What SARIA does

SARIA Ltd is a UK-based circular-economy company operating across the food chain, providing animal by-product processing, food waste recycling, renewable energy generation, biofuel production, pet food ingredients, and biofertilisers. The business is the UK subsidiary of the German family-run RETHMANN Group (which also owns REMONDIS and Rhenus), and originated as PDM Group, founded in 1933 by Prosper De Mulder; SARIA Group acquired a majority stake in 2011 and full ownership in February 2016, with PDM rebranding to SARIA in 2014. UK operations employ approximately 950 staff across logistics and manufacturing, supported by one of the UK's largest specialist bulk transport fleets (over 450 articulated and 200 rigid vehicles), and serve more than 15,000 customers across retail, foodservice, hospitality, agriculture, and government.

SARIA's underlying technology stack is built on industrial-scale rendering, anaerobic digestion (AD), biomass-to-energy combustion, and biofuel production. The ReFood AD network comprises facilities at Doncaster (45,000 tonnes/year, 2.8 MW/h), Widnes (90,000 tonnes/year, 4.2 MW, the first gas-to-grid AD plant in ReFood's European portfolio using Greenland water-scrubbing biomethane upgrading), and Dagenham (160,000 tonnes/year, 22.7 MWh to grid). A 150,000-tonne biomass-to-energy plant at Widnes supplements electricity generation, with combined European renewable output powering approximately 46,000 homes. Sub-brands operationalise distinct capabilities: ReFood (food waste collection and AD), SecAnim (fallen stock and high-risk animal by-product disposal), SARVAL (pet food ingredients from Chettles and Granox), Nortech Foods (UK's largest refiner/packer of animal oils and fats, first packed oil company in Europe with RSPO certification), and Oilsense (cooking oil management, deployed in 200+ KFC restaurants). Biofertiliser brands DynAgro and ReGrow monetise anaerobic digestion digestate.

Revenue is generated primarily through transaction-fee and usage-based service models: collection and processing fees from food chain businesses for waste diversion, sale of renewable electricity to the National Grid via off-take agreements (e.g., Smartest Energy), hardware/commodity sales of biofuels and tallow replacing fossil fuels, transaction fees on protein ingredient supply to pet food and aquaculture manufacturers, and fertiliser sales to local agriculture. Go-to-market is enterprise-field-sales driven, with named contracts across all major UK supermarket chains (Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, Morrisons, M&S, Lidl, Aldi, Iceland), major foodservice operators (KFC, Baxter Storey), and government (Environment Agency). Notable strategic positioning includes the Grandpuits Sustainable Aviation Fuel project with TotalEnergies (entered construction 2025, 230,000 tons/year targeted capacity, Q4 2026 production) and the 2022 agreement to acquire Devro, signalling both vertical and downstream expansion.

Name

SARIA

Legal name

Saria Limited

Website

https://saria.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1933

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

SARIA is a UK circular-economy company and RETHMANN Group subsidiary that processes animal by-products and food waste into renewable energy, biofuels, biofertilisers, and pet food ingredients, serving supermarkets, foodservice chains, agriculture, and government across the UK.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Waste Management and Recycling Services

NAICS

Animal Food Manufacturing (3111), Animal Slaughtering and Processing (3116), Animal Slaughtering and Processing (31161), Other Animal Food Manufacturing (311119)

SIC

Meat Packing Plants (2011), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Co-Products & Pet Food Ingredients from Meat (Offal, Trimmings) (AFAKALAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Rendering & By-Product Processing (Tallow, Meat & Bone Meal) (AFAKALAG), Byproducts & Rendering Inputs Wholesale (Offal, Hides, Bones, Tallow) (AFAIADAJ)

Keywords

• Animal by-product processing
• Food waste recycling
• Anaerobic digestion services
• Renewable energy generation
• Biofertiliser production

