RH Group

What RH Group does

RH Group (Richard Hochfeld Ltd) is a UK-based, family-owned fresh produce company founded in 1897 with UK operations established in 1936. The company specialises in importing, exporting, growing, and packing premium grapes, apples, and pears, and supplies Britain's leading supermarket chains and wholesale traders, with growing export businesses into Asia (notably China via the Hi Fruit joint venture with Zhuang'an) and Eastern Europe.

The group's operations are vertically integrated across six countries (Chile, China, Greece, India, Italy, and the UK), encompassing joint-venture farms, a 6-hectare domestic apple and pear farm near Goudhurst in Kent, the Scion Fruits breeding programme (in partnership with Frank P Matthews) developing proprietary British apple and pear varieties, and the OPP Packing Services facility in Borough Green, Kent, which provides multi-format packing (heat seal, flow wrap, hand packing, sorting, repacking) with 1,500 pallet storage capacity and EDI-enabled order processing.

RHG's revenue model is B2B-led, built on negotiated multi-year contracts with major UK retailers and wholesale traders for fresh produce supply, supplemented by third-party packing services revenue (OPP), premium craft gin sales (HYKE Gin, produced from surplus table grapes in partnership with Foxhole Spirits), and licensing royalties from Scion Fruits' breeding programme. The company operates with 70+ permanent employees across Richard Hochfeld Ltd and Topfruit Ltd and reports no external private equity or venture capital backing.

Name

RH Group

Legal name

Richard Hochfeld Ltd

Website

https://richardhochfeldgroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1897

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

RH Group is a UK family-owned fresh produce importer and packer, founded in 1897, specialising in grapes, apples, and pears for Britain's leading supermarket chains, with vertically integrated grower networks across six countries and exports into Asia and Eastern Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fresh Produce Import and Distribution

NAICS

Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Merchant Wholesalers (42448)

SIC

Wholesale-Groceries, General Line (5141), Public Warehousing & Storage (4220)

akta.pro primary industry

Fresh Produce Wholesale (Fruit & Vegetables) (AFAIABAE)

Keywords

• Fresh produce import
• Table grape supply
• Apple pear distribution
• Fruit packing services
• Produce vertical integration

Headquarters

HQ city

Borough Green

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Fresh Produce Import/Export: Importing, exporting, growing and packing of fresh produce including grapes, apples and pears. Core revenue from selling produce to Britain's leading supermarket chains and wholesale traders, as well as export markets in Asia and eastern Europe.
2. OPP Packing Services: Multi-format packing services for third-party fresh produce including heat seal, flow wrap, hand packing, sorting and repacking. 1500 pallet storage capacity with supply chain and ordering services.
3. Gin Production (HYKE): Premium craft gin produced from surplus table grapes in partnership with Foxhole Spirits. Value-add product that recycles grapes that cannot be sold fresh.
4. Licensing Royalties: Breeding programme partnerships that commercialise new fruit varieties. Scion Fruits sells rights to varieties from breeders and promotes growing and consumption of new apple and pear varieties.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

RH Group is a vertically integrated UK fresh produce company that imports, exports, grows, and packs premium table grapes, apples, and pears, supplying Britain's leading supermarket chains and wholesale traders. It operates purpose-built UK packing facilities (OPP Packing Services) offering heat seal, flow wrap, hand packing, sorting and repacking with 1,500 pallet storage capacity, and runs an international network of grower and breeding joint ventures across Chile, China, Greece, India, Italy and the UK to control supply from vines to retail. Complementary offerings include the Scion Fruits British apple and pear breeding programme and HYKE craft gin, which is produced from surplus table grapes.

Product overview

RH Group operates as a vertically integrated fresh produce company comprising multiple specialized entities. The core business centers on Richard Hochfeld Ltd (importing/exporting/packing), supported by Richard Hochfeld Farming (UK growing operations), and Richard Hochfeld International Ltd (global supply network). The group offers OPP Packing Services for multi-format packaging with 1500 pallet storage. Diversified offerings include HYKE Gin (premium craft gin from surplus grapes) and Scion Fruits joint venture (British apple/pear breeding programme). The group serves UK supermarkets, wholesale traders, and exports to Asia and Eastern Europe.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HYKE Gin: Premium craft gin made from surplus table grapes, produced in partnership with Foxhole Spirits. Distinctive character from grape spirit and blend of botanicals inspired by grapes' African and South American origins.
• Scion Fruits
• OPP (Orchard Place Packers)

