What Place UK does

Place UK is a family-owned British food processing company founded in 1954 and headquartered at Church Farm in Tunstead, Norfolk, operating across 251–500 employees (expanding to roughly 650 at seasonal peak). The company is vertically integrated across fruit growing, IQF (Individually Quick Frozen) processing, co-packing, and labour supply, producing IQF and frozen fruits (British and imported), IQF pulses, grains, pasta, rice, frozen purees and pellets, and fresh soft fruits. Its underlying technology is Individually Quick Freezing, supplemented by proprietary features such as UV-light pest-control robots, smart irrigation, ground source heating, automated cane-tying machines, and on-site solar PV generation.

The company generates revenue primarily through B2B direct sales — predominantly one-time purchase contracts — to seven named UK major retailers (Tesco, Waitrose, M&S, Asda, Sainsbury's, Morrisons, Iceland) and a pool of food manufacturers producing yoghurts, gins, chutneys, desserts, and ready meals. Additional revenue streams include bespoke co-packing services for frozen, fresh, and dried ingredients, fresh fruit wholesale via Phaseolus Ltd (a wholly-owned subsidiary acquired in 2013), and a GLAA-licensed International Farm Camp that supplies seasonal labour to local Norfolk businesses. Pricing is negotiated per-customer with no public list pricing.

Place UK holds BRCGS AA+ food-safety certification (the highest grade under version 8), organic certification, and Tesco PIU Blue Grade, and operates with sustainability infrastructure including 49.92 kWp solar PV, rainwater reservoirs, and ground-source heating. It maintains active partnerships with Fieldwork Robotics (autonomous harvesting) and community organisations, and in 2026 appointed its first Co-Managing Directors — Linda Evans and Matt Smith — while remaining wholly owned by parent R & JM Place Ltd.

Name

Place UK

Legal name

Place UK Ltd

Website

https://placeuk.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1954

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Place UK is a family-owned British food processor (founded 1954) that grows, IQF-freezes, and supplies fruits, pulses, grains, pasta, and rice to UK supermarkets including Tesco, Waitrose, M&S, Asda, Sainsbury's, Morrisons, and Iceland, plus food manufacturers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Frozen fruit and ingredient manufacturing

NAICS

Frozen Fruit, Juice, and Vegetable Manufacturing (311411), Frozen Food Manufacturing (31141), Frozen Specialty Food Manufacturing (311412), Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing (3114)

SIC

Canned, Frozen & Preservd Fruit, Veg & Food Specialties (2030), Agricultural Production-Crops (100), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Frozen Fruits & Vegetables Manufacturing (AFAKACAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Frozen Fruit & Vegetable Processing (IQF, Frozen Blends) (AFAKAFAG), Frozen Fruits & Vegetables Wholesale (AFAIAHAE)

Keywords

• IQF frozen fruit
• Frozen fruit manufacturing
• Co-packing services
• Fresh soft fruit supply
• Frozen pulses grains

Headquarters

HQ city

Norwich

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, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. IQF & Frozen Fruit Sales: Sale of individually quick frozen British and imported fruits, including strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, cherries, rhubarb, blackcurrants, redcurrants, and imported tropical fruits. Products are sold in bulk to food manufacturers and retailers.
2. IQF Pulses, Grains, Pasta & Rice: Sale of pre-cooked, ready-to-eat IQF beans, pulses, grains, peas, lentils, pasta and rice products primarily through their Phaseolus subsidiary to food manufacturers and retailers.
3. Co-Packing Services: Custom co-packing services for frozen, fresh or dried fruits and ingredients. The company offers bespoke product development, packaging options from resealable bags to sachets, and bulk manufacturing from their retail factory.
4. Fresh Fruit Sales: Sale of fresh strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, cherries, and rhubarb harvested from their Norfolk farms to retailers and wholesalers.
5. Labour Supply Services: Temporary staffing solutions providing skilled and unskilled workers to local businesses. Licensed by the GLAA, Stronger Together Business Partner and member of the Association of Labour Providers.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Place UK grows and processes individually quick frozen (IQF) British and imported fruits, frozen purees and pellets, IQF pulses, grains, pasta and rice, plus fresh soft fruits, supplying them in bulk and retail-ready formats to UK retailers and food manufacturers. The company also provides bespoke co-packing services for frozen, fresh or dried fruit ingredients and operates a seasonal labour supply service from its GLAA-licensed International Farm Camp.

