Kelly Turkeys
Kelly Turkeys (KellyBronze) is a UK family-owned premium turkey farmer, breeder, and direct-to-consumer food business founded in 1971, selling heritage slow-grown free-range bronze turkeys via e-commerce, farm collection, UK butchers, and farms in Germany and Virginia, USA.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1971
- HeadquartersCrozet, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Kelly Turkeys does
Kelly Turkeys (trading as KellyBronze) is a UK-based, family-owned premium turkey farming and direct-to-consumer food business founded in 1971 by Derek Kelly in Danbury, Essex, and now led by second-generation owner Paul Kelly. The company farms, breeds, processes, and distributes a heritage slow-grown bronze turkey breed using traditional artisan methods — free-range stocking at 500 birds per acre versus ~16,000 in commercial barns, hand plucking, and dry hanging for at least seven days — yielding a product described in UK press as "the Rolls-Royce of turkey." Core product lines include the flagship KellyBronze whole bird and parts (Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving), the value-tier Krafted by Kelly sub-brand (turkey ham, confit thigh, bone broth, rubs, mince), and ancillary add-ons (gravy, rubs, merchandise).
Revenue is generated through direct-to-consumer e-commerce on kellybronze.co.uk with FedEx home delivery and farm collection from Springate Farm, wholesale to a UK network of independent butchers and stockists, and international farm operations in Germany (since 1997) and Virginia, USA (since 2014, with USDA licensing secured in 2017). Pricing is unit-based with significant seasonal weight toward Q4 Christmas, partially smoothed by year-round frozen SKUs. Customer segments include premium holiday consumers, professional chefs, and premium butchers. The company holds multiple industry awards including three gold stars at the 2011 Great Taste Awards (a first for turkey), Guinness World Records for plucking (2008) and carving (2009), and an MBE for founder Derek Kelly (1998). Endorsements from Jamie Oliver, Delia Smith, Gordon Ramsay, Michel Roux Jr., Nigella Lawson, and Gennaro Contaldo function as long-lived brand assets. No external equity funding has been disclosed; the business remains family-controlled across three generations.
Kelly Turkeys firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Kelly Turkeys
- Legal name
- KELLYBRONZE LIMITED
- Website
- https://kellybronze.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1971
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Kelly Turkeys (KellyBronze) is a UK family-owned premium turkey farmer, breeder, and direct-to-consumer food business founded in 1971, selling heritage slow-grown free-range bronze turkeys via e-commerce, farm collection, UK butchers, and farms in Germany and Virginia, USA.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Kelly Turkeys industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Premium Poultry Farming
- NAICS
- Poultry Processing (311615), Turkey Production (11233), Poultry and Poultry Product Merchant Wholesalers (42444), Poultry Hatcheries (11234)
- SIC
- Poultry Slaughtering And Processing (2015), Sausages & Other Prepared Meat Products (2013)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Turkey Processing (Whole Bird, Parts, Further Processing) (AFANACAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Turkey Production (AFAEADAF), Poultry Wholesale (Whole Birds, Parts) (AFAIADAC), Ready-to-Eat/Ready-to-Heat Poultry Meals & Components (Meal Kits, Fully Cooked Items) (AFANACAG), Poultry Cured/Smoked & Deli Products (Turkey Ham, Deli Slices, Bacon-Style) (AFANACAD)
Keywords
Where Kelly Turkeys is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Crozet
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Kelly Turkeys business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Direct E-commerce Sales: Direct-to-consumer sales through company website kellybronze.co.uk. Products shipped via FedEx courier service or collected from farm. Includes whole turkeys, turkey cuts, and prepared products.
