What Steenbergs does

Steenbergs Limited is a privately held, family-run UK specialty food company founded in 2003 by Axel and Sophie Steenberg in North Yorkshire. It manufactures and retails organic herbs, spices, spice blends, loose-leaf teas and coffees, home baking ingredients, organic groceries, and complementary eco-home and gift products. Operations are based at a purpose-built eco-friendly factory on Barker Business Park, Melmerby (Ripon), with the company employing 11-50 staff across the UK-only footprint. The business is anchored by a dense set of third-party certifications (Organic Food Federation, Fairtrade via FLOCERT FLO ID 2998, B-Corp, SALSA food safety, KLBD Kosher, Vegan Society registration, Sedex membership, and Seren Scheme environmental certification). Products are packaged in glass and steel containers using recycled-cardboard outer packaging and biodegradable voidfill, and a registered trademark portfolio covers 'Steenbergs', 'Steenbergs Organic' and the 'Old Hamlet Wine & Spice Co.' sub-brand for mulling spices.

Name

Steenbergs

Legal name

Steenbergs Limited

Website

https://steenbergs.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Steenbergs is a UK-based, family-run e-commerce retailer founded in 2003 that sells organic and Fairtrade herbs, spices, loose-leaf teas, and ethical cooking ingredients direct-to-consumer online and through independent UK retail stockists.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Organic Foods

NAICS

Other Specialty Food Retailers (44529), All Other Specialty Food Retailers (445298)

SIC

Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Coffee & Tea Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories) (CRAHAGAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ingredient Blends & Systems / Custom Formulation (Seasoning Systems, Functional Blends) (CRADAOAO), Flavorings & Extracts (Natural & Artificial) (CRADAOAA), Natural/Organic Bulk & Supplement Grocers (CRAHAMAF), Specialty Food & Beverage Delivery (organic, gourmet, dietary) (CRAFAFAG)

Keywords

• Organic spice blends
• Loose leaf tea
• Fairtrade ingredients
• Organic cooking ingredients
• Ethical food retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Ripon

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. E-commerce retail sales: Direct-to-consumer sales of organic herbs, spices, tea, and cooking ingredients through steenbergs.co.uk. Customers place orders online with payment processed via PayPal or Stripe. Free shipping for orders over £29.99.
2. Wholesale to retail stockists: Sales to independent retail stockists across the UK. Stockists search page available for finding nearest stockists.
3. Gift products: Spice gift sets, food and spice gift bags, loose leaf tea gifts, and scented candles targeting gift buyers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Steenbergs sources, blends, packs, and retails organic herbs and spices, organic spice blends and seasonings, loose-leaf teas, Fairtrade coffee, organic home-baking ingredients, organic groceries, eco-home products, and curated food and spice gift sets. Products are sold primarily direct-to-consumer via the company's own UK e-commerce website and, secondarily, through independent UK retail stockists, with packaging emphasising glass, steel, and recycled/biodegradable materials.

Product overview

Steenbergs is a UK-based manufacturer and retailer of organic Fairtrade teas, spices, herbs, and ethical food ingredients. Their product portfolio centers on core categories of organic herbs and spices (including single-origin spices, blends, and seasonings), loose leaf teas (herbal, black, green, white, oolong varieties), and home baking ingredients, complemented by organic groceries, eco home products, seasonal Christmas items, gift sets, and bulk purchasing options. Products are packed in glass and steel containers to maintain quality. The company operates primarily as a B2C e-commerce retailer through steenbergs.co.uk, while also supplying wholesale to stockists. Key value propositions include organic certification, Fairtrade sourcing, carbon neutrality, and B-Corp certification.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Old Hamlet Wine & Spice Co. A trademark of Steenbergs for mulling spices, wine spice mixes, and related drink accessories.

