Tangmere Airfield Nurseries

What Tangmere Airfield Nurseries does

Tangmere Airfield Nurseries Ltd is a second-generation family-owned fresh produce business and the UK's largest dedicated pepper nursery, producing approximately 68 million sweet bell peppers annually across 75 acres of glasshouse in Chichester, West Sussex, and 30 acres at its wholly-owned Spanish subsidiary Finca De Pela SL in Extremadura. Operations integrate glasshouse cultivation, on-site grading and packing, and direct distribution to the UK's largest retailers and fresh produce markets, enabling an 11-month year-round supply through the UK/Spain synergy. The technology stack is built on closed-loop hydroponic irrigation, Combined Heat and Power (CHP) generation that captures waste heat and CO2 for plant growth, climate-controlled glasshouses, and a dedicated 6,100 m2 variety trials facility supporting Integrated Pest Management with biological controls used continuously since 1989. Commercial activity is B2B sales-led, with peppers graded by camera-based sizing lines, packed in a 10,000 m2 temperature-controlled packhouse, and despatched directly to retailer customers under BRCGS AA+ food safety and LEAF Demonstration Farm certifications. Revenue is generated through wholesale fresh produce supply contracts; pricing is not publicly disclosed and no external investors or parent company are involved.

Name

Tangmere Airfield Nurseries

Legal name

Tangmere Airfield Nurseries Ltd

Website

https://tangmere.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Tangmere Airfield Nurseries is the UK's largest dedicated sweet bell pepper nursery, producing approximately 68 million peppers annually across 75 UK and 30 Spanish acres for direct supply to major UK retailers and fresh produce markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Chichester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Fresh Sweet Bell Pepper Sales: B2B sales of fresh sweet bell peppers directly to UK's largest retailers and fresh produce markets. Short supply chain with produce going direct from nursery to supermarket shelves.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Tangmere Airfield Nurseries is the UK's largest dedicated sweet bell pepper nursery, producing approximately 68 million peppers per year across 75 acres of glasshouse at Tangmere, Chichester and 30 acres at its Spanish subsidiary Finca De Pela in Extremadura. Peppers are hand-picked, graded, packed and quality-controlled on-site in a 10,000 m2 state-of-the-art packhouse, then despatched directly to the UK's largest retailers and fresh produce markets on a short supply chain.

Product overview

Tangmere Airfield Nurseries is the UK's largest dedicated pepper nursery, growing sweet bell peppers exclusively. They produce approximately 68 million peppers annually across their UK (75 acres at Tangmere, Chichester) and Spanish (Finca De Pela, Extremadura, 30 acres) glasshouse facilities. The company offers a year-round supply through synergistic operations between their UK and Spanish sites, with peppers available in red, yellow, green, and orange varieties. All peppers are hand-picked, graded using automated camera-based sizing systems (photographing 60 times per second), packed on-site in their 10,000 m2 state-of-the-art packhouse facility, and quality-controlled with full traceability from store to glasshouse.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sweet Bell Peppers The company's core offering: hand-picked, on-site graded, packed and quality-controlled sweet bell peppers in red, yellow, green and orange varieties, produced at scale across 75 acres of UK glasshouse and 30 acres of Spanish glasshouse for year-round supply to UK retailers and fresh produce markets.

Quantifiable outcome

• 95% reduction in artificial pesticide use for Red Spider pest after implementing 'pest in first' biological control method
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 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

