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 re-grouping, the brothers re-opened 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.