Products and services

• Organic Herbs & Spices Steenbergs' primary product category featuring organic dried herbs, single spices, pepper, salt seasonings, Fairtrade spices, direct trade salt and pepper, specialist spices including chillies, edible flowers, organic ginger, and premium spice blends in jars and bulk options.
• Organic Spice Blends & Seasonings Curated collections of organic spice blends including classic seasonings, American-inspired blends, Arabian spice blends, Asian spice blends, organic baking spice blends, BBQ seasonings and rubs, curry mixes, fish and shellfish seasonings, bouillons/miso, and Mediterranean spice blends.
• Loose Leaf Tea & Coffee Extensive range of organic and Fairtrade loose leaf teas including herbal teas, chai teas, green and white teas, Earl Grey, black tea, oolong, floral teas, and bulk options, along with Fairtrade filter and instant coffee.
• Home Baking Organic baking ingredients including extracts and flavours, baking spice mixes, flour, yeasts and starters, organic sugars and syrups, plus eco-friendly baking products and FSC-certified baking utensils.
• Organic Groceries Storecupboard essentials including organic beans, seeds, grains, rice, pulses, coconut products, chocolate spreads and cacao, dried fruit, gluten-free ingredients, raw honey, organic syrups, dried mushrooms, organic pasta, tomatoes, vinegar, oils, and antipasti.
• Eco Home Environmentally-friendly home products including scented candles, incense sticks, illustrated playing cards, bath and body essentials, kitchenalia, and eco household cleaning products.
• Gifts & Gift Sets Curated gift selections including food and spice gift bags, spice gift sets, scented candles, loose leaf tea gifts, and branded Steenbergs merchandise, generally priced £7.75–£30.00.
• Mulling Spices & Drink Mixers Specialist mulling spice products including mulling spices in cloth bags or boxed, Old Hamlet envelope spice mixes, whisky toddy spice mix, pillow packs/muslin sachets, home brew drink kits, and non-alcoholic drink mixers, sold under the Steenbergs trademark Old Hamlet Wine & Spice Co.
• Christmas Food & Drink Seasonal Christmas products including food gift ideas, organic Christmas drinks, Christmas baking ingredients, and stocking fillers.
• Bulk Herbs, Spices & Teas Large-quantity purchasing options for serious cooks and small businesses, offering herbs, spices, blends, mixes, and loose leaf teas in bulk quantities.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Organic Food FederationcoreOthersSteenbergs is audited and certified under EU organic regulations by the Organic Food Federation for import, trading, and processing of organic products in the UK and European Union.
• The Fairtrade FoundationcoreOthersSteenbergs' products are approved by The Fairtrade Foundation. Has Permission to Trade from FLOCERT (FLO ID 2998) for packing and sale of Fairtrade teas, spices, and bakery flavours.
• B-CorpcoreOthersSteenbergs is a B-Corp certified company, with Best for the World for the Environment 2021 recognition (top 5% for environment). This is independent verification that Steenbergs uses business as a force for good.
• SALSAcoreOthersSteenbergs' food and beverages production is audited and certified by SALSA under The Salsa Standard: Issue 4, June 2015 for food safety compliance.
• North Yorkshire County CouncilcoreOthersSteenbergs is registered with North Yorkshire County Council as a food production entity, monitored under EC852/2004 and Food Hygiene Regulations 2006.
• London Beth Din Kashrut DivisionminorOthersMany Steenbergs products are audited and certified as Kosher (Pareve non-Passover) by the London Beth Din Kashrut Division.
• The Vegan SocietyminorOthersSteenbergs Home Baking Flavours are registered with The Vegan Society as suitable for vegans. Rest of Steenbergs products are also plant-based but not formally registered.
• SedexminorOthersSteenbergs is a member of Sedex, a collaborative platform for managing performance on labour rights, health and safety, environment and business ethics in supply chains.
• Engage Interactive LimitedcoreTechnology or IntegrationWebsite operator and data controller (ICO registration Z2963649). Operates newsletter marketing system for Steenbergs. Registered office: 1st Floor, Munro House, Duke Street, Leeds, LS9 8AG, UK.
• StripecoreTechnology or IntegrationOnline payment processing through Stripe's Streamline credit and debit card clearing system. Handles secure payment processing, card encryption, and fraud protection.
• PayPalcoreTechnology or IntegrationOnline payment processor for credit and debit card transactions. Steenbergs transfers customers to PayPal's secure servers for payment processing.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Penzeys Spices: US D2C/direct-mail specialist spice merchant. Shares Steenbergs' bias toward direct customer relationships, curated spice lineup and emphasis on quality over discount positioning.
• Whittard of Chelsea: UK-based specialty tea and coffee retailer selling loose-leaf teas, gift sets and accessories through D2C and physical stores. Comparable premium specialty tea retailer with overlapping gifting strategy.
• Clipper Teas: UK Fairtrade-certified loose-leaf and bagged tea brand. Overlaps with Steenbergs on Fairtrade tea credentials, ethical positioning and UK distribution through stockists and grocery multiples.
• Frontier Co-op: US wholesale organic cooperative sourcing spices, teas and culinary ingredients with strong sustainability credentials. Closest analogue to Steenbergs' organic/Fairtrade ingredient sourcing model and purpose-built fulfilment operation.
• The Spice House: US specialty spice retailer offering curated single-origin and blended spices online and through stores. Directly comparable on premium spice blending, curated assortment and gifting focus.
• Adagio Teas: US online specialty loose-leaf tea retailer. Comparable e-commerce-first format, broad tea assortment including herbal and chai blends, and accessory bundling approach.
• Neal's Yard Remedies: UK ethical/specialty brand with strong organic, sustainability and B-Corp credentials operating across D2C and stockists. Shares the same 'ethical UK retailer' DNA and certification stack relevant to Steenbergs.
• Mountain Rose Herbs: Direct-to-consumer retailer of organic herbs, spices and teas with a strong ethics/sustainability positioning. Highly comparable product mix and DTC operating model to Steenbergs.

Broad incumbents

• Yorkshire Tea: Mass-market UK tea brand with regional roots and broad grocery distribution. Demonstrates the scale-up trajectory available to a Yorkshire-rooted tea brand and represents the broader incumbent competitive set.

Regional players

• Abel & Cole: UK organic grocery box operator delivering organic storecupboard ingredients to UK households. Comparable UK-only geography and organic credentials, with a complementary grocery model rather than specialty spice focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/steenbergs
• Facebookfacebook.com/Steenbergsltd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/steenbergs

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Steenbergs