The Kennet Crayfish Company

Name

The Kennet Crayfish Company

Legal name

The Kennet Crayfish Company Ltd

Website

https://kennetcrayfish.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wild Seafood and Artisan Spirits Production

NAICS

Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging (3117), Aquaculture (11251), Shellfish Fishing (114112)

SIC

Prepared Fresh Or Frozen Fish & Seafoods (2092), Fishing, Hunting And Trapping (900)

akta.pro primary industry

Freshwater Shellfish & Crustacean Farming (e.g., crayfish) (AFAEAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Aquaculture Farm Services & Operations Support (net cleaning, diving, grading, harvesting) (AFAEAAAM), Shellfish Processing (Shrimp, Crab, Lobster, Mollusks) (AFANADAC), Aquaculture Harvest, Processing & Packing (Farmed Finfish/Shellfish; On-Farm Plants) (AFANADAL)

Keywords

• Wild crayfish harvesting
• Chalk stream seafood
• Artisan gin distillery
• Invasive species control
• Bio-secure fish processing

Headquarters

HQ city

Thatcham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Wild Crayfish Sales: Direct sale of fresh cooked, par-cooked, and Swedish-style wild chalk stream crayfish to consumers and trade customers. Products sold in various weights (2kg-12kg) and sizes (Medium/Large), priced per unit. Seasonal availability from June onwards. Revenue is one-time transactional per order.
2. Artisan Spirits (Gin and Spiced Rum): Award-winning Kennet Crayfish Gin and Kennet Crayfish Spiced Rum sold in 5cl, 20cl, and 70cl bottle sizes at price points from £5.42 to £35.00. Manufactured in collaboration with Hawkridge Distillers. Both products incorporate crayfish claw distillate as a botanical. Ongoing product sales with repeat purchase potential.
3. Cray Cray Oil Products: Crayfish-infused rapeseed oil products (Original, Garlic, and Chilli flavours) sold as multi-packs and individual bottles. Unique food product leveraging crayfish extracts. One-time purchase model.
4. Wholesale and Trade Supply: Bulk supply of crayfish and potentially spirits to restaurants, food establishments, and hospitality businesses. Wholesale pricing available, fully food-approved. B2B transaction model.
5. Crayfish Removal and Consultancy: Specialist consultancy services for fisheries, lakes, and waterways dealing with crayfish infestations. Services include trapping plans, traps, advice, site visits, and taking unwanted fish. Revenue from consultancy fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Kennet Crayfish Company harvests wild American signal crayfish from the UK's River Kennet chalk stream and processes them in the country's largest indoor bio-secure facility to produce premium fresh cooked and par-cooked crayfish (whole, Swedish-style, and in brine), artisan crayfish-claw-infused gin and spiced rum, crayfish-infused rapeseed oils, and branded apparel and accessories. The company also offers specialist crayfish removal trapping and consultancy services to fisheries and waterway managers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cray Cray Oil: A range of crayfish-infused rapeseed oils available in Original, Garlic, and Chilli varieties.

Products and services

• Fresh Cooked Crayfish Wild caught UK signal crayfish from the River Kennet, ready-to-eat fresh cooked and packed in vacuum-sealed microwaveable trays with up to 21 days refrigerated shelf life. Sold in Medium (~22 pieces/kg) and Large (~16 pieces/kg) sizes in 2kg-12kg weights for £29.00-£186.00, dispatched Tue-Fri. Targeted at premium UK consumers and restaurants requiring ready-to-serve crayfish.
• Fresh Par-Cooked Crayfish Wild caught UK signal crayfish from the River Kennet, dispatched within 24 hours of harvesting and requiring cooking before consumption. Sold in 2kg-12kg weights, Medium and Large sizes, for £29.00-£186.00. Targeted at chefs and home cooks who want to finish the dish themselves with full control over preparation.
• Kennet Crayfish Gin Award-winning artisan contemporary gin made using a proprietary distillation of crayfish claw shells as a botanical, alongside dill, watercress, and lemon zest. Produced in collaboration with Hawkridge Distillers. Available in 5cl, 20cl, and 70cl bottle sizes priced from £5.42 to £33.33, sold direct-to-consumer via the company's e-commerce site. Targeted at craft gin enthusiasts, cocktail culture consumers, and gift buyers.
• Kennet Crayfish Spiced Rum Premium spiced rum (40% ABV) made using crayfish claw distillate and bourbon-aged golden rum, blended with orange, nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger. Contains shellfish allergen. Available in 5cl, 20cl, and 70cl bottles priced from £5.42 to £35.00. Produced in collaboration with Hawkridge Distillers. Awarded Gold Medal (Taste) and Style Winner (UK) at the 2026 World Rum Awards, with subsequent advancement to the 2026 World Finals for World's Best Spiced Rum.
• Cray Cray Oil (Original, Garlic, Chilli) Range of crayfish-infused rapeseed oils in Original, Garlic, and Chilli variants, leveraging natural crayfish flavour extracts. Sold as multi-packs (three flavours) at £19.99 or individual flavours, with Garlic variant noted at £8.50. Targeted at food lovers and home cooks seeking unique British-infused cooking oils.
• Crayfish Removal and Consultancy Service Specialist consultancy for UK fisheries, lakes, and waterways dealing with invasive American signal crayfish populations. Services include trapping plans, supply of Environment Agency-approved traps (designed with otter and water vole guards), site visits, expert advice, and removal/takeaway of unwanted crayfish. Targeted at fishery owners, lake managers, and waterway operators requiring compliant, humane infestation control.
• Branded Apparel and Gift Sets Curated gift sets and branded apparel and accessories including Classic Cap (£16.67), Fisherman Hat (£18.33), Apron (£12.50), Napkin Rings set (£20.00), Shellfish Picks set (£26.67), and Peeling Snips (£9.17-£16.67). Gift sets include Gin & Rum Duo, Miniature Gift Set, and Spirit & Glass Gift Set, marketed across gifting occasions.

