a promotion, which would have meant moving away.

“The business was initially based at our home address, running one tanker from Callywhite Lane, which I rented from Trent Oil Nottingham. In those early days the pressure was on to secure one order a day so that the driver had a delivery to do.”

In 1973, the company won a contract with Chevron and Tom bought his first second-hand tanker. It was later that year, however, when the business began to find its feet.

Tom said: “In October 1973, the first oil crisis hit the UK as a result of the Yom Kippur War and the country was at the mercy of an oil embargo. Our company, with the contract of supply with Chevron, did not suffer the same supply restrictions as other local businesses and this proved to be a pivotal moment in Peak Oil’s history.”

The business expanded rapidly over the next few years, building a depot at Chesterfield’s Sheepbridge Industrial Estate, to which they relocated in 1977. In 1978 the firm became Peak Oil, and in 1983 they established another Derbyshire premises, taking on the vacant Shottle Station site in Belper.

The company is still going strong today – weathering everything the last 50 years has thrown at them. While much of the fuel industry is dominated by a handful of large, national companies, Peak Oil remains one of the sector’s few local, family-operated businesses.

The company recently held a 50th anniversary celebration, and Tom said that determination, loyalty and embracing modernisation have been crucial in ensuring its longevity.

“Fundamentally it is offering quality goods with an exceptional service, but loyalty has also been at the heart of our success; not just among our customers and suppliers, but also among past and present employees, many of whom have worked for the business for over 30 years.

“I’d like to thank my wife, Rachel, without whom none of this would have been possible.

“Alongside this, we have consistently invested in depots, modern vehicles and computer systems, which are relevant to the industry. Some determination and bloody-mindedness have also played their part!”

The business is now run by Tom and Rachel’s eldest children, Neil and Helen Pearson. Neil said: “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. I’m excited to see how the business will evolve over the coming years as we respond to the ever-changing environmental and political needs of the sector.

“We’ve got to clean up the environment and reduce our emissions. We all have a part to play and, as a result, Peak Oil now offers a lower carbon alternative in our renewable diesel, which we launched in 2020. In addition to vehicles, renewable heating oil is currently in its second phase of testing for use as a drop-in option, which would offer households and businesses an environmentally-friendly alternative without major boiler changes, so watch this space.

“In the meantime, we continue to pride ourselves with the service levels that we are able to provide our customers, which are unrivalled in our industry.”