Headquarters

HQ city

Doncaster

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Animal By-Product Processing: Collection and processing of animal by-products from abattoirs, slaughterhouses, and meat processing facilities. Materials are rendered into proteins and fats for various applications.
2. Food Waste Recycling Services: Collection and recycling of food waste from retailers, restaurants, hotels, and food manufacturers. Revenue generated through service fees for waste diversion from landfill.
3. Biofuels Production and Sales: Production of liquid and solid biofuels from processed materials for industrial markets to replace fossil fuels such as oil and coal for steam and power generation. Also used as feedstock for biodiesel production.
4. Renewable Energy Generation: Generation and sale of renewable electricity to the National Grid from anaerobic digestion and biomass combustion facilities. Heat energy also supplied to adjacent businesses and own operations.
5. Pet Food Ingredients: Supply of protein ingredients manufactured from animal by-products to pet food and aquaculture sectors.
6. Biofertiliser Sales: Sale of nutrient-rich digestate and fertiliser products (DynAgro, ReGrow) produced from anaerobic digestion process to local farmers.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

SARIA collects and processes animal by-products and food waste from the UK food chain, converting these materials through rendering, anaerobic digestion, and biomass combustion into renewable energy, biofuels, biofertilisers, and protein ingredients for pet food and aquaculture. The company operates a nationwide specialist collection fleet serving retailers, food manufacturers, restaurants, hotels, and farms, with multiple processing sites across the UK.

Product overview

SARIA is a circular economy company operating across the food chain, providing by-product processing, renewable energy, and sustainable waste management services. The portfolio includes By-product Processing (animal by-products rendering), Pet Food Ingredients (SARVAL brand), Renewable Energy (biomass and anaerobic digestion), Anaerobic Digestion under the ReFood brand, Food Services (Nortech Foods), and Bio Fertilisers (DynAgro, ReGrow). The company also operates SecAnim for fallen stock collection and Oilsense for cooking oil management. Key divisions work together: ReFood collects food waste for AD to produce energy and fertilisers, Nortech processes oils and fats, and SARVAL supplies pet food ingredients. In 2025, SARIA launched the Grandpuits SAF Project with TotalEnergies for sustainable aviation fuel production.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ReFood: Food waste recycling and anaerobic digestion brand operating AD plants across UK
• SecAnim
• Nortech Foods
• DynAgro
• ReGrow

Products and services

• By-product Processing Processing of animal by-products from abattoirs, slaughterhouses, and meat processing facilities into usable proteins and fats for downstream applications.
• Pet Food Ingredients Supply of high-quality protein ingredients derived from animal by-products to pet food and aquaculture feed manufacturers under the SARVAL brand.
• Renewable Energy Generation of renewable electricity from food waste and animal by-products via biomass combustion and anaerobic digestion, supplied to the National Grid and adjacent businesses.
• Anaerobic Digestion (ReFood) Nationwide food waste collection and recycling service using anaerobic digestion to convert food waste into renewable energy and organic fertilisers, branded as ReFood UK.
• Food Services Supply of quality food products and ingredients including Nortech Foods' range of animal and vegetable oils and fats for catering, food manufacturing, and consumer markets.
• Bio Fertilisers Production and sale of sustainable biofertilisers including DynAgro (nutrient-rich liquid fertiliser) and ReGrow, produced as a co-product of the anaerobic digestion process.
• SecAnim Fallen Stock Collection Safe and secure nationwide collection and disposal of fallen livestock and high-risk animal by-products for the farming and meat production sectors.
• Oilsense Cooking Oil Management Cooking oil management system for commercial kitchens that optimises oil usage, removes manual handling, and enables remote monitoring for efficient collection routes.
• Biofuels Production Production of liquid and solid biofuels from processed materials for industrial markets as replacements for fossil fuels such as oil and coal in steam and power generation, plus biodiesel feedstocks.

