Thomas, George, Stephen, and Peter Soffron and their sister Virginia were the children of a couple who moved from Greece to Ipswich to work in the mills. The four brothers, Tom, George, Pete, and Steve, opened a clam shucking operation in the former Burke Heel factory. Saffron Brothers were the exclusive suppliers of clams to the Howard Johnson chain for 32 years, which featured Ipswich Fried Clams on the menu.
In 1966, Howard Johnson’s ended its 32-year contract with the Soffron Brothers. After a year of regrouping, the brothers reopened the business, supplying fresh, frozen, and canned clam products for the wholesale market from the Ipswich facility. Soffron Brothers continued in business into the 1990s, spanning three generations of family ownership.
Historic Ipswich 