Quantifiable outcome

• 21-day shelf life for crayfish products using MAP packaging technology
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 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.

• Hawkridge DistillerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 February 2026Long-standing collaboration with Hawkridge Distillers, a nearby distillery in the UK, for the production of Kennet Crayfish Gin and Kennet Crayfish Spiced Rum. Hawkridge Distillers evolved the original gin concept by having botanicals freshly crushed on site to create a uniquely fresh flavour. The collaboration has produced two award-winning spirits, with Hawkridge providing distillation expertise and facilities. This partnership enabled the company's diversification from raw crayfish into higher-margin artisan spirits, following the prior success of the award-winning gin launched January 2025.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Whitstable Oyster Company: One of the UK's oldest specialist seafood businesses, focused on premium oysters and shellfish from a defined UK coastline with provenance storytelling. Matches Kennet Crayfish on niche shellfish specialism, single-region sourcing, and direct sales into restaurants and consumers.
• Loch Fyne Oysters: Family-run Scottish shellfish producer and seafood specialist with a strong provenance-led brand and own on-site processing/restaurant infrastructure. Highly comparable to The Kennet Crayfish Company in business model — wild/estate seafood, vertical processing, premium positioning, and direct-to-consumer plus trade channels.
• Greensand Ridge Distillery: Kent-based craft gin distillery that foregrounds locally foraged botanicals and a strong sense of place. Closest UK structural analogue to Kennet Crayfish's gin line — single distinctive regional botanical story, small-batch artisan production, and awards-led go-to-market.
• The Hebridean Smokehouse: Small-scale Scottish seafood producer applying artisan processing (smoking) to wild-caught shellfish and fish for premium UK retail and foodservice. Comparable on the wild-caught + value-added processing model that turns a region-specific raw ingredient into branded premium seafood.

Broad incumbents

• Compass Group: Largest UK contract foodservice operator running thousands of venues including premium restaurants and stadia. A major potential trade customer (alongside Tate Modern, etc.) and a benchmark for the volume opportunity if Kennet Crayfish converts niche hospitality placements into scaled contract supply.
• Sipsmith: Pioneering London craft distiller with a broad gin portfolio, national and export distribution, and established bartending-channel presence. Functions as the broad incumbent on the 'premium UK craft gin' axis that Kennet Crayfish's gin/rum compete within.

Emerging players

• Cooper King Distillery: Yorkshire-based carbon-negative craft distillery whose brand is built around sustainability and provenance storytelling. Comparable on the 'premium craft spirit with explicit environmental mission' positioning, which is how The Kennet Crayfish Company frames its gin/rum.
• Warner Edwards Distillery: English farm-based craft gin producer with multiple botanical-led expressions and broad UK off-trade distribution. Comparable in product format (premium UK craft gin), though scaled considerably further than The Kennet Crayfish Company's spirit line.

Others

• Cefas (Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science): UK government agency that oversees aquaculture licensing and invasive species science, with which Kennet Crayfish already partners. Relevant as the regulatory counterpart whose frameworks shape — and gate — the company's ability to operate, expand to new waterways, and license its consultancy model.

Regional players

• Beretta: Italian specialty food/crayfish-adjacent producer with continental European distribution. Comparable as a regional European crayfish specialist operating in a different geography, useful for understanding how a niche crayfish brand can be scaled across borders over time.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/kennetcrayfish
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-kennet-crayfish-company-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 The Kennet Crayfish Company