- Wholesale to Stockists: Products sold through independent butchers and stockists across the UK. Stockists can be found using the company's stockist finder.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Thanksgiving Whole Turkey: £108.88 – £140.16 (4kg-6kg) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Easter Whole Turkey: £90.92 – £207.84 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Christmas Turkey Ham: £9.95 (400-500g) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Christmas Wine and Port Gravy: Not priced on page |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Bone Broth: £7.00 (490g bottle) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Mexican Rub: £4.95 (65g) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Confit Turkey Thigh: £6.95 (400g) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | XXV December Pearl Turkey: £55.00 – £85.00 (3kg-5kg) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Coffee Cup: £12.00 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Christmas Turkey Roulade: £62.50 (2.25-2.75kg) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Christmas Extra Small Turkey: £66.37 (2-2.99kg) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Christmas Turkey Crown: £68.86 – £143.42 |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Kelly Turkeys product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Kelly Turkeys (KellyBronze) farms, breeds, processes, and sells premium free-range bronze turkeys and complementary turkey products directly to consumers via its e-commerce site and through UK independent butchers. The core offering centres on the slow-grown KellyBronze turkey — dry-plucked by hand and dry-aged for at least 7 days — sold seasonally for Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving, with a Krafted by Kelly sub-brand extending the range into year-round prepared items such as turkey ham, confit thigh, mince, bone broth, and gravy.
Product overview
Kelly Turkeys operates as a premium turkey farming and direct-to-consumer food business with two main product lines: the flagship award-winning KellyBronze (a slow-grown free-range bronze turkey dry-plucked and hung for 7+ days) sold seasonally for Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving; and the Krafted by Kelly sub-brand offering more accessible year-round frozen turkey products including ham, confit thigh, mince, sausages, and bone broth. The company sells direct to consumers via e-commerce with farm collection options, and supplies through retail stockists.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Krafted by Kelly: Premium slow-growing turkey products prepared in an industry-standard way, offering quality at reduced costs while maintaining great welfare standards. Products include turkey ham, confit turkey thigh, bone broth, and rubs.
Products and services
- Christmas Whole Turkey
Quantifiable outcome
- 3 gold stars in Great Taste Awards - first turkey to achieve this
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Kelly Turkeys
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Kelly Turkeys technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Kelly Turkeys partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Jamie OlivercoreCelebrity chef who has endorsed KellyBronze for years, featuring them on restaurant menus and hosting press events at his north London HQ. Described as 'KellyBronze turkeys are the best of the best, the most joyful treat.'
- Delia SmithcoreFeatured KellyBronze in 'Delia's Christmas' cookbook in 1989, which drove significant butcher demand. Described KellyBronze as having 'all the character and flavour it was meant to have.'
- Gordon RamsaycoreCelebrity chef who praised KellyBronze, featured them on television (including his Christmas Special where the Guinness World Record for plucking was televised).
- Michel Roux Jr. (La Gavroche)coreMichelin-starred chef who features KellyBronze on menu at La Gavroche restaurant. Called it 'the finest turkey I've tasted, more meat, more flavour and a stock that is bellissimo.'
- Nigella LawsoncoreCelebrity food writer who has endorsed KellyBronze multiple times. Described as 'the best bird you can buy.'
- David Lidgate (Lidgate's Butchers)coreFirst customer in 1990, described as 'a visionary' and leading butcher in Holland Park, London. Pioneer of stocking premium KellyBronze turkeys.
- Henk Coolen and Martin Bohn (Germany)minorPartnership started in 1997 for organically farming KellyBronze turkeys in Germany with friends in the Netherlands.
- Duchy Originals (Prince Charles)coreAppointed by Prince Charles' organic food brand in 2001 to farm their Christmas Turkeys under the Duchy Originals label.
- Fleishers Craft ButcheryminorUS-based craft butcher offering KellyBronze turkeys. Representative Trevor Bundy has ordered for 6+ consecutive years.
- The Whole OxminorUS retailer offering KellyBronze turkeys, describing them as 'phenomenally flavourful' and exemplifying 'Meat Raised Right' standards.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Kelly Turkeys competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Butterball: Largest US turkey brand, dominant in Thanksgiving volume sales. Represents the commodity benchmark KellyBronze must position against as a premium alternative in the US market.
