Moulton Bulb

What Moulton Bulb does

Moulton Bulb Co. Ltd is the packing arm of the family-owned Oldershaw Group, founded in 1979 by Gilbert Oldershaw MBE in Moulton, Lincolnshire. The group operates four integrated divisions covering the allium (onion, shallot and garlic) supply chain: Oldershaws of Moulton (growing 13k tonnes annually on Lincolnshire and Norfolk farms), Moulton Bulb (packing approximately 100k tonnes per year at the Moulton site for British supermarkets), Goldwood Moulton (vegetable processing — peeling, dicing and slicing for retailers and food manufacturers), and Moulton Bulb Imports (Liverpool-based onion importing from Spain and Chile for wholesale markets). Approximately 25% of UK supermarket onion volume is handled at the Moulton facility, and the company supplies all major UK grocery chains including Aldi, Asda, Co-op, Iceland, Ocado, Sainsbury's, Waitrose, Heron Foods, SPAR and Nisa, plus food manufacturers such as Gousto, Fenmarc and Pilgrim's.

The operating model is vertically integrated, with revenue generated through B2B wholesale supply of fresh whole and processed alliums, priced via negotiated commercial agreements rather than public list rates. Distribution runs through direct sales to retailer distribution centres, direct sales to food manufacturers, and a wholesale channel in Liverpool. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales with account management embedded across produce buyers, technical/quality managers and supply-chain directors.

The technology layer is unusually deep for a fresh-produce packer. Moulton operates the UK's first Sammo/Longobardi Near Infra-Red 8-lane electronic cup grader (commercial from August 2014, neural-network machine learning added in June 2021) for non-invasive detection of internal rot, external rot, skinned and stained onions, and is paired with a custom-built ERP, a bespoke Food Quality Management System, a custom QA application with OCR, Thingtrax IoT-based OEE data capture on packing lines, and automated print integration. Certifications include BRCGS AA+ (unannounced, Version 9 standard, zero non-conformances, November 2025), Soil Association organic certification, Red Tractor farm assurance, SEDEX membership, IFCO Sustainability, plus commitments under WRAP Courtauld 2030 and the UK Plastics Pact. The group holds the registered Sunions trademark — the UK's first tearless onion variety, developed over 30 years and retailed exclusively at Waitrose.

Name

Moulton Bulb

Legal name

Moulton Bulb Co. Ltd

Website

https://oldershawgroup.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Moulton Bulb is a family-owned UK allium packer within the Oldershaw Group, vertically integrated from growing through packing, processing and importing, supplying approximately 25% of UK supermarket onion volume to major grocery chains and food manufacturers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fresh Produce (Allium Packing and Processing)

NAICS

Vegetable and Melon Farming (11121), Other Vegetable (except Potato) and Melon Farming (111219), Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Merchant Wholesalers (424480)

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100), Wholesale-Farm Product Raw Materials (5150)

akta.pro primary industry

Fresh Produce Packhouses (Fruits & Vegetables) (AFAOAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Aromatic Alliums & Dehydrated Vegetables (Garlic, Onion, Shallot, Celery) (AFAJANAH), Allium Vegetable Farming (Onions, Garlic, Leeks, Shallots, Chives) (AFAGADAD), Fresh Vegetable Wholesale (AFAIACAB), Ingredients, Spices & Culinary Supplies Distribution (CRAOABAK)

Keywords

• Fresh produce supply
• Onion packing services
• Allium processing
• Vegetable import wholesale
• Agricultural grading technology

Headquarters

HQ city

Moulton

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Fresh Produce Sales (Onions, Garlic, Shallots): Primary revenue stream from growing, packing, and supplying whole bulb onions, garlic, and shallots to British supermarkets and food manufacturers. Revenue is transaction-based, derived from volume sales to retail and foodservice customers.
2. Processed Allium Products: Revenue from value-added processed products including peeled, diced, and sliced onions and garlic for retailers and food manufacturers. Provides higher margin opportunity through processing operations at Goldwood facility.
3. Import and Wholesale: Liverpool-based importing business specializes in importing onions from Spain and Chile and supplying wholesale markets. Supplements UK supply when domestic crop is unavailable.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Moulton Bulb grows, packs, processes, and imports onions, shallots, and garlic for direct supply to UK supermarket chains and food manufacturers. The company operates a vertically integrated allium supply chain from farms in Lincolnshire and Norfolk through a 100,000-tonne packing facility, a Goldwood processing plant, and a Liverpool-based import/wholesale business. It also supplies prepared (peeled, diced, sliced) allium products and the proprietary Sunions tearless onion brand.

