Natures Way Foods

What Natures Way Foods does

Natures Way Foods is a UK-based, privately held manufacturer of fresh prepared food, founded in 1994 in Selsey, West Sussex, by brothers Robert and David Langmead. The company produces bagged salads, salad bowls, coleslaw and potato salad, and salad meals for major UK grocery retailers (Tesco, Aldi, Morrisons) and foodservice operators (McDonald's, Pret a Manger, KFC). As of 2022 it held the #1 supplier position in UK Bagged Salads, Potato Salad, and Coleslaw, supported by four specialized manufacturing sites — Selsey (the largest Babyleaf factory in Europe), Runcton (Wholehead Bagged Salad for foodservice), Merston (Salad Bowls and Salad Meals), and Drayton (industry-leading Coleslaw and Potato Salad). The business also owns Sun Salads Ltd, a watercress farming operation with five UK farms and one in Spain acquired in 2004. Headcount is approximately 1,300-1,400 across nearly 40 nationalities, and peak weekly output reached 6 million units in 2019.

The company runs a sales-led B2B model with long-tenured customer partnerships; pricing is not publicly disclosed. Its technology base is bespoke mechanical processing lines organized by product category rather than a unified platform — Babyleaf wash and dry lines at Selsey, Wholehead bagged processing at Runcton, Salad Meals at Merston, and Coleslaw/Potato Salad lines at Drayton. Sustainability credentials are a stated differentiator: first UK food producer to win ISO 14001 (2000), ISO 50001 certified, carbon net-zero by 2050 commitment, 50% packaging reduction target, and 70% water preservation goal.

In November 2025, Natures Way Foods was acquired by Taylor Farms, a leading North American producer of salads and fresh foods, marking Taylor Farms' first major UK expansion. All employees, executives, and management teams were retained, and the stated intent is to share best practices in quality assurance, innovation, sustainability, and food safety. Acquisition terms were not disclosed.

Name

Natures Way Foods

Legal name

Natures Way Foods Limited

Website

https://natureswayfoods.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Natures Way Foods is a UK-based, privately held fresh prepared food manufacturer producing bagged salads, salad bowls, coleslaw and potato salad, and salad meals for major UK grocers and foodservice operators across four specialized manufacturing sites in West Sussex, now owned by Taylor Farms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fresh Prepared Foods

NAICS

Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing (3114), Food Manufacturing (311)

SIC

Canned, Frozen & Preservd Fruit, Veg & Food Specialties (2030), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Fresh-Cut & Value-Added Produce (Washed, Peeled, Sliced, Packaged) (AFAKAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Cold Prepared Foods & Meal Components (Sides, Proteins, Family Meals) (CRAHAKAC)

Keywords

• Fresh prepared food
• Bagged salads
• Food manufacturing
• Salad bowls
• Coleslaw production

Headquarters

HQ city

Chichester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Fresh Prepared Food Products: Manufacturing and sale of fresh convenient food products including bagged salads, salad bowls, coleslaw, potato salad, and salad meals to retail and foodservice customers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Natures Way Foods manufactures and supplies fresh convenient food products, including bagged salads, salad bowls, coleslaw, potato salad, and salad meals, to major UK retailers and foodservice customers. Production is conducted across four specialised manufacturing units in West Sussex (Selsey, Runcton, Merston, Drayton), with the Selsey site operating as the largest Babyleaf factory in Europe. The product range is complemented by vertical integration into watercress farming through subsidiary Sun Salads Ltd.

