What Windrush Bay does

Windrush Bay is a London-based, privately held online retailer specializing in Caribbean groceries, tropical produce, beverages, wellness products, and culturally-themed gifts, serving the UK Caribbean diaspora and adjacent consumers of Caribbean cuisine. Its assortment spans roughly 300+ SKUs across five core categories: Pantry (bakery, canned goods, condiments, spices, snacks), Tropical Fruits & Vegetables (including fresh produce and four subscription box sizes), Wellness, Luxuries & Treats (deluxe rums, hampers), and Beverages. The business is built on a Shopify e-commerce storefront with a parallel wholesale portal for business buyers, supplemented by digital gift cards (£10–£100 denominations) and a curated lifestyle collaboration with the Tihara Smith brand.

The company operates a product-led, direct-to-consumer go-to-market with no disclosed external funding and a small (1-10) founder-led team under Joanne Crossley (Founder) and Bradley Henderson (Marketing Director). Revenue mechanics are a mix of one-off retail purchases, recurring monthly tropical produce subscriptions (with a 10% loyalty discount after the fifth delivery), wholesale transactions, and gift card sales, with free UK-mainland shipping offered above £80–£100. Marketing is conducted through organic social channels (Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, YouTube, X, Snapchat, Tumblr), email newsletter, and an extensive recipe/content blog.

The technical footprint is intentionally lean: a Shopify-hosted storefront with no proprietary features, no app, no API, no disclosed integrations, and no AI/ML capability. The company's competitive positioning leans on cultural brand equity (the Windrush name) and curation of hard-to-source Caribbean SKUs from independent producers and small UK suppliers such as Harrison & Griffiths. As of the most recent observation, the website displays a closure notice stating 'We are closed until further notice. Any orders placed from now on will be refunded,' indicating the business has ceased active operations.

Name

Windrush Bay

Legal name

Windrush Bay

Website

https://windrushbay.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Windrush Bay is a London-based online specialty retailer delivering Caribbean groceries, fresh tropical produce, beverages, wellness products, and themed gifts to UK consumers, primarily serving the UK Caribbean diaspora via a Shopify storefront and subscription produce boxes. The company is currently closed.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Product Sales (Retail): One-time purchases of Caribbean groceries including pantry items, beverages, wellness products, baked goods, and fresh produce. Customers purchase individual items or bundles through the Shopify storefront.
2. Subscription Boxes: Recurring subscription model for tropical fruit and vegetable boxes. Four box sizes available (Small 6.5kg, Medium 8.5kg, Large 10kg, Value Box 4kg). 10% discount offered after 5th box delivered.
3. Gift Cards: Digital gift cards sold in denominations of £10, £25, £50, and £100. Delivered via email with redemption instructions.
4. Wholesale: Wholesale ordering option available through separate wholesale portal for business customers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Windrush Bay is a UK-based online retailer and distributor of Caribbean groceries, tropical fruits and vegetables, beverages, wellness products, and specialty items. The company sells sourced products directly to consumers via its Shopify-powered e-commerce storefront with nationwide UK delivery, offers recurring subscription boxes of tropical produce in multiple sizes, and operates a wholesale portal for business customers.

Product overview

Windrush Bay is an online Caribbean groceries retailer offering a curated selection of Caribbean food products delivered UK nationwide. The core offering includes subscription-based Tropical Fruit and Vegetable Boxes (Large, Medium, Small, and Value sizes) along with a comprehensive range of Caribbean pantry staples, fresh produce, beverages, wellness products, and specialty items. The product portfolio encompasses bakery goods, canned and packet foods, condiments, spices, snacks, dairy drinks, teas and coffees, soft and energy drinks, beers, wines, and rums, luxury items, wellness/beauty products, and Tihara Smith Caribbean-inspired gift items. The company also offers e-Gift Cards and runs a 'Soon Done' discount section for reduced-price items. Products are sourced from Caribbean farmers and independent producers, with a focus on authentic Caribbean brands.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Caribbean Pantry Staples

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Tihara SmithcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTihara Smith is a fashion, accessories and lifestyle brand founded after graduation from University for the Creative Arts Epsom. Her Windrush-inspired collection was shown at Graduate Fashion Week 2018. Windrush Bay collaborates with her brand to offer Caribbean-themed gifts including enamel pins, art prints, and greeting cards featuring Caribbean-inspired designs with London twist. Products are handcrafted in London using contemporary and traditional craft techniques.
• ShopifycoreTechnology or IntegrationWindrush Bay uses Shopify as its e-commerce platform powering the online store, shopping cart, checkout, and payment processing. Shopify provides the infrastructure for the website storefront and wholesale portal.
• Harrison & GriffithsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerColin Harrison and Paulette Griffiths run a small, family-run Caribbean fruit cake business in Nottingham with 12 years of combined baking experience. Their products have been sold at Harrods in London. They supply Caribbean fruit cakes to Windrush Bay, inspired by their Jamaican and Trinidadian heritage.
• Caribbean Farmers and Independent ProducerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWindrush Bay sources products from Caribbean farmers and international independent producers, supporting small suppliers who offer products not usually seen on the high street. The company emphasizes supporting these producers as part of their mission.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Abel & Cole: UK organic grocery box subscription retailer with nationwide delivery. Comparable in recurring subscription model, box sizing approach, and UK DTC delivery logistics, though with a different product category focus.
• Riverford Organic Farmers: UK organic vegetable box delivery company built around a recurring subscription model. Comparable in subscription box mechanics, UK nationwide delivery, and customer retention design, though focused on organic UK produce rather than Caribbean.

Others

• Ottolenghi: UK specialty food brand and retailer with cookbooks, delis, and DTC channels. Comparable as a curated specialty food retailer in the UK with strong content-driven marketing, though focused on Mediterranean rather than Caribbean cuisine.

Direct peers

• Buy Wholefoods Online: UK online retailer of bulk specialty foods, baking ingredients, and international groceries. Comparable in DTC e-commerce, nationwide UK shipping, and curated specialty food positioning, though with a different product emphasis.
• Caribbean Choice: UK online Caribbean food and drink retailer. Directly comparable to Windrush Bay in Caribbean category, UK customer base, and e-commerce-plus-subscription positioning.
• Tropical Sun: UK-based online and wholesale retailer specializing in Caribbean, African, and Oriental groceries. Directly comparable to Windrush Bay in product category, target customer (UK diaspora and ethnic food enthusiasts), and e-commerce-plus-wholesale model.
• Sous Chef: UK direct-to-consumer online specialty food retailer selling curated artisan and international ingredients. Comparable in DTC e-commerce model, UK customer base, and curated specialty assortment, though focused on broader cuisines than Caribbean.

Broad incumbents

• Holland & Barrett: UK health and wellness retailer with extensive Caribbean wellness and natural product overlap (sea moss, herbal wellness, hair and body). Comparable in the 'Wellness' category Windrush Bay carries, but operates at scale across broader categories.
• Grace Foods UK: Long-established Caribbean food brand with UK distribution across mainstream supermarkets and an online storefront. Comparable in Caribbean product focus but at materially greater scale and broader channel reach than Windrush Bay.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/windrushbay
• Instagraminstagram.com/windrushbay
• Pinterestpinterest.co.uk/windrush_bay
• Xx.com/windrush_bay

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 Windrush Bay