What DC Norris & Company does

DC Norris & Company Ltd is a privately held UK industrial food processing equipment manufacturer founded in 1970 and headquartered in Sandy, Bedfordshire. The company designs, manufactures, and installs turnkey cooking, cooling, mixing, and automation systems for food, beverage, and wet pet food producers worldwide, with 51–100 employees and a global reach spanning the UK, North America (via DC Norris North America), the Middle East, and Africa through direct enterprise sales and an agent network.

The company's competitive position rests on a portfolio of patented technologies led by Jet Cook™—a high-velocity steam injection system that atomises steam into over seven trillion droplets per second, achieves 99.5% energy transfer into the product, and reduces processing times by approximately 50% and energy use by up to 52% versus conventional steam heating. Complementary proprietary systems include the Multiple Aperture Discharge System (MADS) for liquid and fat removal, the Powder Entrainment System for agglomeration-free powder hydration, the Cook Quench Chill Adapt modular cook-quench-chill platform, and Recipe Manager software with RFID-based recipe and traceability control. Named customers include Heinz, McCormick, Sainsbury's, Higgidy, Amy's, Bells Food Group, Kirsty's Thoughtful Food, Pets Choice, and Al Manal (Qatar), with the latter's Jet Cook deployment delivering 200,000 meals daily during the FIFA World Cup.

DC Norris monetises primarily through capital equipment sales (new, refurbished, and used machinery, can openers, transfer and mixing vessels, bag filling systems) supplemented by recurring spares and service contracts, on-site product and process training, and trials in its Product Development Kitchen. Pricing is quotation-based, project-specific, and nett ex-works, with Net 30 payment terms. The only disclosed external funding is a £1 million Innovate UK grant awarded in 2017 for healthier recipe development with Sainsbury's and Nottingham University; the company appears independently owned with no parent, PE, or VC control. Leadership consists of David Norris (Managing Director) and Annabel Norris (Marketing Manager), and the business remains in active operating status with a 2024 Most Innovative Processing Solution award from the Saudi Food Manufacturing Exhibition.

Name

DC Norris & Company

Legal name

D C Norris & Company Ltd

Website

https://dcnorris.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

DC Norris & Company is a UK-based industrial food processing equipment manufacturer, founded in 1970, that designs and installs patented cooking and cooling systems—led by Jet Cook™ technology—for food, beverage, and pet food manufacturers worldwide via direct enterprise sales and a global agent network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Food Processing Equipment

NAICS

Food Product Machinery Manufacturing (333241), Heating Equipment (except Warm Air Furnaces) Manufacturing (333414), Ventilation, Heating, Air-Conditioning, and Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturing (3334)

SIC

Heating Equipment, Except Electric & Warm Air Furnaces (3433), Air-Cond & Warm Air Heatg Equip & Comm & Indl Refrig Equip (3585), Refrigeration & Service Industry Machinery (3580)

akta.pro primary industry

Boilers, Furnaces & Process Heating Equipment (IMAHAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Chillers & Cooling Plant Equipment (IMAHAKAE)

Keywords

• Industrial cooking equipment
• Food processing systems
• Cook chill equipment
• Wet pet food processing
• Jet cook technology

Headquarters

HQ city

Sandy

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Industrial Food Processing Equipment Sales: Sale of capital equipment including industrial cooking kettles, cook chill systems, sous vide equipment, cooling systems, can openers/crushers, mixing vessels, and ancillary equipment. Equipment ranges from standalone vessels to fully automated turnkey processing lines.
2. Spares & Service: Ongoing service support, spare parts supply, preventative maintenance programmes, and scheduled service inspections for installed equipment.
3. Product & Process Training: Training services delivered on-site or in Product Development Kitchen, covering equipment operation, product development, and process optimisation. Over 5,000 product trials conducted globally.
4. New & Refurbished Equipment: Sales of new food machinery alongside used and refurbished machinery for the food industry.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

DC Norris designs, manufactures, and installs turnkey industrial cooking, cooling, and food processing equipment systems for food, beverage, and wet pet food producers. The portfolio spans Jet Cook™ steam injection technology, cook-chill systems, industrial sous vide equipment, steam jacketed kettles, the Jet Process continuous line, cooling systems (vacuum, tumble, belt, static), can opening/crushing equipment, and supporting Recipe Manager and Virtual Chart Recorder software.

