Wolds Produce

What Wolds Produce does

Wolds Produce Ltd is a privately-held UK agricultural supply business headquartered in Pocklington, East Yorkshire, founded in 2004 by Simon Foster and Simon Tootell. The company specialises in the end-to-end supply of potatoes across four core verticals: crisping (supplying 5 UK crisp factories), seed production (multiplication in partnership with major seed houses), ware (fresh potatoes to UK supermarkets via packers), and catering (bagged potatoes to Yorkshire pubs, restaurants and fish & chip shops). The company handles an annual throughput exceeding 75,000 tonnes, supported by a grower network spanning Yorkshire, South Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, the Midlands and Norfolk.

The business operates from a single integrated site at Pocklington with 11,000 tonnes of potato storage across ambient and refrigerated facilities, a 50,000 sq ft storage facility acquired in 2010, washing and grading infrastructure (including a £150,000 QC upgrade completed in 2019 and a mobile washer enabling direct farm-to-factory service), and an in-house haulage fleet of 25 Volvo-monitored transport units. The company uses Cornerstone Crop monitoring technology for in-store stock management and is developing new seed management software. The 2021 acquisition of WM Quarrie (Potato Marketing) Ltd established Wolds Produce as one of the largest independent potato seed suppliers in the UK.

The revenue model is transaction-based agricultural commodity trading, supplemented by service revenue from storage, washing/grading, haulage and supply-chain management. Customer acquisition is sales-led, with Directors and Key Account Managers maintaining direct relationships with growers and processing customers, while pricing is not publicly disclosed and follows commodity market dynamics. The company is founder-led, employs 11-50 staff, and has no disclosed external equity investors, having received only grant funding from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development in 2018.

Name

Wolds Produce

Legal name

Wolds Produce Ltd

Website

https://woldsproduce.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Wolds Produce is a privately-held UK potato supplier based in Pocklington, East Yorkshire, moving 75,000+ tonnes annually to crisping factories, supermarkets via packers, seed houses and Yorkshire catering businesses through integrated storage, washing/grading, and haulage services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Produce / Potato Supply

NAICS

Potato Farming (111211)

SIC

Wholesale-Farm Product Raw Materials (5150)

akta.pro primary industry

Potato & Vegetable Chips Manufacturing (AFAKAIAA)

Keywords

• Potato supply chain
• Seed potato multiplication
• Potato storage services
• Crisping potato supply
• Potato washing grading

Headquarters

HQ city

Pocklington

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Potato Sales: Primary revenue from buying and selling potatoes across the UK to various industries including crisping, chipping, ware, catering, and seed. The company moves over 75,000 tonnes of potatoes annually.
2. Storage Services: Provides potato storage services in ambient and refrigerated stores for growers
3. Haulage Services: In-house transport with 25 units delivering potatoes from farm to factory
4. Bagged Potato Sales: Supply of top quality bagged potatoes to catering industry including pubs, restaurants and fish & chips shops

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Wolds Produce is a major UK potato supplier buying and selling potatoes across the country into the crisping, chipping, ware, catering and seed industries, moving over 75,000 tonnes annually. The company provides a complete potato supply service from seed to factory, including storage (11,000 tonnes of ambient and refrigerated capacity), washing and grading facilities, crop monitoring, in-house haulage with 25 transport units, and professional supply-chain management.

Product overview

Wolds Produce is an agricultural supply business offering a complete potato supply service from seed to factory. The company operates as a unified service offering across multiple connected product lines: Crisping Potatoes Supply (serving crisp factories), Seed Potatoes (multiplication and supply), Ware Potatoes (supermarkets), and Bagged Sales (catering industry). These are supported by integrated operational services including Storage Services (11,000 tonne capacity), Washing and Grading facilities (with a £150,000 QC upgrade and mobile washer), Transport Services (25 units with Volvo monitoring), and Supply Chain Management. The company has expanded volumes by over 30% annually since 2012 when they focused on crisping and seed production, now delivering to 5 crisp factories and moving over 75,000 tonnes of potatoes each year.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Crisping Potato Supply

Quantifiable outcome

• 30%+ year-over-year volume growth in crisping and seed markets
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• WM Quarrie (Potato Marketing) LtdcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2021Acquired seed business WM Quarrie (Potato Marketing) Ltd in June 2021, strengthening Wolds Produce's position as one of the largest independent potato seed suppliers in the UK, serving crisps and chipping industries
• Major Seed HousescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorks with major seed houses to multiply seed for them each year, as well as supplying all varieties to growers across the UK. Controlling seed production means better quality control.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• PepsiCo (Walkers): The UK's largest crisp manufacturer by volume and a key crisping customer profile for Wolds Produce. Included as a broad incumbent shaping demand, pricing, and supply requirements in the UK potato crisping market.
• KP Snacks: UK manufacturer of branded crisps and snacks (Tyrrells, Popchips, Hula Hoops). Relevant as a potential UK crisping customer and as a broader incumbent shaping potato sourcing standards in the snack industry.
• McCain Foods: Global frozen potato product manufacturer and a major UK purchaser of processing potatoes. While not a like-for-like competitor, it is a major UK customer type for Wolds Produce and shapes demand dynamics in the crisping/chipping value chain.

Direct peers

• QV Foods: UK supplier of potatoes, root vegetables, and prepared produce to major retailers and food manufacturers. Operates in adjacent produce categories with similar B2B field-sales and grower-network model, making it a close functional peer.
• Greenvale AP: UK potato merchant and packer supplying major retailers and processors with vertically integrated storage, washing, and grading. Directly comparable in customer base and operational footprint to Wolds Produce.
• Caithness Potatoes: Scotland-based seed potato producer supplying varieties to UK growers and the processing industry. Comparable to Wolds Produce in seed multiplication and in supplying crisping-grade varieties to UK processors.
• T.H. Clements & Son: Lincolnshire-based potato grower and supplier serving UK crisping, chipping, and fresh markets. Comparable to Wolds Produce in its focus on crisping customers and seed multiplication, with a similar grower-led sourcing model.
• Branston Holdings: One of the UK's largest independent potato suppliers, operating across fresh, processing, and seed segments with vertically integrated washing, grading, and storage. Directly comparable to Wolds Produce in scale, customer mix (crisp factories and major retailers), and end-to-end supply chain model.
• Albert Bartlett: UK potato specialist with branded retail products and significant supply operations for foodservice and processors. Comparable to Wolds Produce as a potato-led business with both consumer-facing and B2B supply components.
• JBA Seed Potatoes: UK-based seed potato supplier and breeder serving growers across Britain. Directly comparable to the seed multiplication side of Wolds Produce's business, including variety development and certified seed supply.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/pg/woldsproduce.co.uk/posts/?ref=page_internal
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wolds-produce

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Wolds Produce