What Forresters does

Forresters (legally Forrester Sales Ltd) is a UK family-owned poultry manufacturer and wholesale supplier, founded in 1972 and headquartered in Kingsley, Frodsham, Cheshire. The company manufactures and supplies fresh and frozen chicken products to food industry customers spanning food service operators, pubs, retailers, food manufacturers, and catering butchers, offering both branded lines (including the Crisp-Up air-fryer range and Delimore chilled/frozen range) and own-label programmes. Operationally, Forresters runs state-of-the-art cooking facilities and Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) technology aimed at maximising shelf life, alongside real-time traceability software, a dedicated HACCP food safety team, and an in-house engineering department focused on product and packaging innovation. Sourcing is governed by an exclusive partnership with British Red Tractor certified farmers, and the business holds BRCGS A* audit status and works with UKAS-accredited laboratories for microbiological analysis.

The business model is a hybrid of B2B wholesale (the core revenue stream, with direct sales to trade customers across multiple food industry segments) and a smaller direct-to-consumer channel through an on-site farm shop in Cheshire that sells the company's chicken range and complementary local products at wholesale prices to walk-in customers. Revenue, ownership, and pricing details are not publicly disclosed. The company supports its B2B proposition with published sustainability metrics (zero waste to landfill, 57% energy reduction since 2021, plastic and waste-to-AD diversion programmes) and food bank donation programmes since 2019. Forresters maintains regulatory and compliance artefacts including a Gender Pay Gap Report (2023), a Modern Slavery Statement, and a GM Policy, indicating it is structured to satisfy retailer and large enterprise supplier requirements.

Name

Forresters

Legal name

Forrester Sales Ltd

Website

https://forresterschicken.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Forresters is a UK family-owned poultry manufacturer founded in 1972, supplying fresh and frozen chicken products — including the Crisp-Up air-fryer range and Delimore range — to food service operators, pubs, retailers, food manufacturers, and catering butchers under branded and own-label programmes, with a supporting on-site Cheshire farm shop for direct consumer sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Frodsham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Poultry Manufacturing and Supply: Manufacturing and supplying poultry products to food industry customers including food service, pubs, retailers, manufacturers, and catering butchers. Offers both branded and own-label products.
2. Farm Shop Retail Sales: Direct retail sales of fresh and frozen chicken products plus third-party products like Cheshire Farm Ice Cream, Stantons Sausages, and Chapmans Jumbo Fish Fingers at the on-site farm shop.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Forresters is a family-owned poultry manufacturer and wholesale supplier that has been producing and supplying chicken products to the UK food industry since 1972. The company supplies branded ranges (Crisp-Up, Delimore) and own-label cooked, fresh, and frozen chicken products — including tenders, drumsticks, kebabs, and wings — to food service operators, retailers, pubs, food manufacturers, and catering butchers. Operating from its Cheshire facility, Forresters also sells direct to consumers through an on-site farm shop.

Product overview

Forresters is a family-owned poultry manufacturer and wholesale supplier operating since 1972. The company offers a diversified portfolio of chicken products across multiple formats: the Crisp-Up range (ready-to-air-fry chicken products including Kentucky Tenders, Love Me Tenders, and Pop Bites), the Delimore range (chilled and frozen chicken products in various flavours), and standard fresh and frozen chicken products. Products are supplied to trade clients including food service, pubs, retailers, manufacturers, and catering butchers under both branded and own-label arrangements. The company operates MAP packing technology and state-of-the-art cooking facilities. Consumer-facing sales also occur through the company's on-site Cheshire farm shop.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Crisp-Up: Ready-to-air-fry chicken range including Kentucky Tenders, Love Me Tenders, and Pop Bites, made from 100% cooked chicken breast with coatings optimised for air fryers
• Delimore

Products and services

• Crisp-Up Range Branded ready-to-air-fry chicken product range (Kentucky Tenders, Love Me Tenders, Pop Bites) made from 100% cooked chicken breast with coatings optimised for air fryers, ready in under 10 minutes, targeted at retail and food service buyers seeking convenient quick-cook chicken.
• Delimore Range Branded chilled and frozen chicken product range offering retailers versatile products and flavours including drumsticks, chicken tikka, and hot and spicy chicken variants, intended for retail customers.
• Fresh and Frozen Chicken Wholesale Range Wholesale fresh and frozen chicken product range including cooked chicken striploin, hot chicken wings, grilled meat skewers, and chicken shish kebabs, supplied to trade clients including food service, pubs, retailers, manufacturers, and catering butchers under branded and own-label arrangements.
• On-site Farm Shop On-site farm shop located at Forresters' Kingsley, Cheshire manufacturing base, offering the company's own fresh and frozen chicken range at wholesale prices to individual consumers alongside locally sourced complementary products (Cheshire Farm Ice Cream, Stantons Sausages, Chapmans Jumbo Fish Fingers). Open 7 days a week.

Quantifiable outcome

• 57% energy usage reduction since 2021
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 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

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• British Red TractorcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExclusive partnership with British Red Tractor certified farmers to guarantee all products are ethically and responsibly sourced. All suppliers are audited regularly to ensure industry standards are met. This partnership ensures animal welfare and environmental standards throughout the supply chain.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Tulip Ltd: Tulip is a UK food manufacturer producing cooked chicken and pork products under own-label and branded lines for the major UK grocers. Comparable in cooked-meat own-label capabilities and UK retail customer overlap with Forresters.
• 2 Sisters Food Group: 2 Sisters is the UK's largest food manufacturer with significant poultry operations including cooked chicken and breaded products. Highly comparable customer base (UK retailers and food service) and product overlap with Forresters' cooked chicken and own-label range.
• Faccenda Foods: Faccenda Foods (now part of Avara) is a UK poultry processor producing fresh and cooked chicken for retail and food service. Direct overlap with Forresters on cooked chicken formats and UK regional food service customers.
• Avara Foods: Avara Foods is a major UK poultry processor producing fresh and cooked chicken for retail and food service customers. Direct competitor to Forresters in the UK cooked chicken wholesale market with overlapping Red Tractor-certified supply chains.
• Cranswick plc: Cranswick is a UK food producer with a growing poultry and cooked meats division serving major UK retailers with own-label products. Comparable as a Red Tractor-certified supplier of own-label cooked chicken to UK grocery and food service channels.
• Bernard Matthews: Bernard Matthews is a long-established UK poultry producer (turkey and chicken) supplying cooked and processed poultry products to retailers and food service. Comparable in cooked-chicken branded and own-label product mix for UK customers.
• Moy Park: Moy Park is one of the largest poultry producers in the UK and Ireland, supplying cooked and fresh chicken to retail, food service, and manufacturers. Direct overlap with Forresters on cooked chicken, retail own-label, and food service wholesale channels, though at meaningfully larger scale.

Regional players

• Grange Farm Poultry: Smaller UK cooked chicken and roast poultry supplier serving regional food service and independent retailers. Comparable SME-scale poultry manufacturing profile to Forresters though with more limited product breadth and geographic reach.
• Norfolk Quail / MLC Foods: UK-based cooked poultry and specialty protein producer serving food service and retail with cooked chicken and value-added poultry products. Operates in similar channels (UK wholesale, food service, retailers) but with narrower geographic footprint than Forresters.

Broad incumbents

• Pilgrim's Pride (Pilgrim's UK): Pilgrim's is one of the world's largest poultry producers and the parent of Moy Park. Competes with Forresters in UK cooked chicken supply to retail and food service but operates globally with much greater scale and broader portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/roast-chicken

Compliance4 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 Forresters