Paynes Dairies

What Paynes Dairies does

Paynes Dairies is a UK-based, family-run dairy processing and distribution company founded in 1972 in Ripon by Charles Payne and his father Bryan. The company sources raw milk from over 100 partner farms across Yorkshire, Lancashire, and the North East of England, processing and distributing approximately 750,000 litres of milk and cream per day to a diversified B2B customer base that spans Blue Chip retailers, wholesale operators, food manufacturers, bulk industrial processors, catering and restaurant facilities, and small community shops served via doorstep delivery and milk rounds.

Core operations are centred on an 8-acre site in Boroughbridge, North Yorkshire — acquired in 2005 — which functions as the headquarters and houses all processing, manufacturing, and logistical planning. Distribution is executed through an in-house fleet including bulk tankers capable of up to 28,500 litres per delivery, supported by strategically placed depots in Birmingham and Peterborough that enable UK-wide coverage. The product range is Red Tractor certified and covers raw and processed milk, cream, and associated dairy products. In 2017 the company extended its proposition through the launch of sister company Paynes Food Service, which supplies fresh produce, fruit, vegetables, and ambient products to retail, manufacturing, catering, and bulk customers.

The business model is a transaction-fee B2B distribution operation, monetising daily processing and delivery of liquid milk and dairy at undisclosed per-litre pricing that is described as variable with commodity market conditions. The go-to-market is direct sales across multiple segments, with no digital marketing channel beyond the company website. The company operates as a privately held limited company (Paynes Dairies Limited, registered number 03556170) under family ownership led by Managing Director Elliot Payne, with no disclosed external institutional investment and growth funded organically. Customer count exceeds 100 and supply base exceeds 100 farms, with 51–100 employees.

Name

Paynes Dairies

Legal name

Paynes Dairies Limited

Website

https://paynesdairies.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Paynes Dairies is a family-run UK dairy processor and distributor founded in 1972, sourcing milk from over 100 partner farms and delivering 750,000 litres of milk and cream daily to retailers, wholesalers, food manufacturers, bulk processors, and small shops across the UK.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Dairy Distribution

NAICS

Fluid Milk Manufacturing (311511), Dairy Product (except Frozen) Manufacturing (31151), Dairy Product Manufacturing (3115)

SIC

Dairy Products (2020)

akta.pro primary industry

Fluid Milk & Cream Processing (AFAKAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fluid Milk & Cream Wholesale (AFAIAEAA), Dairy & Refrigerated (Perishables) Distribution (CRAOABAD)

Keywords

• Dairy distribution
• Milk processing
• Cream supply
• Bulk milk delivery
• Fresh produce distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Boroughbridge

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Milk and Dairy Products Distribution: Processing and distributing 750,000 litres of milk and cream across the UK daily through direct delivery to businesses of all sizes, from local newsagents and bakeries to large Blue Chip retailers, wholesalers, and food manufacturers.

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Paynes Dairies processes and distributes raw and processed milk, cream, and associated dairy products to UK businesses of all sizes. Operating from its Boroughbridge processing plant, the company processes 750,000 litres of milk and cream daily from over 100 partner farms in the North of England and supplies retailers, wholesalers, food manufacturers, catering operators and bulk processing plants through a network of distribution depots and a bulk tanker fleet. The sister sub-brand Paynes Food Service extends the offering into fresh produce, fruit, vegetables and ambient grocery items for catering, manufacturing and retail customers.

Product overview

Paynes Dairies operates as a unified dairy manufacturing and distribution business with two integrated product lines: the core dairy products business supplying raw and processed milk, cream and dairy products across all UK market sectors (manufacturing, wholesale, retail, and bulk), and Paynes Food Service, a sister company sub-brand launched in 2017 that extends the offering to fresh produce, fruit, vegetables and ambient products for the catering, manufacturing and retail industries. The company processes 750,000 litres of milk daily from over 100 partner farms and distributes through strategically placed depots in Birmingham, Peterborough and Boroughbridge.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Paynes Food Service: Sister company offering complete food delivery service alongside dairy offerings. Supplies fresh fruit, vegetables and ambient products to the catering, manufacturing and retail industries.

Products and services

• Paynes Dairies Core Dairy Products Raw and processed milk, cream and associated dairy products manufactured at the Boroughbridge facility and distributed across the UK to businesses of all sizes, from local newsagents and bakeries through to large Blue Chip retailers, wholesalers and food manufacturers. The range is Red Tractor assured and supports daily processing and distribution of 750,000 litres.
• Paynes Food Service Sister-company fresh produce, fruit, vegetables and ambient grocery delivery service for the catering, manufacturing and retail industries, offered as a complete food delivery offering alongside Paynes Dairies' core dairy range.

Named customers8 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

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Paynes Food ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Sister company launched in 2017, offering a full in-house compliment of fresh produce and dairy product direct to customers within the retail, manufacturing, catering and bulk produce sectors. This allows Paynes Dairies to offer a wide product range and full service in-house, making the customer journey seamless.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Longley Farm: Yorkshire-based family-run dairy producing milk, cream, yogurts and dairy desserts. Strong geographic overlap with Paynes' Yorkshire operations and comparable family-ownership structure, but more focused on packaged consumer dairy products than B2B distribution.
• Wyke Farms: Family-owned Somerset-based dairy processor producing cheese, butter and milk products. Comparable family-led UK dairy processing model though more focused on cheese and South West geography rather than fluid milk distribution.

Direct peers

• Cotteswold Dairy: Family-run UK dairy processor and distributor supplying milk, cream and related products to retail, wholesale and foodservice customers. Closely comparable in business model, customer mix and family-ownership structure to Paynes Dairies, though operating primarily in the South West/Midlands.
• Freshways: UK-based dairy processor and distributor supplying fresh milk and cream to retailers, caterers and food manufacturers nationwide. Direct peer in liquid milk processing and distribution with comparable customer base and B2B wholesale model.
• Graham's Family Dairy: Independent family-run UK dairy producing and distributing milk, cream, butter and yogurt. Similar business model and family-ownership profile to Paynes, though primarily serving the Scottish market and consumer retail channels.
• Delamere Dairy: UK-based family-run dairy producing and distributing milk and dairy products including goat's milk. Comparable family-ownership structure and B2B distribution approach, though smaller scale and more specialty-focused than Paynes.

Broad incumbents

• Müller Milk & Ingredients: Major UK dairy processor producing fresh milk, cream, butter and ingredients for retailers and food manufacturers. Competes directly with Paynes for Blue Chip retail and manufacturing customers but at national scale with a much broader product range.
• First Milk: UK farmer-owned dairy cooperative producing milk, cheese and dairy ingredients. Overlaps with Paynes in raw milk sourcing and B2B dairy supply but operates at greater scale and across multiple dairy categories.
• Lactalis UK: UK arm of global dairy giant Lactalis, supplying milk, cheese and dairy ingredients to retailers and food manufacturers. Comparable to Paynes in fluid milk supply to retail and industrial customers but operates as part of a much larger multinational portfolio.
• Arla Foods UK: One of the largest dairy companies in the world and a major UK dairy processor and distributor. Overlaps directly with Paynes in fluid milk and cream supply to retailers and food manufacturers, but at vastly greater scale and as a farmer-owned cooperative with broader product portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/paynes-dairies-limited

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Paynes Dairies