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• West Sussex Growers' Association (WSGA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024WSGA is a specialist horticultural branch of the National Farmers' Union representing horticultural producers in West Sussex. Tangmere participates in WSGA activities including the pilot Horticulture Apprenticeship Scheme aimed at developing next generation growers and managers.
• Management Development Services (MDS)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 October 2024MDS is the UK's foremost provider of management training for the food industry. They are a training provider partner for the Horticulture Apprenticeship Scheme, delivering training alongside workplace experience at Tangmere.
• Royal Horticultural Society (RHS)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2023Collaboration with RHS through partnership with Developing Experts to create short videos for online science lessons and showcase careers in horticulture for secondary school students. Technical Crops Manager Mark Knight participated in filming.
• Developing ExpertsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2023Science curriculum and careers platform partnered with RHS to create classroom resources for KS4 Ecology lessons featuring Tangmere's glasshouse operations.
• PETA's Training CentreminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 November 2022Training provider for engineering apprenticeship. Ralitsa, Engineer Apprentice at Tangmere, attends classroom sessions weekly for Level 2 Diploma in Engineering Operations.
• Netherlands Embassy (Agricultural Counsellor)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2022Agricultural Counsellor of the Netherlands Embassy for UK and Ireland visited Tangmere on Earth Day 2022 to tour facilities and see sustainable farming systems at a LEAF Demonstration Farm.
• West Sussex Library ServiceminorOthers · 1 April 2021Community partnership to support children's learning about food and growing. Tangmere donated seeds and compost for food growing kits as part of West Sussex County Council's 'Food and Growing' initiative.
• UK HarvestminorOthers · 1 April 2021Food rescue and education charity that had a pop-up presence at library locations to share activity sheets, recipe ideas, and promote healthy eating and food waste reduction.
• Rijk Zwaan UKminorOthers · 1 April 2021Seed supplier who generously contributed seeds for the West Sussex Library Service food growing kits initiative.
• LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015LEAF is the leading organization working with farmers, food industry, scientists and consumers for sustainable food and farming. Tangmere achieved LEAF Demonstration Farm status in 2015 and maintains this certification, following Integrated Farm Management principles.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves14 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• APS Group: UK fresh produce company operating glasshouse production of tomatoes, cucumbers, and other vegetables. Comparable UK-based protected-cultivation producer with similar direct retail supply focus and scale.
• Vitacress: UK producer of watercress, fresh herbs, and baby leaf salads using protected cultivation. Comparable UK specialty protected-crop producer with direct retail supply focus and similar operational scale.
• Flavour Fresh Salads: UK tomato grower operating glasshouse production for retail customers. Similar UK protected-cultivation producer with comparable single-crop focus and supermarket supply relationships.
• Cornerways Nursery: UK's largest dedicated tomato nursery operated as part of the Berry Gardens group using large-scale glasshouse production. Comparable single-crop dedicated nursery model serving UK retailers with similar protected-horticulture footprint.
• Thanet Earth: Large UK glasshouse complex producing tomatoes, cucumbers, and sweet bell peppers for UK retailers. Directly comparable to Tangmere in protected-cultivation scale, retailer-direct supply model, and product overlap on peppers.

Broad incumbents

• Dole plc: Global fresh produce major with broad portfolio including fresh vegetables and salads. Large incumbent with adjacent fresh-produce operations and similar retailer supply focus, though far broader in scope than Tangmere.
• Greenyard: Belgian global fresh, frozen, and prepared produce company. Broader European fresh-produce incumbent serving major retailers with significant category overlap in fresh vegetables.
• G's Fresh: Major UK fresh produce company producing salads, onions, and other vegetables. Broader fresh-produce incumbent with overlapping UK retail customer base and category overlap with Tangmere's sweet pepper supply.
• Bonduelle: French global vegetable major producing canned, frozen, and fresh prepared vegetables. Broader vegetable industry incumbent with adjacent category overlap and large-scale growing operations across Europe.

Regional players

• Special Fruit: Belgian fresh produce importer and distributor specializing in specialty and exotic produce. Operates in the same fresh-produce category with similar handling and retailer supply capabilities, but focused on Continental European markets rather than the UK.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Tangmere
• Instagraminstagram.com/tangmerenurseries
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tangmere-airfield-nurseries
• Xx.com/TANpeppers

Compliance5 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 Tangmere Airfield Nurseries