What Ingle’s Dawndew Salad does

Ingle's Dawndew Salad Ltd is a privately held, fifth-generation family-owned horticultural business founded in 1907 and headquartered in Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire. The company specialises in growing, cutting, washing and packing niche salad products — principally Salad Cress, Pea Shoots and Micro Leaves — alongside complementary lines including edible flowers, watercress, beansprouts and prepared salads, some of which are sourced from local Lancashire growers. Production is concentrated in a purpose-built, single-roofed five-acre glasshouse complex constructed in the 1990s, equipped with LED-lit development areas, containerised growing beds with independent irrigation and feed systems, rainwater harvesting, and integrated cut/wash/pack lines enabling single-site throughput. The company was the first UK grower to introduce cut and washed Salad Cress to the food industry in 2002 and holds BRC 'A' Grade accreditation continuously since 2003.

The business operates a B2B go-to-market, supplying supermarkets (branded and own-label), sandwich manufacturers, food service operators and wholesale markets across the UK on a daily basis via a network of carefully selected hauliers. Its product formats are deliberately flexible — growing plants in punnets, catering bulk packs (Matpack), and cut/washed presentations — with pack sizes and weights tailored to individual customer requirements. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. Distribution is domestic-only and channel mix is direct B2B sales-led.

The product portfolio has been steadily extended since 2016 with Gourmet Garnish (2016), Mixed Lettuce (2017) and a Micro Leaf Catering Box for chefs (2019); a peat-free Salad Cress format addresses retailer sustainability requirements. Capacity was expanded by approximately 20% in the recent past, with company messaging explicitly framing this as preparation for generational growth. The business has no disclosed external investors, no subsidiaries, no M&A activity and no geographic expansion beyond the UK, making it a single-site, family-controlled operation.

Name

Ingle’s Dawndew Salad

Legal name

Ingle's Dawndew Salad Ltd

Website

https://dawndew.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1907

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ingle's Dawndew Salad is a privately held, fifth-generation family-owned UK horticultural business that grows, cuts, washes and packs niche salad products — chiefly Salad Cress, Pea Shoots and Micro Leaves — at a single five-acre glasshouse site in Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire, supplying supermarkets, sandwich manufacturers, food service operators and wholesale markets nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fresh Salad Products (Horticulture)

NAICS

Vegetable and Melon Farming (11121), Vegetable and Melon Farming (1112)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000), Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090), Agricultural Production-Crops (100)

akta.pro primary industry

Fresh-Cut & Value-Added Produce (Washed, Peeled, Sliced, Packaged) (AFAKAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Leafy Greens & Salad Processing Packhouses (Fresh-Cut) (AFAOAGAI), Leafy Greens Farming (Lettuce, Spinach, Kale, Arugula, Chard) (AFAGADAA), Prepared salads, sandwiches & wraps manufacturing (AFAKAHAE)

Keywords

• Fresh salad products
• Salad cress production
• Micro leaves supplier
• Pea shoots wholesale
• B2B food manufacturer

Headquarters

HQ city

Poulton Le Fylde

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. B2B Salad Product Supply: Wholesale supply of branded and own-label salad products including Salad Cress, Pea Shoots, Micro Leaves, Watercress, Salads, and Bean Sprouts to supermarkets, sandwich manufacturers, food service operators, and wholesale markets. Products supplied as growing plants in punnets, catering packs, or cut/washed formats.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Ingle's Dawndew Salad grows, cuts, washes and packs niche salad products—primarily Salad Cress and Pea Shoots, alongside Micro Leaves, Edible Flowers, Watercress, Bean Sprouts, Prepared Salads, Wholehead Salads and specialty garnish mixes—in a single-roofed five-acre glasshouse complex in Poulton-le-Fylde. The company supplies branded and own-label formats in punnet, catering (Matpack) and cut/washed presentations to supermarkets, sandwich manufacturers, food service operators and wholesale markets across the UK on a daily basis.

Product overview

Dawndew Salad is a single-site horticultural business specializing in the growing, cutting, washing, and packing of niche salad products. The core product portfolio centers on Salad Cress (the original micro leaf, their primary crop grown since 1919), Pea Shoots, and Micro Leaves, all grown in their five-acre glasshouse complex in Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire. The company offers these products in multiple formats including punnet/growing, catering bulk (Matpack), and cut/washed presentations. Complementary products sourced from local growers include Bean Sprouts, Prepared Mixed Lettuce, Watercress, Wholehead Salads, Edible Flowers, and specialty garnish mixes. Their produce is supplied to supermarkets, sandwich manufacturers, food service operators, and wholesale markets across the UK.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Dawndew Salad Cress: Original micro leaf product — a traditional British grown salad garnish comprising 95% Rape and 5% Cress seedlings, with a dark green clover shaped leaf and slightly peppery flavour. Available as Punnet Cress, Catering Cress (Matpack), and Cut Washed Cress.
• Dawndew Pea Shoots
• Dawndew Micro Leaves

