Direct Milk

What Direct Milk does

Direct Milk Supplies Ltd. is a London-based B2B dairy wholesaler founded in 1966 by Ernie and Jean Jenkins and now operating under third-generation family ownership. From its North Medburn Farm depot in Elstree, Hertfordshire, the company supplies milk, cream, yoghurt, butter, cheese, eggs, juices, plant-based alternatives, and dry goods to hotels, restaurants, hospitals, schools, museums, and offices across London and Hertfordshire. Its go-to-market is direct sales with quote-based pricing, no minimum spend or drop size, and six-day delivery from a 10pm order cutoff for next-morning drop, plus emergency same-day second deliveries inside London; the company reports consistent on-time-in-full delivery rates above 99% and provides OTIF reporting as a customer-facing data service.

The business model is straightforward wholesale: revenue is generated through transactional sale of dairy and adjacent food SKUs to B2B customers, with pricing negotiated per account rather than publicly listed. No proprietary software platform, mobile app, or API is disclosed; the technology stack is effectively a Squarespace website plus phone/email ordering and human-operated logistics. Customer acquisition is driven by direct enquiry (phone, email, 'Get a Free Quote' form), brand heritage ('Trusted Dairy Supplier in London Since 1966'), and a sustainability narrative built on over 90% UK-sourced products, a 40kw solar installation with 50% electricity reduction since 2019, native tree-planting carbon offsetting, 98%+ on-site waste recycling, 15+ years of BRC Global Standard for Storage and Distribution accreditation, Sustainable Restaurant Association membership, and a 'Pasture Promise' free-range milk program via partner Cotteswold Dairy. No external funding, M&A activity, or institutional investors are present in the source material — the business is bootstrapped and organically grown over 58+ years.

Name

Direct Milk

Legal name

Direct Milk Supplies Ltd.

Website

https://directmilk.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1966

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Direct Milk Supplies Ltd. is a London-based B2B dairy wholesaler founded in 1966, supplying milk, dairy, and food essentials to hotels, restaurants, hospitals, schools, museums, and offices across London and Hertfordshire via six-day, next-morning delivery.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Dairy Distribution

NAICS

Dairy Product (except Dried or Canned) Merchant Wholesalers (424430)

SIC

Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products (5140)

akta.pro primary industry

Fluid Milk & Cream Wholesale (AFAIAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Butter & Cultured Dairy (Yogurt, Sour Cream, Kefir) Wholesale (AFAIAEAB)

Keywords

• Dairy wholesale
• Food distribution
• B2B catering supplies
• Commercial dairy supplier
• Next-day dairy delivery

Headquarters

HQ city

Elstree

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Dairy Product Sales: Direct Milk generates revenue through the wholesale sale of dairy products and food essentials to businesses. They supply milk, cream, yoghurt, butter, cheese, eggs, juices, and alternative plant-based products. Pricing is quote-based, suggesting negotiated B2B pricing tailored to each customer's volume and requirements. The company emphasises competitive pricing and consistent quality as part of their value proposition.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Direct Milk is a London-based B2B dairy wholesaler that supplies fresh milk, cream, yoghurts, butter, cheese, eggs, juices, purees, plant-based alternatives, and dry goods to commercial customers. The company delivers next-day across London and Hertfordshire to hotels, restaurants, hospitals, schools, museums, and offices, and also offers depot walk-in sales and customer-facing delivery performance reporting.

Product overview

Direct Milk is a London-based dairy wholesaler founded in 1966, operating as a single-platform wholesale supply business rather than a modular software product. The company offers an extensive product portfolio organised into core dairy categories including Milk, Cream, Yoghurts, Butter, Cheese, Eggs, Juice & Purees, Alternative Milks/Yoghurts (vegan/vegetarian options), and Dry Goods. These products are complemented by delivery services (six-day delivery, emergency same-day service) and reporting/data services for B2B customers in the hospitality, healthcare, and food service sectors. The company positions itself as a full-service dairy supplier rather than a technology platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Milk Fresh milk supplied wholesale to hotels, restaurants, hospitals, schools, museums and offices across London and Hertfordshire.
• Cream Wholesale cream supplied to commercial catering and institutional buyers.
• Yoghurts Wholesale yoghurts for commercial catering and institutional customers.
• Butter Wholesale butter supplied to foodservice and institutional customers.
• Cheese Wholesale cheese supplied to foodservice and institutional buyers.
• Eggs Wholesale eggs supplied as part of the company's broader product range.
• Juice & Purees Wholesale juices and purees supplied to commercial and institutional customers.
• Alternative Milks, Yoghurts & More Plant-based milks, yoghurts and related alternative products supplied to foodservice and institutional buyers.
• Dry Goods

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 99% on-time and in-full (OTIF) delivery rate
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 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.

