Blackdown Growers

What Blackdown Growers does

Blackdown Growers is a family-owned UK fresh produce company established in 1969 and headquartered at North Fosse Farm in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire. The company grows and supplies baby leaf salads (including Spinach, Wild Rocket, Mixed Leaves, Red Chard and Mizuna) and a wide range of fresh herbs (Basil, Coriander, Rosemary, Thyme and others) to B2B customers across Food Service, Hospitality, Retail, Wholesale and Salad Processor segments. Operations span more than 180 acres of UK farmland, including over 40 acres of climate-controlled glasshouses that enable year-round British production, with the business operating its own refrigerated transport fleet and packing line capable of processing 65 packs per minute. Produce is supplied unwashed to maximise shelf life, with a vacuum cooling system that reduces crop temperature to 3°C within 20 minutes of harvest and a 24-hour dispatch guarantee.

The company's revenue model centres on direct B2B sales of fresh produce, either under its own Leampak brand (launched 1995, rebranded 2020) or as white-label/bespoke products supplied to retailers, food service groups and distributors. Customers include UK wholesalers such as Nationwide Produce, John Palin Fresh Produce, Fresh Food Company and My Fresh Co, with end products reaching major UK retailers including M&S, Ocado, Waitrose, Sainsbury and Tesco. The product range has expanded beyond core baby leaves and herbs into adjacent categories such as Micro Leaves and Edible Flowers (stocked via a Westlands UK partnership from August 2024), 4kg bulk crates of festive herbs, and ambient fruit purees from Fruits Rouges & Co. Long-standing international sourcing partnerships with growers in Italy, Spain, France and Kenya supplement UK production during off-season months.

Growth is supported by an ongoing glasshouse expansion programme (Phase 1: 3 acres completed March 2025; Phase 2: 3 acres planned for 2026) and a stack of retailer-facing certifications including BRC Fresh Produce, Red Tractor, Tesco Nurture, Field to Fork and LEAF Marque. The business remains privately held by the founding family, with no disclosed external funding or M&A activity, and a leadership team led by CEO Darren Cox alongside directors covering operations, sales & marketing, commercial and technical functions across 51-100 employees.

Name

Blackdown Growers

Legal name

Blackdown Growers

Website

https://blackdowngrowers.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Blackdown Growers is a family-owned UK grower founded in 1969 that produces and supplies baby leaf salads, fresh herbs, micro leaves and edible flowers to food service, hospitality, retail, wholesale and salad processor customers across the United Kingdom from over 180 acres of farmland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Warwick

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Baby Leaf and Herb Sales: B2B sales of fresh baby salad leaves and herbs to Food Service, Hospitality, Retail, Wholesale and Salad Processor sectors. Products sold under own Leampak brand or as White Label/custom specifications.
2. White Label Products: Manufacturing and supplying products under customer branding specifications. Works with major UK food service groups providing produce to their exact requirements.
3. Bulk Volume Supply: Supply of unwashed produce in bulk for UK Salad Processors market and wholesale distribution.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Blackdown Growers is a UK family-owned grower that cultivates and supplies fresh baby leaves, herbs, micro leaves, and edible flowers from over 180 acres of farmland, including 40+ acres of climate-controlled glasshouses. The company sells its produce to Food Service, Hospitality, Retail, Wholesale, and Salad Processor sectors under its own Leampak brand or as white label and bespoke custom products.