Product overview

DC Norris & Company designs, manufactures, and installs full turnkey food machinery systems for industrial cooking, cooling, and food processing. The portfolio includes core equipment systems (Jet Cook™ Technology, Cook Chill Systems, Industrial Sous Vide Equipment, Steam Jacketed Kettles, Ready-2-Cook Kettles, Cook Quench Chill Adapt, and Jet Process System) complemented by add-on modules (Braising Bar, Powder Entrainment System, MADS), software products (Recipe Manager Software, Virtual Chart Recorder), and additional equipment (can openers, tumble chillers, vacuum cooling, belt chillers, transfer vessels). These integrate as turnkey solutions where Jet Cook™ provides rapid heating while Braising Bar handles preliminary cooking steps, MADS removes excess fats, Recipe Manager controls recipes, and Cook Chill Systems handle post-cooking cooling. The company serves food, beverage, and pet food manufacturers with systems ranging from standalone vessels to fully automated processing lines.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Jet Process: Combination of technologies including Jet Cook, Entrain, Mix, Sterilise and Cool for high-speed food, beverage and pet food production.
• Jet Cook™
• Cook Chill
• MADS (Multiple Aperture Discharge System)
• Braising Bar
• Powder Entrainment System

Products and services

• Jet Cook™ Technology Patented high-velocity steam atomisation system that rapidly heats, mixes and pumps liquid food, beverage and wet pet food products in a single process, delivering 99.5% steam energy transfer into the product, ~50% faster processing and up to 52% energy savings for industrial food manufacturers.
• Cook Chill Systems Turnkey cook-chill system for rapidly cooling cooked food products to 3–5°C to extend shelf life up to several weeks while preserving taste, texture and nutrition, used as an industry benchmark by food manufacturers worldwide.
• Industrial Sous Vide Equipment High-capacity industrial cook tanks with automated lifts, programmable recipes and integrated temperature monitoring that cook vacuum-sealed products at precisely controlled low temperatures for food manufacturers needing sous vide production at scale.
• CT-1 Sous Vide Cook Tank Compact industrial sous vide cook tank offering vacuum-sealed, temperature-controlled cooking for smaller-batch or pilot-scale food production environments.
• Cook Quench Chill Adapt System Modular cook-quench-chill system using patented Jet Cook heating with individual heat exchangers on quench and chill tanks, designed for rapid high-speed cooking and water/energy efficiency in industrial food processing.
• Steam Jacketed Kettles Stainless steel scraped-surface steam jacketed kettles from 50 to 5,000 litres with even heat distribution for consistent industrial cooking of soups, sauces, ready meals, rice and similar products.
• Ready-2-Cook Industrial Kettle Compact self-contained steam-jacketed kettle in 300–1,000 litre static configurations designed for simple route to food production with minimal installation and training, suited to new manufacturers or pilot operations.
• Industrial Can Opening and Crushing Equipment Range of industrial can opening and crushing equipment for food processing facilities, including the AutoCan 1000 automatic can opener/crusher (100–800 cans/hour), Model 160 manual industrial can opener, and Model 990 industrial can crusher.
• Recipe Manager Software Recipe-driven production control software that precisely manages cooking processes and ensures consistency, accuracy and efficiency, with RFID tagging for real-time data logging and operator/ingredient traceability across DC Norris cooking systems.
• Virtual Chart Recorder Software Software that records and monitors production data on DC Norris equipment, supporting repeatability and traceability of food products through the manufacturing process.
• Tumble Chiller Systems Dual-purpose cook tank tumble chiller that combines sous vide cooking with rapid sauce cooling, enabling processors to switch between modes in the same vessel.
• Vacuum Cooling System Vacuum cooling technology for rapid cooling of food products, particularly effective for rice (steamed, egg fried, pilau) and vegetables when paired with steam-jacketed kettles in industrial processing lines.
• Root Vegetable Cooking System Jet Cook root vegetable cooker using an auger steam chamber with a patented condensate drain system for continuous cooking of root vegetables at industrial throughput of up to 2 tonnes per hour.
• Model 2700 Wok / Industrial Bratt Pan High-performance steam-jacketed braising pan (industrial wok/bratt pan) capable of frying, cooking and simmering at high temperatures in roughly half the time of conventional kettles for industrial food production.
• Joni Foodline Electric Tilting Kettles Danish-built industrial electric tilting and static kettles offered by DC Norris as UK agent, extending the portfolio to facilities without steam infrastructure and to smaller-batch operations.
• Jet Process System All-in-one Jet Process System combining Entrain, Mix, Cook, Sterilise and Cool functions for extended-shelf-life food, beverage and wet pet food production, delivering up to 18,000 kg/hour from a 120 sqm footprint operated by a single person.
• In-line Continuous Processing Systems In-line continuous processing systems providing seamless uninterrupted production suitable for beverages, baby food, wet pet food, condensed milk and health drinks.
• Bag Filling and Bag Emptying Systems Range of bag filling and emptying equipment for cook-chill food processing, including the Pump Fill Station for high-performance filling, the Model 400 Heat Seal Pump Fill Station, and a Manual Bag Emptier and Scraper.
• Belt Chiller Industrial belt chiller/cooler providing faster cooling and unloading times for extended-shelf-life food production in industrial processing lines.
• Static Batch Cooler Static batch cooler designed for food processing applications as part of DC Norris's cook-chill and cooling product lines.
• New and Used Food Equipment and Refurbished Machinery Sales of new food machinery alongside used and refurbished machinery for the food industry, offering lower-cost entry points for industrial customers.
• Spares and Service Ongoing service support for installed DC Norris equipment, including spare parts supply, preventative maintenance programmes and scheduled service inspections for food manufacturers.
• Product and Process Training On-site and in-house training services covering equipment operation, product development and process optimisation, delivered in DC Norris's Product Development Kitchen and underpinned by over 5,000 product trials conducted globally.
• Product Development Kitchen Trials Dedicated Product Development Kitchen where customers can run product and process trials on DC Norris equipment with engineering support to validate recipes and processes before purchase or scale-up.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50% reduction in processing times with Jet Cook technology
• +8 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature10 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Al Manal (Manal Foods)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2024DC Norris partnered with Al Manal in Qatar to deliver Jet Cook technology for FIFA World Cup catering operations, achieving 200,000 meals daily throughput. This flagship installation demonstrated Jet Cook capabilities at world's largest sporting event and earned Most Innovative Processing Solution award.
• Sainsbury'sflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Innovate UK funded £1m joint project to develop fat and salt reduction in ready meals, sauces and soups. DC Norris used Generation 4 Jet Processing to achieve 70% fat reduction and 50% salt reduction. Results validated by Nottingham University. Equivalent to removing 23 London double decker buses of fat and salt from products annually.
• DC Norris North AmericacoreOthersDedicated North American entity for DC Norris products and services serving US and Canadian markets.
• Global Agent NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNetwork of agents representing DC Norris worldwide for sales, installation, and support in regional markets outside UK headquarters.
• Nottingham UniversityminorOthersAcademic partner that validated the fat and salt reduction research outcomes from the Sainsbury's Jet Process trials.
• Pets ChoicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPet food manufacturer operating Jet Process System. Testimonial: 'Seeing a product heated and mixed from 45°C to 148°C in less than two metres was very impressive!'
• Joni Foodline (Denmark)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDC Norris acts as UK agent for Danish-built Joni Foodline electric tilting kettles, extending product portfolio for smaller batch operations and facilities without steam infrastructure.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Heat and Control: Global manufacturer of food processing, cooking and conveying equipment for snacks, prepared foods and proteins. Closely comparable to DC Norris as a multi-product, custom-engineered food processing OEM serving blue-chip enterprise food manufacturers with turnkey systems.
• ProXES: European food processing equipment specialist combining Stephan (cooking/mixing) and FrymaKoruma (processing) brands. Directly comparable to DC Norris as a niche mid-sized OEM focused on industrial cooking, mixing and liquid food processing for food, dairy and beverage manufacturers.
• Charles Ross & Son: US manufacturer of industrial mixers, blenders and food processing vessels. Comparable to DC Norris as a niche mid-sized OEM serving food, cosmetic and chemical manufacturers with custom-engineered mixing and processing equipment.