- Bernard Matthews: UK's largest turkey producer and the dominant volume player in British turkey. Competes with KellyBronze at the opposite end of the spectrum — mass-market, indoor-reared, supermarket-channel — and exerts downward pricing pressure on the overall category.
Direct peers
- Daylesford Organic: UK premium organic farm shop and online retailer with its own farm-reared meat, including poultry. Competes for the same affluent, ethically-motivated premium-meat consumer that drives KellyBronze sales.
- Riverford Organic Farmers: UK organic farm with direct-to-consumer meat boxes including organic/free-range poultry. Overlaps with KellyBronze on farm-to-consumer ethical-meat positioning and DTC delivery, though broader in produce.
- Copas Traditional Turkeys: UK family-run producer of traditional, free-range bronze turkeys for Christmas and special occasions. Competes directly with KellyBronze for premium Christmas turkey consumers, butchers, and chef endorsements, with a similar slow-grown, hand-finished positioning.
- Gressingham Foods: UK premium duck and poultry producer selling free-range and specialty birds through butchers, supermarkets, and food service. Overlaps with KellyBronze in the premium-poultry, butcher-channel segment and competes for similar holiday and chef-driven occasions.
- Sharrocks (T&R Sharrocks): UK free-range turkey and poultry producer. Direct competitor in the premium/free-range turkey category, supplying butchers and independent retailers with Christmas and year-round specialty poultry products.
Others
- Fleishers Craft Butchery: US craft-butcher chain that already stocks KellyBronze turkeys. Comparable as a channel partner and as a like-for-like US operator in the heritage/ethical meat retail segment where KellyBronze is sold.
Emerging players
- Heritage Foods USA: US distributor and brand focused on heritage-breed meats (including heritage turkeys). Closely comparable to KellyBronze on breed provenance and slow-growing production philosophy, and overlaps on the US specialty-meat consumer.
Regional players
- Turner's Turkeys: Australian premium turkey producer focused on free-range and heritage birds for Christmas and special occasions. Highly comparable artisanal positioning to KellyBronze, but operates primarily in Australia rather than competing head-to-head in UK/US/EU.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Kelly Turkeys social profiles
Digital presenceKelly Turkeys financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Kelly Turkeys leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Kelly Turkeys subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Kelly Turkeys funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Kelly Turkeys 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 Kelly Turkeys
What does Kelly Turkeys do?
Kelly Turkeys (KellyBronze) farms, breeds, processes, and sells premium free-range bronze turkeys and complementary turkey products directly to consumers via its e-commerce site and through UK independent butchers. The core offering centres on the slow-grown KellyBronze turkey — dry-plucked by hand and dry-aged for at least 7 days — sold seasonally for Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving, with a Krafted by Kelly sub-brand extending the range into year-round prepared items such as turkey ham, confit thigh, mince, bone broth, and gravy.
Is Kelly Turkeys a public or private company?
Kelly Turkeys is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Kelly Turkeys founded?
Kelly Turkeys was founded in 1971. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Kelly Turkeys based?
Kelly Turkeys is headquartered in Crozet, United States, in the North America region.
How does Kelly Turkeys make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Direct E-commerce Sales are the primary driver. The others are wholesale to Stockists.
Who are Kelly Turkeys's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Butterball and Bernard Matthews. Direct peers are Daylesford Organic, Riverford Organic Farmers, Copas Traditional Turkeys, Gressingham Foods and Sharrocks (T&R Sharrocks). Fleishers Craft Butchery is listed as an others. Heritage Foods USA is listed as an emerging player. Turner's Turkeys is listed as a regional player.
Does Kelly Turkeys have an API?
No public API is recorded for Kelly Turkeys.
What industry is Kelly Turkeys in?
Kelly Turkeys's product category is Premium Poultry Farming. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFANACAH, Turkey Processing (Whole Bird, Parts, Further Processing), with a secondary code of AFAEADAF, Turkey Production. Its NAICS code is 311615 and its SIC code is 2015.