What Chef's Farms does

Chef's Farms Ltd. is a privately held UK fresh produce wholesale and supply-chain intermediary founded in 2017 and headquartered at Hill Farm, Pulborough, West Sussex. The company sources from a network of growers across Sussex and Kent (including Goodwood Home Farm, an apple growers cooperative, and other small independents) and delivers ethically grown, seasonal produce to the hospitality and retail sectors across South East England, operating under a 24-hour farm-to-plate model with full traceability and live photo updates from partner farms. Customers place bespoke orders through a sales-led process and via the third-party Fresho online ordering platform, with an active app on iOS and Android. The company also retails specialty SKUs including Wild Sussex Venison (sourced via the British Deer Society), Apuglian extra virgin olive oil, surplus air-dried fruit powders, Knuckers Cider from wonky Sussex apples, and Caulishoots.

The business model is wholesale transaction-fee revenue on produce sold to chefs, restaurants and retailers, supplemented by margins on specialty products. GTM is sales-led via direct relationship building with chefs and a content-driven funnel using a farm blog, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn to build provenance and sustainability brand equity. Operations are run by a small team of approximately 5 employees, including founder Tom Denman, with headquarters functioning as the packhouse and dispatch center. There are no funding rounds, subsidiaries, M&A activity, or institutional investors disclosed; the company is privately held with no public ticker.

Name

Chef's Farms

Legal name

Chef's Farms Ltd.

Website

https://chefsfarms.co.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wholesale Produce Distribution

NAICS

Farm Product Raw Material Merchant Wholesalers (4245)

SIC

Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products (5140)

akta.pro primary industry

Ingredients, Spices & Culinary Supplies Distribution (CRAOABAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Meat, Poultry & Seafood Wholesale Distribution (CRAOAAAD)

Keywords

• Wholesale produce delivery
• Fresh produce distribution
• Ethical fresh produce
• Farm-to-table supply
• Hospitality produce sourcing

Headquarters

HQ city

Pulborough

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Produce Sales: Bespoke wholesale fresh produce delivery service to hospitality and retail sectors. They source from sustainable and diverse producers and deliver directly to customers, functioning as a supply chain intermediary.
2. Farmer Supply Chain Services: Complete supply chain solution for producers - advising on market demand and trends, marketing their product, and selling/delivering their produce. Reduces risk of over supply for small-scale producers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Chef's Farms operates a bespoke wholesale fresh produce delivery service that sources from sustainable and diverse producers across Sussex and Kent and delivers directly to hospitality and retail customers within 24 hours of harvest. The company functions as a supply-chain intermediary, providing chefs and retailers with full traceability, marketability around farming methods, and a tailored service including packing format and volume flexibility. It also offers a complete supply-chain solution for farmers, advising on market demand, marketing their produce, and handling delivery.

Product overview

Chef's Farms is a fresh produce delivery service operating as a platform connecting chefs and restaurants with local farmers and growers. Their core offering is the Fresh Produce Delivery Service, supplemented by specialty products including Wild Sussex Venison (sourced from wild deer culled for population control), artisan Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Apuglian suppliers, Surplus Fruit Powders (air-dried products made from surplus fruit to combat waste), and Knuckers Cider (low-strength cider from imperfect Sussex apples). The company delivers produce within 24 hours of harvest to the foodservice and retail sector, serving chefs, retailers, and working with farmers across Sussex and Kent.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Produce delivered within 24 hours of being picked
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Goodwood Home FarmcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Goodwood estate's home farm which represents key values in sustainable food production. Farmer Conor and team have adapted farming methods to increase insect life and natural balance. The farm has over 50 miles of wildlife managed hedgerows, 500,000 square meters of areas planted for wild bird feed, and has planted 50,000 trees including fruit and nut trees throughout commercial arable crops.
• British Deer SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChef's Farms supports the British Deer Society's vision for wild deer to support a more ethical and sustainable food sector in the UK. They source wild Sussex venison as a nutritious, sustainable and affordable alternative to farmed meat, helping address deer overpopulation issues estimated around 2 million mark.
• Network of Sussex and Kent GrowerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChef's Farms works with a cooperative of Apple growers and various specialist producers across Sussex and Kent. They represent and deliver produce from small independent growers to multinational growing co-operatives, offering various product packing formats and volumes.
• Natural EnglandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGoodwood Home Farm works closely with Natural England to maintain and create further biodiversity and habitats. This partnership supports sustainable farming practices and natural balance in food production.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Natoora: UK-based premium fresh produce supplier to top restaurants and retailers with a focus on seasonality, traceability, and sustainability. Most directly comparable in business model and customer segment to Chef's Farms, operating at larger scale and broader geographic reach.
• Nationwide Produce: One of the UK's largest fresh produce specialists, sourcing and supplying fruits and vegetables to packers, processors, and foodservice customers. Comparable wholesale intermediary activity, but with national infrastructure and far larger throughput.
• Oliver Kay Produce: UK fresh produce supplier delivering to foodservice operators nationwide. Comparable supply-chain intermediary model serving restaurants and caterers, though at significantly greater scale and with broader product breadth.

Regional players

• Berry Gardens: UK grower-owned cooperative marketing soft fruit to major retailers. Comparable in connecting UK growers to commercial buyers through a marketing cooperative, though focused specifically on berries and serving predominantly retail customers.
• Daylesford Organic: UK organic farm shop, café, restaurant, and online retailer operating from a flagship Cotswolds estate farm. Comparable sustainability and estate-farming credentials, but competes in retail/hospitality experience rather than B2B wholesale distribution.

Broad incumbents

• Dole plc (formerly Total Produce): Global fresh produce giant with significant UK foodservice and retail presence following the Total Produce combination. Overlaps with Chef's Farms in fresh produce distribution to commercial customers, but operates at massive scale across multiple categories and geographies.
• Bakkavor Group: UK-listed leading provider of fresh prepared foods (chilled meals, salads, sandwiches, produce) supplying major grocery retailers. Adjacent fresh-produce value chain participant with overlapping foodservice/retail customer base, but operates at industrial scale as a manufacturer.
• G's Fresh: Major UK vertically integrated fresh produce grower and supplier (salads, vegetables, mushrooms) serving retailers and foodservice. Overlaps as a UK fresh-produce supplier, but operates from owned farming operations at industrial scale versus Chef's Farms' aggregator model.

Emerging players

• Hodmedod's: UK specialist wholesaler and retailer of British-grown pulses, grains, and other sustainably sourced foods, supplying both consumers and foodservice. Comparable supply-chain transparency and British-farming narrative, though focused on shelf-stable crops rather than fresh produce.
• Riverford Organic Farmers: UK organic farm-to-door delivery business founded on a regional grower cooperative model, now national. Comparable provenance-and-grower-relationship narrative, but predominantly DTC subscription boxes rather than foodservice wholesale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/chefsfarmsinfo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chefs-farms
• Instagraminstagram.com/chefs_farms

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 Chef's Farms