Products and services

• Table Grapes Premium table grapes (including late Crimson Seedless and varieties such as Sweet Celebration, Sweet Globe, Sweet Joy) imported and exported by RH Group for supply to British supermarket chains, wholesale traders, and international markets in Asia and Eastern Europe.
• Apples and Pears (Top Fruit) Premium apples and pears (top fruit) supplied to British supermarket chains and wholesale traders, including new varieties developed through the Scion Fruits breeding programme such as the Pink-fleshed Sunburst apple, and the Wye Fruit co-operative range marketed exclusively by RHG in the UK.
• OPP Packing Services Multi-format fresh produce packing services for third-party customers and RHG's own produce, including heat seal, flow wrap, hand packing, sorting and repacking, with 1,500 pallet storage capacity, real-time stock tracking, full traceability, EDI-enabled order processing, and supply chain and logistics services.
• HYKE Gin Premium craft gin distilled from surplus table grapes, produced in partnership with Foxhole Spirits (West Sussex spirit maker), with distinctive character from grape spirit and a blend of botanicals inspired by the grapes' African and South American origins.
• Scion Fruits Breeding Programme British apple and pear breeding programme operated as a joint venture with Frank P Matthews, focused on commercialising next-generation varieties with unique flavours (candy floss, cherries, Fruit Salad sweets); the programme test plants over 60 varieties and licenses rights to growers and partners.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5.2 million cases of table grapes sold in 2019
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Foxhole SpiritscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture partnership to produce HYKE premium craft gin from surplus table grapes. Surplus grapes that cannot be sold fresh (loose grapes and tiny bunches) are now recycled into gin rather than going to animal feed or anaerobic digestion. Foxhole Spirits is a West Sussex spirit maker.
• Frank P MatthewscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture Scion Fruits Ltd - exclusively British fruit-breeding programme. Aim is to promote growing, commercialisation and consumption of next generation of British apples and pears through careful selection of new varieties from bespoke breeding programme.
• Chacon Family (Chile)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture in Chile with Chacon family for Santa Ana farm in Ovalle. Farm produces roughly 650,000 boxes of late Crimson Seedless grapes. JV investing in new variety development - red, black and mid-to-late season white varieties in pipeline.
• Lafrut (Chile)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerExclusive supply relationship with Lafrut, a Chilean grower. Like Santa Ana, Lafrut was already a long-term supplier to RHG.
• Zhuang'an (China)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture agreement in China with Zhuang'an, a fruit packer and distributor based in Jiaxing. New business known as Hi Fruit will bring new and improved varieties into Chinese supermarket market.
• Greek Grape CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in Greece with Greek Grape Company. New vines of Sweet Celebration and Sweet Globe planted. Late white variety and black variety Sweet Joy also planted. Volumes will increase significantly over coming years.
• IndyGlobal (India)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in India with IndyGlobal to trial black grape varieties with view to planting best performers in larger commercial volumes.
• Monviso (Italy)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExclusivity agreement in northern Italy with Monviso giving Hochfeld exclusive access to their grape production which comes in key November supply window.
• Wye Fruit Co-operativecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive marketer of apples and pears for the Wye Fruit co-operative in the UK, making RHG a very influential player in the domestic fruit sector.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Worldwide Fruit: UK-based apple, pear and stone fruit specialist supplying major British retailers. Closely comparable to RH Group's core apples and pears wholesale business with overlapping supermarket customers and similar grower networks.
• Fresca Group: UK fresh produce group supplying supermarkets and foodservice with vertically integrated sourcing. Comparable in scale and customer base to RH Group, with multi-category produce distribution and UK packing operations.
• Berry Gardens: UK berry grower-owned cooperative marketing soft fruit to British retailers. Comparable vertically integrated grower-to-retailer model with cooperative exclusivity arrangements analogous to RH Group's Wye Fruit relationship.
• Jupiter Group: UK-headquartered fresh produce grower and global supplier of grapes, citrus, berries and top fruit. Direct overlap with RH Group's grape, apple and pear categories and similar multi-country grower partnerships.
• Minor, Weir & Willis (MWW): UK fresh produce distributor serving supermarket and wholesale customers with imported fruit and vegetables. Comparable B2B distribution motion and customer base to RH Group's UK wholesale operations.

Regional players

• Special Fruit: Belgian fresh produce specialist focused on berries, exotics and grapes across European retailers. Comparable in product mix and supplier-network model though primarily serving continental European accounts.

Broad incumbents

• Greenyard: Belgian-headquartered global market leader in fresh, frozen and prepared fruit and vegetables. Comparable at the wholesale-produce-to-retailer level but operates at significantly larger scale and broader product portfolio than RH Group.
• Total Produce (now Dole plc): Global fresh produce major formed from the merger of Total Produce and Dole. Overlaps with RH Group in fresh fruit distribution to retailers and foodservice, though at a vastly larger international scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/richardhochfeldgroup

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 RH Group