• Tims DairycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTims Dairy is a family-run business operated by the four Timotheou brothers, located just 15 miles from Direct Milk's depot. They have been Direct Milk's main yoghurt supplier for over 20 years, providing delectable, top-tier yoghurts. This long-standing relationship exemplifies Direct Milk's commitment to sourcing from local, family-run British businesses.
• Cotteswold DairycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCotteswold Dairy supplies Direct Milk's free-range milk. The dairy operates with high animal welfare standards, ensuring cows graze freely for a minimum of six months yearly under Direct Milk's 'Pasture Promise' commitment. This partnership supports Direct Milk's positioning as a foremost free-range milk supplier to London.
• Longley FarmminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLongley Farm is a family-run business based in Holmfirth, Yorkshire. They supply Direct Milk with exceptional soft cheese and a range of other high-quality dairy products. This partnership reflects Direct Milk's preference for local, family-run suppliers.
• Sustainable Restaurant AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDirect Milk is an honoured member of the Sustainable Restaurant Association, recognised for their commitment to sustainable practices and eco-conscious business operations. This membership validates Direct Milk's sustainability credentials and supports their marketing to environmentally-conscious hospitality clients.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Bestway Wholesale: Bestway is the UK's second-largest cash-and-carry and foodservice wholesaler, with depots across the country and a substantial Bestfood catering service. Its dairy category overlaps with Direct Milk's, particularly for independent restaurants and caterers in the London catchment.
• Booker Wholesale: Booker, the UK's largest food wholesaler and part of Tesco, supplies dairy and broader grocery to caterers, pubs, and hospitality via its Booker and Makro brands. It offers multi-category one-stop-shopping that competes with Direct Milk's single-category specialty model on price and convenience.
• Brakes Group: Brakes is the UK's largest specialist foodservice distributor, supplying dairy, ambient, frozen, and fresh categories to restaurants, hotels, and public-sector caterers. Direct Milk's wholesale range is a subset of Brakes' offering, and they compete for the same multi-site hospitality accounts.
• Creed Foodservice: Family-owned national foodservice distributor serving hotels, restaurants, schools, and care homes with a broad chilled and ambient range including dairy. Comparable customer set and delivery cadence to Direct Milk, but at meaningfully greater scale and geographic reach.
• Bidfresh: Bidfresh (formerly Yes Logistics) is a national fresh-food specialist distributor covering dairy, meat, seafood, and produce into foodservice. It serves exactly the type of hotel and restaurant accounts Direct Milk targets, with overlapping dairy SKUs.
• Arla Foods UK: Arla is the UK's largest dairy company and offers wholesale, foodservice, and retail dairy products across all categories. While it operates at much greater scale and through co-branded customer programmes, it competes with Direct Milk for the same hospitality dairy shelf through its Arla Pro foodservice channel.
• Müller UK: Müller is one of the largest dairy producers in the UK with branded milk, cream, yoghurt, and dairy desserts plus a foodservice distribution arm. It overlaps with Direct Milk in fluid milk, cream, and yoghurt categories and is frequently listed as an approved supplier to the same hotel and restaurant groups.

Direct peers

• Medina Dairy: Medina Dairy is one of the UK's largest independent doorstep and wholesale dairy businesses, headquartered in the Midlands with significant London distribution. It competes head-to-head with Direct Milk for hotel, restaurant, and school dairy accounts, with a broadly similar multi-product wholesale range and daily delivery proposition.
• Parker Dairy: Independent UK dairy wholesaler focused on B2B foodservice accounts. It mirrors Direct Milk's customer mix (hotels, restaurants, schools) and is a comparable scale competitor in the regional dairy distribution segment.
• Cotteswold Dairy: Family-owned regional dairy producer and wholesaler that supplies Direct Milk's free-range milk. It also runs a direct foodservice/wholesale operation across the South West, Midlands, and London, offering fluid milk, cream, and yoghurt to hospitality on similar commercial terms.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DirectMilk
• Facebookfacebook.com/dmsfoodsupplierlondon
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/direct-milk-supplies-limited

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Direct Milk