Products and services

• Salad Cress The original micro leaf — a traditional mix of 95% Rape and 5% Cress seedlings grown in the UK without pesticides with a dark green clover-shaped leaf and slightly peppery flavour. Available as Punnet Cress (peat or peat-free), Catering Cress ('Matpack'), and Cut Washed Cress for retail, catering and food service customers.
• Pea Shoots Contemporary salad leaves with a sweet pea flavour grown under glass in the UK all year without pesticides. Available as Baby Leaf Pea Shoots (delicate green oval leaves, velvety stalks) and Frizzy Pea Shoots (with curly tendrils).
• Micro Leaves Tiny plants grown from seeds and harvested at the first true leaf stage, available as living products or cut, in individual punnets or mixed variety boxes. Includes varieties such as Micro Coriander, Micro Leek, Micro Purple Radish, Micro Chilli Cress and Micro Pak Choi.
• Edible Flowers Edible flowers available all-year-round including Nasturtium Flowers, Calendula Flower, Violas and Pot Marigold, grown under LED lighting and available as living products or cut.
• Watercress Peppery dark green wavy-edged leaves referred to as a natural 'superfood' bursting with vitamins and minerals. Available as Conventional (velvet dark green leaves with thick crunchy stalks) and Baby Leaf (delicate smaller version).
• Prepared Salads (Ready-to-Eat Mixed Leaves) Mixed leaf salads that are 'ready to eat', sourced locally from Lancashire and available in clear or blue tint film, offering a selective mix of crisp and crunchy or soft and velvety salad leaves.
• Wholehead Salads Unwashed salad products sourced seasonally from carefully selected local growers, with product varieties and pack sizes varying each year.
• Bean Sprouts Fresh tasting crunchy shoots grown from mung beans, locally sourced from Lancashire, available in retail or catering packs. Used as a stir-fry ingredient with noodles and vegetables or as a salad component.
• Gourmet Garnish A powerful, versatile and distinctive garnish mix combining carefully selected micro leaves with visually differing characteristics in structure and colour, producing subtle blended flavours. Ideal for chefs, hotels, restaurants and catering companies.
• Dawndew Mixed Lettuce Mixed lettuce combining crispy Red Radicchio, crunchy Frisée and velvety Lamb's Lettuce for colour, flavour and texture. Washed and ready to use.
• Micro Leaf Catering Box Developed for chefs, restaurants and sandwich shops. Contains 6 different varieties of Micro Leaves packed in double-lidded punnets, rotated on a 3-week programme, covering 18 varieties with distinctive flavours and vibrant colours available all year round.

Quantifiable outcome

• First Salad Cress grower to introduce cut and washed Salad Cress to the UK Food Industry in 2002
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Florette: Major European prepared salad brand and processor producing washed, ready-to-eat leaf mixes for retailers and food service across the UK, Ireland and continental Europe. Directly comparable in fresh-cut bagged and loose leaf salad supply.
• The Watercress Company: UK grower and packer of watercress and wild watercress, supplying UK retailers and food service. Directly comparable UK fresh-produce supplier to supermarkets and food service with a hydroponic/glasshouse-grown crop in Dawndew's product range.
• G's Fresh: One of the UK's largest fresh produce growers and suppliers of salads, celery, onions and radishes to supermarkets and food service. Comparable as a UK field/glasshouse salad grower competing for the same retailer shelf space and sandwich-industry volumes.
• Vitacress: UK-based specialist grower of watercress, herbs and baby leaf salads, supplying major supermarkets and food service. Directly comparable as a UK-grown fresh-cut salad and herb producer serving the same retail and sandwich manufacturer customers.
• Koppert Cress: Netherlands-based specialist micro cress, micro leaves and edible flowers supplier serving chefs, hotels and food service across Europe. Closest like-for-like competitor on micro leaves and edible flowers range, with overlapping chef and premium-food-service customer base.

Regional players

• Angus Soft Fruits: Scottish-based grower and supplier of berries and other fresh produce to UK supermarkets. Comparable as a UK fresh-produce supplier to the same major retailer customers, though focused on berries rather than leafy crops.

Emerging players

• GrowUp Farms: UK vertical farm producer of leaves and herbs for retail and food service. Comparable as a UK controlled-environment salad/herb grower selling into supermarkets and food service, though with indoor vertical-farming rather than glasshouse technology.
• Natoora: UK-based specialist in seasonal, heritage and micro produce supplying restaurants and select retailers. Comparable on micro leaves and edible flowers, and competing for the same chef and premium grocer customer base, though with a broader import/sourcing model.
• Kalera: Vertical farming operator producing leafy greens and microgreens for retail and food service markets. Comparable on controlled-environment leaf and microgreen production, although at larger indoor-farm scale and with a multi-region footprint versus Dawndew's single glasshouse.

Broad incumbents

• Bakkavor Group: UK-listed fresh prepared foods manufacturer producing salads, sandwiches, pizzas and convenience meals for major grocers. Broader incumbent in fresh prepared salads and sandwiches, sharing Dawndew's supermarket and sandwich-manufacturer customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/dawndewsalad

Compliance7 records

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 Ingle’s Dawndew Salad