Product overview

Blackdown Growers operates as an innovative UK glasshouse farming company growing and supplying quality baby leaves and herbs. The product portfolio centers on their own Leampak sub-brand encompassing baby leaf salads (Spinach, Wild Rocket, Mixed Leaves, Red Chard, Bulls Blood, Land Cress, Lambs Lettuce, Tendril Pea Shoots, Pea Shoots, Mizuna) and fresh herbs (Basil, Bay, Chervil, Chives, Coriander, Curly Parsley, Flat Parsley, Dill, Lemon Thyme, Lovage, Marjoram, Mint, Oregano, Rosemary, Sage, Samphire, Sorrel, Tarragon, Thai Basil, Thyme). The company also stocks Micro Leaves and Edible Flowers from partner Westlands UK, offers Fruit Purees from Fruits Rouges & Co, and provides value-added products like Bouquet Garni and Micro Leaf Wheel. Services include White Label packaging, bulk volumes for salad processors, and bespoke salad mixes. Products are supplied unwashed to extend shelf life and are available in pack sizes from 25g to 1kg plus bulk formats.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Baby Leaf Salads

Quantifiable outcome

• Produce delivered within 24 hours of harvest
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Westlands UKcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 August 2024Stocking partnership for Edible Flowers and Micro Leaves sourced from Westlands UK. Westlands is a renowned British speciality grower based in the Vale of Evesham, known for innovative cultivation of Edible Flowers, Micro Leaves, Taste of the Sea and Speciality Tomatoes using cutting-edge hydroponic methods.
• European Growers (Italy, Spain, France)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLongstanding partnerships with trusted European growers in Italy, Spain and France for supplementing baby leaf production during winter months. Partners grow the same varieties to the same exacting standards ensuring no difference in quality compared to UK-grown crops.
• Agriver LtdminorOthersLong-term herb supplier to Blackdown Growers. Consistent client buying in good quantities for many years.
• Isaac (Herb Grower, Nairobi Kenya)OthersInternational herb grower supplying fresh herbs to Blackdown for UK market. Weekly orders are consistent with prompt payments allowing production planning.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Worldwide Fruit: Worldwide Fruit is a UK fresh produce supplier specializing in apples, pears, and top fruit into major UK retailers. Comparable as a UK-based B2B fresh produce supplier with similar supermarket and processor customer profile, though focused on top fruit rather than baby leaves.
• Vitacress: Vitacress is one of the UK's largest growers of baby leaf salads, watercress, and fresh herbs, supplying major retailers and foodservice. Directly comparable to Blackdown Growers in product mix, customer base (UK supermarkets and processors), and glasshouse-plus-outdoor production model — operates at meaningfully larger scale.
• Westlands UK: Westlands UK is a British speciality grower of edible flowers, micro leaves, and speciality tomatoes using hydroponic methods, based in the Vale of Evesham. Directly comparable to Blackdown in protected-cultivation specialty produce, and already a stocking partner (micro leaves and edible flowers) for Blackdown.
• The Watercress Company: The Watercress Company is a UK specialist grower of watercress, baby leaf salads, and herbs supplying retail and foodservice. Comparable to Blackdown as a niche, high-quality UK fresh produce grower serving similar customer segments, though smaller and more watercress-focused.

Broad incumbents

• Berry Gardens: Berry Gardens is a UK grower-marketing cooperative supplying soft fruit and select fresh produce to major UK retailers. Comparable to Blackdown as a UK-domestic fresh produce supplier leveraging grower partnerships and certification (e.g., LEAF Marque) to serve supermarket supply chains, though focused on berries rather than salads.
• G's Fresh: G's Fresh is a vertically integrated UK fresh produce group producing salads, vegetables, and herbs across UK and European farms. Comparable as a broad incumbent serving the same salad processor, retail and foodservice channels, though it operates a much wider product portfolio and geography than Blackdown.
• Greenvale: Greenvale is one of the UK's largest fresh potato suppliers and a broader fresh produce group. Comparable as a UK fresh produce incumbent serving the same major retailer channels, though much more weighted to potatoes and root crops than to salad leaves.

Regional players

• Fresh Food Company: Fresh Food Company is a Scottish fresh produce distributor supplying hotels, restaurants, and hospitality venues across Scotland. Comparable to Blackdown as a downstream customer/distributor in the UK baby leaf and herb supply chain — buys Blackdown produce and serves a similar end-customer base in a distinct regional geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bdowngrowers
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/blackdown-growers
• Instagraminstagram.com/bdowngrowers

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Blackdown Growers