Broad incumbents

• GEA Group: One of the largest global suppliers of food processing technology, including separators, homogenisers, and cooking/cooling systems. Competes with DC Norris in liquid food, dairy and beverage processing as a broad incumbent with deeper R&D and global service infrastructure.
• Tetra Pak: Global leader in food processing and packaging solutions for dairy, beverages and prepared foods. Overlaps with DC Norris in liquid food processing equipment (heating, mixing, pasteurisation) but competes from a much larger installed base and broader product portfolio.
• JBT Corporation: US-listed provider of food processing and air cargo technology with deep coverage of cooking, chilling and sterilization equipment for protein and prepared-food customers. Direct overlap with DC Norris in industrial cooking and cook-chill systems for prepared meals.
• Marel: Iceland-based global leader in food processing equipment for meat, poultry, fish and prepared foods. Comparable to DC Norris as an enterprise-scale food processing OEM with a global service network, though Marel's footprint skews toward protein rather than liquid/pet food.
• Alfa Laval: Swedish multinational specialising in heat transfer, separation and fluid handling. Competes with DC Norris in heat exchangers, plate-based cooking/cooling systems and food-industry process equipment as a much larger, broadly diversified incumbent.
• Bühler Group: Swiss family-owned global supplier of processing solutions for food, feed and advanced materials. Comparable to DC Norris as a privately held, technology-driven food processing OEM serving multinational manufacturers, though at substantially larger scale and broader portfolio.

Emerging players

• Hosokawa Alpine: German manufacturer of processing and engineering equipment for food, chemical and pharmaceutical applications. Comparable to DC Norris in food processing machinery with particular overlap in powder handling and continuous processing systems.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/dc_norris
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/DCNorris
• Facebookfacebook.com/DCNorrisUK
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dc-norris-%26-company-ltd
• Instagraminstagram.com/dcn_ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries2 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 DC Norris & Company