Company History
Founded by Andrew Goodfellow, Advent grew by solving a simple problem: researchers needed small quantities of high-purity materials, delivered reliably. This is how that idea became our business.
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1960s | From Coin Blanks to Research Materials
Advent’s story begins with Andrew Goodfellow, working alongside his father, Stanley Goodfellow at Goodfellow Metals.
The company supplied industrial metals and traded blanks for the new 50p coin, but Andrew spotted a different need: small quantities of high-purity foils and metals for scientific research.
He produced the first printed catalogue and ran production from a lab in Surrey.
As demand grew, Andrew became a Director and Shareholder at Goodfellows, and formalised a dedicated small-quantities service tailored to universities and research laboratories.
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1970s | A New Home in Cambridge
With demand for specialist metals accelerating, Andrew led a move to the newly formed Cambridge Science Park—becoming only the second building on site.
Owned by Trinity College Cambridge, the park was officially opened by the Duke of Edinburgh.
It was a proud moment for Andrew and a clear statement of his intent: to build a dedicated presence at the heart of the UK’s research community, supplying materials for scientists worldwide.
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1980s | Advent Takes Shape
In 1988, after years running the small-quantities arm of Goodfellow Metals, Andrew parted ways with the company and, with his wife Sara, founded Advent Research Materials Ltd.
From a base in north Suffolk, Advent continued to supply high-purity metals, alloys and polymers, in small quantities, to researchers around the world.
They published Advent’s first printed catalogue—listing more than 6,000 items—and went online early via CompuServe, making it easier for scientists to find their materials.
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In 1998, Advent relocated to Eynsham, just outside of Oxford—placing the team within easy reach of major university departments and a growing network of research organisations.
The move combined a new large office and warehouse under one roof, improved stock control, and shortened lead times for customers across academia, industry, and government.
Being on Oxford’s doorstep also strengthened day-to-day links with researchers, helping Advent shape ranges and formats to suit real laboratory needs.
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2000s – Present | A Family Business
In 2006, Andrew’s son, Dr Chris Goodfellow, joined after completing an Masters of Material Science (MEng) and Engineering Doctorate (EngD) at the University of Birmingham.
With an engineering and research background, he brought fresh perspective and now leads Advent as our Managing Director.
In 2017, Andrew’s daughter-in-law, Carli Goodfellow, joined to lead the company's digital marketing and client communications. She helped shape the new website and continues to support customers and digital operations.
In 2020, we launched a modern, fully transactional website, allowing customers to check stock, place orders, and buy online quickly and securely.
At the start of 2024, we sadly lost Andrew after a brief illness.
He was much more than Advent’s founder—he was a father, grandfather to four, and husband to Sara, who continues to play a key role as our Finance Director.
Andrew’s vision and values remain at the heart of everything we do, and his workings still surface in spreadsheets and documents in the office every day—much to Chris’s delight.
We love that so many of our customers and suppliers remember him so fondly—some have been buying from us for more than 30 years—and we continue to hear new stories about him even now.
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Looking Ahead
It’s been over 35 years since Advent Research Materials was founded, and a lot has changed.
But our purpose has stayed the same—to make it easier for researchers to access the high-purity materials they need, in the quantities that make sense for their work.
From our early catalogues and one of the first static websites, to today’s fully online ordering and global reach, we’ve always adapted to meet the needs of scientists and engineers around the world.
We’re proud to remain an independent and family-run business, still shaped by Andrew Goodfellow’s original vision - to supply small quanity, high-purity materials to the global scientific research community.
Today Advent is backed by a responsive service, practical technical expertise, a fast digital experience, consistent high quality, and fair pricing—so researchers can do their best work and deliver innovations that change lives.