Cognosco
Cognosco Marketing Ltd is a UK-based food trade marketing consultancy founded in 2005 that acts as an outsourced national accounts team for food and drink manufacturers and brand owners, providing market research, trade channel strategy, and sales execution across UK retail and foodservice.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersHaslemere, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Cognosco does
Cognosco Marketing Ltd is a UK-based food trade marketing consultancy founded in 2005 and headquartered in Haslemere, Surrey, with a registered office in Guildford. The firm operates as an outsourced national accounts team and trade channel advisor for food and drink manufacturers and brand owners seeking to develop sales across UK retail and foodservice. Its service portfolio spans market research and detailed planning, trade channel strategy, sales team mentoring, M&A audit support, and ongoing customer relationship management with retailers, wholesalers, and end users.
The company's core technology consists of a proprietary contact database (compiled from over two decades of trade interactions) and a CRM system used to manage outreach, sample distribution, and follow-up activities. No software platform, AI tooling, or integrated technology product is offered — the offering is entirely service-based, delivered by approximately 9 staff including directors, national account managers, consultants, and researchers.
Cognosco monetizes through professional service fees on consulting engagements and retained national accounts work, with pricing on a quote/project basis. The primary customer segment is food and drink manufacturers and brand owners (including examples such as Moving Mountains Foods and Mrs Crimble's), with secondary exposure to wholesalers, distributors, and foodservice end users. Distribution is single-country (England/UK) and relies on direct outreach, website presence, and referral-driven client acquisition rather than digital marketing channels.
Cognosco firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cognosco
- Legal name
- Cognosco Marketing Ltd
- Website
- https://cognoscomarketing.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Cognosco Marketing Ltd is a UK-based food trade marketing consultancy founded in 2005 that acts as an outsourced national accounts team for food and drink manufacturers and brand owners, providing market research, trade channel strategy, and sales execution across UK retail and foodservice.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Cognosco industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Food Trade Marketing Consulting
- NAICS
- Management Consulting Services (54161)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Retailer-Vendor Collaboration, Joint Business Planning (JBP) & Trade Terms Services (CRAOAOAJ)
Keywords
Where Cognosco is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Haslemere
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Cognosco business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Consulting Services: Professional consulting services for food and drink businesses including market research, sales strategy development, mentoring, M&A audits, and outsourced national accounts management. Revenue is generated through service fees for consulting and sales support.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels10 records
Marketing channels3 records
Cognosco product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cognosco is a UK food trade marketing consultancy that helps food and drink manufacturers and brand owners build new business by researching and producing detailed market plans, mentoring client teams, conducting M&A and new entrant audits, and acting as an outsourced national accounts team across retailers, wholesalers, and end users. The firm operates as a senior-led "trade sales extension" placing its own National Account Managers alongside client sales teams to win listings and ongoing relationships, supported by an in-house research team and a proprietary contact database.
Product overview
Cognosco is a food trade marketing consultancy firm that provides advisory and hands-on sales services to food and drink manufacturers and brand owners. Rather than a software product or platform, its offering consists of consulting services including market research and planning, trade channel strategy, sales team mentoring, M&A audit support, and outsourced national accounts management. The firm maintains a proprietary contact database and CRM system to support client follow-up activities. Services are delivered through a team of consultants and national account managers covering UK foodservice and retail channels.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Market Research and Detailed Planning Research-based service that produces detailed plans for food and drink manufacturers and brand owners seeking to develop new business in the UK market. Inputs include category-level research on what is stocked, pricing, and ranges; outputs are actionable market plans used to guide client sales strategies.
- Sales Mentoring Ongoing mentoring engagement in which Cognosco's senior consultants work alongside a client's existing sales team over a period of time, helping them develop strategy, secure meetings, and grow accounts.
- M&A and New Entrant Trade Audits Trade-audit services for prospective acquirers or new market entrants, using Cognosco's first-hand trade knowledge of retailers, wholesalers, and foodservice operators to evaluate opportunities.
- Outsourced National Accounts Team Embedded national accounts function in which Cognosco's National Account Managers nurture customer relationships with retailers, wholesalers, and end users on behalf of the client, working closely with the client's existing sales team to secure meetings and listings.
Quantifiable outcome
- Listed Moving Mountains Foods with Bidfood, Brake Bros, Elite, Hensons, Woods, Blakemore, Savona and Marstons after just one year, and later into Sainsburys and Waitrose
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Cognosco
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Cognosco technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Cognosco partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Cognosco competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Cognosco social profiles
Digital presenceCognosco financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cognosco leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Cognosco funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cognosco M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Cognosco
What does Cognosco do?
Cognosco is a UK food trade marketing consultancy that helps food and drink manufacturers and brand owners build new business by researching and producing detailed market plans, mentoring client teams, conducting M&A and new entrant audits, and acting as an outsourced national accounts team across retailers, wholesalers, and end users. The firm operates as a senior-led "trade sales extension" placing its own National Account Managers alongside client sales teams to win listings and ongoing relationships, supported by an in-house research team and a proprietary contact database.
Is Cognosco a public or private company?
Cognosco is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Cognosco founded?
Cognosco was founded in 2005. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Cognosco based?
Cognosco is headquartered in Haslemere, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Cognosco make money?
One revenue line is on record: consulting Services.
Does Cognosco have an API?
No public API is recorded for Cognosco.
What industry is Cognosco in?
Cognosco's product category is Food Trade Marketing Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAOAOAJ, Retailer-Vendor Collaboration, Joint Business Planning (JBP) & Trade Terms Services. Its NAICS code is 54161 and its SIC code is 8742.