The Chichester Food & Drink Company

What The Chichester Food & Drink Company does

The Chichester Food & Drink Company is a privately held, founder-owned UK food producer founded in 2021 and based at The Bungalow on the Fruit Farm, Vinnetrow Road, Chichester, West Sussex. It uses a proprietary controlled air-drying process — run in company-built drying rooms that precisely regulate heat, humidity and airflow over extended periods — to convert surplus Grade A fruit sourced from a network of Sussex growers into shelf-stable fruit ingredients and snacks. The products carry a 12-month shelf life and pack high fresh-fruit density per kilogram (for example, ~280 blueberries, ~120 strawberries, ~300 raspberries, or 16 apples per 100g of finished product). Since 2021 the company has reported rescuing 140+ tonnes of surplus fruit and 275,000 kg of CO2, positioning food-waste reduction as a core marketing claim alongside the founders' motivation to address farm overproduction (farmers are required to grow an additional 25% to guarantee continuity of supply).

The company sells its output through three separately branded sub-brands and a hybrid B2B / D2C model. RESQ supplies 100% pure fruit ingredients in powder and piece formats to food manufacturers and caterers (applications include ice cream, yoghurt, cereal, protein bars, savoury snacks, and NPD pipelines), as well as direct to consumers. NICE SLICE offers air-dried citrus slices — slowly dried over 24 hours in small batches — for drinks (G&T, cocktails, water, soft drinks) in 50g pouches and 250g/500g catering bags, addressing the hospitality garnish market where up to 50% of fresh sliced fruit is reportedly wasted. Squished is the consumer-facing healthy kids' snack brand, available via its own storefront (wearesquished.uk) and an actively recruited stockist network.

Commercially, the company operates its own factory on-site at the fruit farm, giving it vertical integration from grower through to packed finished goods. Go-to-market is sales-led for RESQ B2B and D2C e-commerce for consumer SKUs; pricing is not publicly disclosed and trade enquiries are handled by phone and email. Marketing leans on Instagram accounts dedicated to each sub-brand, a company Facebook page, and trade PR including a notable enterprise win at the Brit Awards 2024 with Levy Restaurants UK+I. Awards include a 2024 BIA24 Finalist (Sustainability Initiative), 2024 PA24 Silver Winner (Positive Awards), and a 2024 Food & Drink Federation Awards Finalist. The team is 1-10 employees (co-founders Paul McCulloch and David Kay plus a Head of Production, dedicated sales, and marketing & sales staff); the company is bootstrapped with no disclosed external funding and reports revenue in no public filing.

Name

The Chichester Food & Drink Company

Legal name

The Chichester Food and Drink Company Ltd.

Website

https://chifoodanddrink.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Chichester Food & Drink Company air-dries surplus Grade A fruit from Sussex growers into shelf-stable ingredients and snacks, operating three sub-brands — RESQ (B2B/B2C fruit powders and pieces), NICE SLICE (citrus drink garnishes for hospitality), and Squished (kids' healthy snacks) — from a vertically integrated factory on a West Sussex fruit farm.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Dried fruit ingredients and snacks

NAICS

Dried and Dehydrated Food Manufacturing (311423), Fruit and Vegetable Canning, Pickling, and Drying (31142)

SIC

Canned, Frozen & Preservd Fruit, Veg & Food Specialties (2030), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Dried Fruit & Fruit Snacks Manufacturing (AFAKAIAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Fruit Snacks & Dried Fruit (CRADABAJ)

Keywords

• Dried fruit ingredients
• Air-dried fruit snacks
• Sustainable food manufacturing
• Drink garnish products
• Healthy fruit snacks

Headquarters

HQ city

Chichester, England

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, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Product Sales: Sale of three branded product lines: RESQ (pure fruit ingredients in powder and piece formats), NICE SLICE (air-dried citrus slices for drinks), and Squished (healthy fruit snacks for kids and families). Products sold direct to consumers via e-commerce and to food/catering businesses as ingredients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Chichester Food & Drink Company rescues surplus Grade A fruit from local Sussex growers and preserves it through proprietary air-drying technology. It sells three branded product lines: RESQ pure fruit ingredients (powders and pieces) for food manufacturers and caterers; NICE SLICE air-dried citrus garnishes for drinks; and Squished healthy fruit snacks for kids and families. All products deliver intense natural flavour with a 12-month ambient shelf life and no added sugar.