Product overview

Natures Way Foods is a single-brand food manufacturing company offering a portfolio of fresh, convenient food products. The core product lineup consists of four main product categories: Bagged Salad (the original flagship product line), Salad Bowls (all-in-one meal solutions), Coleslaw and Potato Salad (traditional products with modern innovation), and Salad Meals (ready-to-eat fresh meals for home or on-the-go). These products are manufactured across four Centers of Excellence (manufacturing facilities) located in Sussex, England: Selsey (Home of the Babyleaf, the largest Babyleaf factory in Europe), Runcton (Home of Wholehead Bagged Salad for Foodservice), Merston (Stunning Salad Meals), and Drayton (Kings of Coleslaw, industry-leading Coleslaw and Potato Salad factory). The company also owns Sun Salads Ltd, a watercress farming operation. The products are built on a foundation of Quality, Service, and Value, with emphasis on sustainable agriculture, reducing carbon footprint, and minimizing plastic use.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bagged Salad Ready-to-eat leafy bagged salads manufactured primarily at the Selsey site (Europe's largest Babyleaf factory) and supplied to UK retailers and foodservice customers. These products are the original and foundational product line of Natures Way Foods.
• Salad Bowls All-in-one salad solution featuring bowls of leafy salad and tasty salad vegetables combined into meal-friendly portions designed to reduce waste. Manufactured at the Merston site and supplied to UK retailers.
• Coleslaw and Potato Salad Traditional coleslaw and potato salad products being reinvented with new flavours, textures and colours. Manufactured at the Drayton factory using bespoke machinery and supplied to UK retailers; the company became number one supplier in this category by 2022.
• Salad Meals Fresh, filling and healthy salad meals designed for eating at home or on the go, meeting consumer demand for convenient healthy food options. Manufactured at the Merston site and supplied to UK retailers and foodservice customers.
• Sun Salads Watercress Fresh watercress supplied for retail and wholesale all year round through wholly-owned subsidiary Sun Salads Ltd, sourced from 5 UK watercress farms and 1 in Spain.

Quantifiable outcome

• Produced over 6 million units in one week in 2019 - most units ever recorded

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Taylor FarmscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 November 2025Taylor Farms, a leading North American producer of salads and fresh foods, acquired Natures Way Foods marking Taylor Farms' first major expansion into the UK market. The collaboration focuses on sharing best practices in quality assurance, innovation, sustainability, and food safety. All existing employees, executives, and management teams remain with the company.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Premier Foods: UK-listed branded food manufacturer with a portfolio spanning ambient, sweet and convenience categories. Relevant as a large UK food manufacturer serving similar grocery channels, though it is more brand-led and ambient-focused rather than fresh prepared produce.
• McCain Foods: Global leader in frozen prepared foods (potato products, prepared meals) with broad UK foodservice and retail presence. Adjacent in the prepared/convenience food space and a major UK foodservice supplier, but focused on frozen rather than fresh chilled salads and coleslaw.

Direct peers

• Cranswick plc: UK food producer with operations across fresh pork, prepared foods and convenience categories. Comparable UK B2B manufacturer serving major grocery and foodservice customers with prepared and fresh food lines.
• 2 Sisters Food Group: One of the UK's largest food manufacturers with significant chilled and prepared food operations, supplying major UK retailers and foodservice operators. Overlaps with NWF in salads, prepared produce and foodservice supply.
• Samworth Brothers: Private UK food manufacturer producing chilled prepared foods, sandwiches, salads and ready meals for major UK retailers (Tesco, M&S, Co-op, Aldi). Direct competitor in retail-branded and private-label fresh prepared salads and meals.
• Greencore Group: UK and Ireland-headquartered manufacturer of convenience foods (sandwiches, salads, ready meals) supplying major UK and Irish grocery and foodservice customers. Comparable B2B co-manufacturing model with overlap in prepared salads, meal kits and foodservice salads.
• Florette (Agrial Fresh Produce UK): Part of Agrial's fresh produce division and one of the UK's largest bagged salad and fresh vegetable brands. Directly competes with NWF in the UK bagged salad and fresh prepared salad categories via retail private label and branded SKUs.
• Bakkavor Group: UK-listed leading provider of fresh prepared food (salads, sandwiches, ready meals, desserts) to major UK grocery retailers including Tesco, Marks & Spencer and Sainsbury's. Direct competitor in the same product categories (bagged salads, prepared salads) with a similar retail-led B2B co-manufacturing model.
• Taylor Farms: Leading North American producer of salads, fresh-cut vegetables and fresh prepared foods; now NWF's parent company following the November 2025 acquisition. Direct comparable in product mix, manufacturing model and customer base, with Taylor Farms' US scale being the benchmark for the combined platform's growth runway.
• Fresh Direct (William Jackson Food Group): UK supplier of fresh prepared salads, sandwiches, wraps and food-to-go products to foodservice and convenience channels. Comparable in product mix (salads, prepared produce) and B2B foodservice model, though with a smaller UK retail footprint than NWF.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/natures_wayfood

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Natures Way Foods