Quantifiable outcome

• Doncaster AD plant generates 2.8 MW/h electricity, enough to power 5,000 homes
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• TotalEnergiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 October 2022SARIA and TotalEnergies joined forces for a Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) project in Grandpuits, France. The project entered construction phase in 2025 with production planned for Q4 2026 and targeted annual capacity of 230,000 tons of SAF. This represents a significant circular economy growth project for SARIA.
• SARIA Bio-IndustriescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021SARIA Bio-Industries (parent company based in Selm, Germany) and PDM Group established ReFood UK joint venture in 2009 combining expertise in processing and recovery of food and kitchen waste. First major success was establishment of first ReFood site in Doncaster.
• Institute of HospitalityminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2012PDM Group joined Institute of Hospitality's Business Partner Programme to provide greater understanding of food waste recycling solutions to hospitality industry members.
• New Britain Oils Limited (NBOL)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Nortech Foods collaboration with NBOL to supply UK food manufacturing industry with first packed sustainable palm oil products. NBOL's supply chain is independently verified by BM TRADA with palm oil from Papua New Guinea, 100% RSPO Certified Sustainable including production from over 7,000 certified sustainable smallholders.
• T.QualityminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2007PDM Group partnered with T.Quality (UK's number 1 supplier to Fish & Chip sector) to offer used cooking oil recycling service for fish and chip shops across North of England.
• RETHMANN GroupcoreOthersSARIA is one of three divisions of the family-run RETHMANN Group (alongside REMONDIS and Rhenus). The parent company provides strategic oversight and integration across divisions.
• FABRA (Foodchain & Biomass Renewables Association)minorOthersUK National trade association representing the foodchain recycling industry. FABRA members are responsible for processing majority of UK meat industry's waste (nearly 2 million tonnes per year). SARIA is a member.
• EFPRA (European Fat Processors & Renderers Association)minorOthersTrade association representing EU fat processing and rendering industries. EFPRA members process more than 16 million metric tonnes of animal by-products at over 450 plants. SARIA is a member.
• PFMA (Pet Food Manufacturers Association)minorOthersUK main trade association representing the UK pet food industry. SARIA is a member.
• Smartest EnergyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRenewable electricity from Widnes plant sold via off-take agreement with Smartest Energy.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Darling Ingredients: Global rendering and animal by-product processor that converts livestock by-products into proteins and fats for pet food, aquaculture and biofuels. Directly comparable to SARIA in rendering, pet food ingredients and renewable diesel/SAF feedstocks.
• SARIA Group (SARIA Bio-Industries): German parent of SARIA Ltd operating the same rendering, food waste AD and bioenergy model across Europe. Effectively the consolidated group of which SARIA Ltd is the UK arm — same business model, technology stack and customer use cases.
• Biffa plc: UK-listed waste management company with food waste collection, AD and organics recycling operations directly overlapping with SARIA's ReFood service and serving the same supermarket and hospitality customers.
• Nature Energy: Denmark-based, Europe's largest pure-play anaerobic digestion operator processing food waste and manure into biomethane. Directly comparable on AD technology, food waste feedstock and gas-to-grid output to SARIA's ReFood network.
• Renewi plc: European waste-to-product company with food waste collection, AD and biomass activities in the UK and Benelux. Competes with SARIA for organic waste volumes from retailers and food manufacturers.
• FCC Environment UK: UK arm of the Spanish FCC Group providing food waste collection, composting and AD services to retailers and local authorities. Operates comparable organics recycling infrastructure and competes for the same supermarket catchment as SARIA's ReFood.
• AB Agri: ABF-owned UK animal nutrition and feed manufacturer with rendering and protein meal activities supplying the pet food and livestock sectors. Overlaps with SARIA's SARVAL/PDM/Granox pet food ingredient operations and rendering business.
• ForFarmers NV: European animal feed manufacturer operating across the UK, Netherlands, Germany and Belgium, sourcing proteins and co-products from rendering supply chains. Comparable to SARIA on the animal nutrition side of the by-product value chain.

Broad incumbents

• Veolia UK: UK subsidiary of global environmental services group Veolia, with significant food waste, AD, water and waste-to-energy operations. Overlaps with SARIA in food waste AD but as part of a much wider municipal and industrial services portfolio.

Regional players

• Severn Trent Green Power: UK water utility's food waste AD business operating multiple AD plants across the Midlands and Wales. Competes with SARIA for retail and hospitality food waste catchment in overlapping UK regions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sariauk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/saria_uk

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries5 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 SARIA