Product overview

The Chichester Food & Drink Company operates as a unified product portfolio built around rescuing surplus Grade A fruit using proprietary air-drying technology. The company encompasses three distinct sub-brands: RESQ provides pure fruit ingredients (powders and pieces) for consumer retail and food industry/catering volume buyers; NICE SLICE offers air-dried citrus slices specifically designed as long-lasting drink garnishes; and Squished delivers healthy, fruit-filled snacks targeting children and families. All three brands share the core technology of air-drying to preserve and intensify natural fruit flavours while reducing food waste.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• RESQ: Brand supplying 100% pure fruit ingredients (powders and pieces) direct to consumers and in volume to the food and catering industry. Products include air-dried blueberry, strawberry, raspberry, lemon, lime, orange, apple, and grapefruit ingredients.
• NICE SLICE
• Squished

Products and services

• RESQ RESQ is the company's pure fruit ingredients sub-brand, offering 100% real fruit in powder and crumb/piece formats including blueberry, strawberry, raspberry, lemon, lime, orange, apple, and grapefruit varieties. Products target both retail consumers and B2B food/catering industry buyers seeking sustainable, intensely flavoured ingredients with consistent quality for recipe formulation in ice cream, yoghurts, cereals, protein bars, and savoury snacks. Approximately 120-300 fruits are rescued per 100g of powder depending on fruit type.
• NICE SLICE NICE SLICE is an air-dried citrus slice product line for garnishing drinks including G&Ts, cocktails, water, and soft drinks, as well as culinary applications like fish dishes. Fresh citrus is sliced and slowly air-dried over 24 hours in small batches to preserve aromatic oils and capture intense flavour. Available in 50g retail pouches (approximately 24 servings) and 250g/500g catering bags, addressing the hospitality industry's waste of up to 50% of freshly sliced garnishes.
• Squished Squished is the consumer-facing sub-brand offering healthy fruit snacks made from rescued berries and apples for children and families. Products include bite-size snacks, cereal toppings, and fruit pieces suitable for pancakes, baking, and smoothies. Positioned as 100% real fruit with no added sugar, addressing parental demand for healthy snacking alternatives to ultra-processed foods.

Quantifiable outcome

• 140+ tonnes of surplus fruit saved since operations began
• +7 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

Feature3 records

Scale indicators6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Bear (formerly Bear Snacks): UK-based fruit-snack brand selling to kids and families in similar ambient, no-added-sugar formats. Closely comparable on product positioning (healthy children's fruit snacks) and target consumer, though Bear uses fruit purees rather than air-dried pieces.
• Urban Fruit: UK ambient dried fruit snacking brand positioned as a healthier on-the-go snack. Comparable in product format (dried fruit snack packs), retail/D2C GTM, and UK consumer target.
• Crispy Green: US-based premium dried fruit snack brand with single-ingredient fruit products. Closely comparable in product philosophy (100% fruit, no added sugar) and snack positioning, though uses different drying technology.
• Bare Snacks: Baked/dried fruit and vegetable snack brand (owned by PepsiCo) selling crunchy fruit chips. Comparable in premium dried-fruit snacking and retail distribution, with similar 'real fruit, no added sugar' positioning.
• Made in Nature: Organic dried fruit and snack brand with comparable '100% fruit, nothing added' positioning. Direct peer in the premium dried-fruit snack category, particularly across online and natural retail channels.
• European Freeze Dry: UK-based B2B supplier of freeze-dried fruit ingredients to food manufacturers. Closest direct competitor on the RESQ side, supplying fruit powders and pieces to the same food and catering industry customers — the only meaningful difference being freeze-drying versus air-drying.
• FruitSmart: US-based fruit ingredient processor supplying purees, juices, and dried fruit pieces/powders to food and beverage manufacturers. Comparable B2B business model and customer base as the RESQ brand, though focused on conventional (not air-dried) processing.
• That Fruit Company: UK-based producer of dried fruit snacks and pieces using gentle drying techniques. Comparable on product category, UK market, and focus on minimally processed single-ingredient fruit products.

Broad incumbents

• Traina Foods: California-based established dried fruit ingredient supplier with drying operations and B2B food manufacturer customers. Comparable as a broader incumbent supplying dried fruit ingredients to CPG/food industry, though at significantly larger scale and broader product range.

Emerging players

• Naturya: UK health foods brand selling superfoods, plant proteins, and fruit-based powders. Comparable on UK D2C health-food positioning and powder/superfood ingredient formats, overlapping with RESQ's consumer powder line.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php?id=61557756672272
• Instagraminstagram.com/wearesquished
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-chichester-food-drink-company

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Chichester Food & Drink Company