Product overview

Place UK is a British food manufacturing company offering a diverse portfolio of individually quick frozen (IQF) and fresh fruit products. The core offerings include IQF Fruits (British and Imported), Frozen Fruits, IQF Pulses & Grains (beans, peas, lentils, grains), IQF Pasta & Rice, Frozen Purees & Pellets, and Fresh Fruit. The company operates through multiple brands including its main Place UK label and the Phaseolus sub-brand for beans and pulses. Beyond product sales, Place UK provides co-packing services for bespoke food manufacturing solutions and operates an International Farm Camp for seasonal labor supply. All products are characterized by their free-flowing, ready-to-eat convenience achieved through IQF technology that preserves shape, color, and nutrients unlike traditional block freezing methods.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Phaseolus: IQF beans, pulses, and grains brand operating as a sister company to Place UK

Products and services

• IQF British Fruit

Quantifiable outcome

• Raspberry and blackberry cane tying productivity doubled through automated tying machines
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 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

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Fieldwork RoboticscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 April 2026Fieldwork Robotics, a Cambridge-based startup, has partnered with Place UK in Norfolk to deploy autonomous raspberry harvesting robots in a two-year harvesting-as-a-service program. Place UK is hosting production robot trials as part of this partnership, transitioning from pilot plots to commercial farm deployment. This collaboration aims to address labour shortages in fruit harvesting through robotics technology.
• Agri-TechEminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 5 June 2025Agri-TechE's Early-Career Innovators' Forum (ECIF) visited Place UK for a farm tour showcasing innovations in sustainable farming, robotics, and automation. The visit included demonstrations of UV robots, smart irrigation systems, and ground source heating. This partnership supports knowledge exchange and positions Place UK as an innovation leader in agri-tech.
• The FeedcoreOthers · 1 January 2024Place UK has an ongoing partnership with The Feed, a Norfolk charity dedicated to helping people eat well, live well and feel connected. The partnership includes fundraising (a record £3,000 raised in 2025), donating surplus stock, supporting the Social Supermarket with free fruit and vegetables, working with their catering team for business events, sponsoring fundraising activities, and staff shop profits benefiting the charity.
• PoultecminorOthers · 1 January 2022Place UK employees completed apprenticeships through Poultec, with two staff members nominated for awards following successful completion of Business Administration and Engineering courses.
• Littywood FarmminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner farm in Staffordshire included in Fieldwork Robotics autonomous harvesting trials alongside Place UK.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Ardo: Belgian-headquartered pan-European IQF producer of frozen vegetables, fruits, herbs, and pasta/rice/legume ingredients. Directly comparable to Place UK on IQF technology, B2B ingredient supply, and free-flowing frozen product range across fruit and pulses; considerably larger and multi-country.
• Pinguin Foods (Ardo group): Belgium-based IQF processor of vegetables, fruits, and potato products supplying UK and EU food manufacturers and retailers. Operates similar IQF free-flow technology for fruits and pulses, making it a close manufacturing and product-format peer to Place UK.
• Berry Gardens: UK berry grower-marketing cooperative supplying strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and cherries to major UK retailers. Closest UK fresh-and-frozen soft-fruit peer; comparable in customer roster (Tesco, Waitrose, M&S) and crop mix but without Place UK's integrated IQF processing.
• Angus Soft Fruits: Scottish-based soft fruit grower and packer supplying UK retailers including Tesco, M&S, Waitrose, and Sainsbury's. Directly comparable UK soft-fruit grower with overlapping strawberry, raspberry, and blackberry categories, though heavier on fresh than IQF processing.
• The Summer Berry Company: UK grower of strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries supplying major retailers and food service. Comparable vertically positioned soft-fruit supplier with overlapping customer base; lacks Place UK's IQF conversion capability.
• Haygrove: Herefordshire-based berry and cherry grower with international operations. Comparable UK soft-fruit producer with similar polytunnel-and-cane-fruit growing model and retailer supply relationships, though it focuses on production rather than downstream IQF processing.

Broad incumbents

• Greenyard Frozen (UK): Belgian-listed pan-European frozen foods major with a broad fruit, vegetable, and ready-meals range. Larger, multi-country incumbent offering overlapping IQF fruit and vegetable categories to UK retailers and manufacturers; broader portfolio rather than fruit/specialist focus.
• McCain Foods: Global frozen food leader, dominant in UK frozen potato and prepared foods, with growing frozen fruit/vegetable capability. Broader incumbent competing for UK retailer freezer space and B2B ingredient supply; vastly greater scale and R&D budget than Place UK.
• Nomad Foods (Birds Eye, Findus): Pan-European frozen food major owning Birds Eye UK and Findus. Operates in adjacent frozen categories including vegetables and frozen fruit lines for UK grocery; broad incumbent rather than fruit specialist but competes for the same freezer aisle and B2B ingredient budgets.

Regional players

• Vitacress (Sungold): UK and Iberian grower-packer of fresh herbs, salads, and berry products for UK and European retailers. Comparable UK grower-supplier to major multiples but primarily fresh (not IQF) and Iberian-leaning production base; regional-adjacent peer rather than direct IQF competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/people/Place-UK-Ltd/100054364307659
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/place-uk-ltd
• Instagraminstagram.com/place_uk
• Xx.com/PlaceLtd

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Place UK