Product overview

Moulton Bulb is part of the Oldershaw Group, a vertically integrated allium supply chain managing the complete journey from field to plate. The company operates four distinct divisions: Oldershaws of Moulton (growing 13k tonnes of onions/shallots), Moulton Bulb (packing ~100k tonnes for supermarkets), Goldwood Moulton (processing/peeling/dicing), and Moulton Bulb Imports (importing from Spain/Chile). The product portfolio centers on alliums including brown onions, red onions, shallots, echalions, pickling onions, garlic, prepared onions, peeled garlic, and the proprietary Sunions tearless onion variety. The company differentiates through technology including NIR onion grading with neural networks for internal defect detection, bespoke ERP and quality management systems, and is trusted by major UK retailers including Aldi, Asda, Co-op, Waitrose, Sainsbury's, Iceland, Ocado, and Gousto.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Moulton Bulb Allium Packing

Quantifiable outcome

• Recovered and utilized 1,200 tonnes of UK onion crops that previously could not be handled due to internal rot
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and strategic.

• Sammo/LongobardicoreTechnology or Integration · 1 July 2013Italian technology partners providing the Sammo/Longobardi Near Infra-Red (NIR) 8-lane electronic cup grader - the first in the UK. This multi-million pound technology partnership enabled automated detection of internal defects in onions, revolutionising quality control in the fresh produce industry.
• ThingtraxcoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partner providing IoT and image capture tools for Industry 4.0 OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) data capture. Deployed for monitoring performance on multihead weighers, vertical form fill machines, and onion netting machines.
• Cranfield UniversitystrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerThree-year Knowledge Transfer Partnership starting summer 2026 to track over 150 parameters from seed to shelf, including soil health, environmental data, and storability indicators. Research partnership building evidence base for quality improvement and climate resilience.
• University of ReadingstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research partner in collaborative Fusarium research project led by PhD student Kirsty Turner, working with the FUSED Project to understand Fusarium Basal Rot interaction with onions at every stage of the life cycle.
• FUSED ConsortiumstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerInnovate UK and DEFRA-funded programme developing early detection tools for crop disease, including soil diagnostics and environmental sensing in storage. Consortium focused on sustainable crop protection solutions.
• IFCOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIFCO provides reusable plastic containers (RPCs) that support circular economy principles. Partnership enables sustainable packaging solutions, reducing environmental footprint through share and reuse model that cuts water consumption, energy use, solid waste, and food waste.
• WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerSignatory to the WRAP Courtauld 2030 Commitment, which sets targets for reducing food waste, water use, and carbon emissions across the UK food and drink supply chain.
• UK Plastics PactstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of the UK Plastics Pact committed to reducing unnecessary packaging, improving recyclability, and making responsible trade-offs between material reduction and food waste prevention.
• Norfolk and Cambridge Water Stewardship GroupstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerSteering committee member working alongside other land managers to protect catchment health across one of the UK's most water-stressed agricultural regions.
• LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual participant in Open Farm Sunday, opening farms to the public to educate about farming, food production, and the countryside. LEAF is a charitable organisation promoting sustainable farming.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Total Berry (Total Worldfresh): Global fresh produce supplier with UK operations distributing berries, citrus and vegetables to UK supermarkets. Comparable in import-and-distribute model serving UK retailers, particularly relevant to Moulton Bulb Imports.
• Nationwide Produce: UK fresh produce sourcing, packing and wholesale company. Adjacent competitor with overlapping wholesale distribution of vegetables and produce into UK markets, comparable to Moulton Bulb Imports arm.

Direct peers

• Produce World Group: Major UK fresh vegetable packer supplying Tesco, Sainsbury's and other major retailers. Direct comparable as a vertically integrated UK vegetable packer with similar BRC credentials and direct-to-supermarket supply relationships.
• Greenvale Produce: UK-based fresh produce packer specializing in potatoes, supplying major British retailers. Operates a similar vertically integrated model from farming through to retail packing, with comparable scale and certification profile to Moulton Bulb.
• G's Fresh: One of the largest UK fresh produce growers and packers, supplying major UK supermarkets across multiple categories. Closely comparable to Moulton Bulb in operating model (vertical integration, direct-to-retailer supply, BRC-accredited packing facilities) and customer overlap.
• Fresh Direct (UK): UK fresh produce supplier offering prepared and whole vegetables to foodservice and retailers. Comparable in BRC-accredited packing operations and supply into UK retail/foodservice channels.
• Spearhead International: Vertically integrated UK fresh produce grower and packer serving multiple UK retailers across multiple vegetable categories. Comparable in vertical integration from farm to retailer DC and in operating scale.

Broad incumbents

• Bakkavor Group: UK's largest provider of fresh prepared foods (prepared vegetables, salads, ready meals) to major grocers. Overlaps with Moulton Bulb's Goldwood processing arm and food manufacturer customer segment at significantly larger scale.
• Berry Gardens Growers: UK berry grower cooperative supplying major UK supermarkets. Comparable as a UK fresh produce specialist serving the same supermarket customer base, though operating in a different category (berries vs alliums).

Regional players

• Stourgarden B.V. Leading Dutch garlic and onion packer/breeder supplying European retailers. Closely comparable product focus (garlic and onions) and packhouse operations, but serves continental Europe rather than UK supermarkets directly.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/MoultonBulb
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/oldershawgroup
• Facebookfacebook.com/moultonbulb
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/moultonbulb
• Instagraminstagram.com/oldershawgroup

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Moulton Bulb