Knepp Wilding

What Knepp Wilding does

Knepp Wilding is a privately held, family-owned rewilding and rural tourism business operating across a 3,500-acre estate in West Sussex, England. Since 2000, the Burrell family has converted former farmland into one of the UK's most established commercial rewilding projects, using free-roaming Old English longhorn cattle, Exmoor ponies, Tamworth pigs, and red, fallow, and roe deer as ecological engineers to regenerate dynamic scrubland, wild meadows, wetland, and wood pasture habitats. The business monetizes the rewilded estate through a diversified portfolio of direct-to-consumer nature-based experiences rather than a single core product.

Revenue is generated across six primary streams: expert-led wildlife safaris (eight themed experiences priced £65-£195), on-site accommodation (shepherd's huts, bell tents, yurts, a treehouse, a pitch-your-own campsite, and three premium cabins — The Bothy, The Dairy, and The Stables — with peak prices up to £905), the MICHELIN Green Star Wilding Kitchen restaurant housed in a restored 18th-century Sussex barn, the Wild Range online butchery selling wild pastured meat UK-wide, an on-site Wilding Shop, and a calendar of workshops, author suppers, Friday-night barbecues, and venue hire for weddings and corporate events. Supporting content assets include the Knepp Wildland Podcast and the Kneppflix YouTube channel, while the Knepp Wildland Foundation operates a parallel charitable arm delivering educational safaris for schools.

Knepp pursues a direct-to-consumer distribution model with all bookings and purchases transacted via the estate website, supplemented by walk-in visitors to the restaurant and shop. Marketing is anchored by BBC Springwatch earned media exposure, organic social (Instagram), email newsletters, and on-site events. The estate has begun commercializing its habitat against the UK's statutory Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) market, opening an emerging B2B vertical alongside the consumer-facing core. The business operates through a multi-entity legal structure — including Knepp Farms LLP, Knepp Wildland Safaris, Knepp Wild Range, and family trusts — all under family ownership with no disclosed institutional investment or external funding.

Name

Knepp Wilding

Legal name

Knepp (Sir Charles Burrell t/a Knepp Castle Estate, Knepp Farms LLP, Knepp Farm Partnership, Knepp Castle Home Farm, Edward Burrell t/a Knepp Estate B, Knepp Wildland Safaris, Knepp Wild Range, Knepp Regenerative Farms, Knepp Energy Ltd, Brookhouse Knepp Ltd, Nancy Burrell, Knepp Swallows Ltd, Knepp 1983 Settlement and Knepp 1987 Settlement)

Website

https://knepp.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Knepp Wilding operates a 3,500-acre rewilding estate in West Sussex, England, offering wildlife safaris, glamping and cabin accommodation, a MICHELIN Green Star restaurant, and a UK-wide wild-range meat e-commerce business. It serves nature enthusiasts, experience-seeking visitors, conscious food consumers, and land managers via direct-to-consumer bookings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nature-based Tourism and Conservation Estate

NAICS

Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219), Zoos and Botanical Gardens (71213), Support Activities for Animal Production (115210)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000), Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200)

akta.pro primary industry

Wildlife Safaris & Game Drives (THAJAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Birding & Wildlife Observation Lodges (THAGAIAK), Safari Parks & Drive-Through Wildlife Parks (THAAAFAD)

Keywords

• Rewilding estate
• Wildlife safari tours
• Nature-based tourism
• Glamping accommodations
• Sustainable meat butchery

Headquarters

HQ city

West Grinstead

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Safari Experiences: Expert-led wildlife safaris in open-sided African-style Land Cruiser vehicles and walking safaris, ranging from general wildlife observation to specialist experiences (beaver, nightingale, butterfly, white stork safaris).
2. Accommodation: On-site glamping and camping accommodations including shepherd's huts, bell tents, yurts, treehouses, cabins (The Bothy, The Dairy, The Stables), and pitch-your-own campsites.
3. Wilding Kitchen Restaurant: Restaurant in an 18th century Sussex barn featuring nature-focused cooking with sustainable, seasonal produce from the organic Market Garden and Knepp Wild Range meat. Awarded MICHELIN Green Star.
4. Wild Range Meat & Butchery: Online sales and on-site butchery selling wild pastured meat from the rewilding project and other nature-friendly suppliers. Products include beef, venison, pork, poultry, and charcuterie.
5. Events & Workshops: Author suppers, Friday night barbecues, foodie events, art exhibitions, garden tours, and workshops (botanical painting, rewilding workshops, garden design).
6. Garden Tours: Tours of the rewilded walled garden designed by Tom Stuart-Smith and James Hitchmough, including guided tours, self-guided visits, and specialist workshops.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Knepp Wilding operates a 3,500-acre rewilding estate in West Sussex, England, offering expert-led wildlife safaris, glamping and cabin accommodation, a MICHELIN Green Star restaurant (Wilding Kitchen), an online wild-range meat butchery, garden tours, workshops, and venue hire. The estate uses free-roaming herbivores (Old English longhorn cattle, Exmoor ponies, Tamworth pigs, and red, fallow and roe deer) to drive habitat regeneration and provides nature-based experiences, dining, and retail meat sales.

Product overview

Knepp Wilding is a pioneering rewilding project operating across a 3,500-acre estate in Sussex, England. The offering is a portfolio of interconnected nature-based experiences rather than a unified software platform. Core visitor products include Knepp Wildland Safaris (expert-led wildlife viewing in safari vehicles or on foot), the Wilding Kitchen restaurant (awarded a Michelin Green Star, serving produce from the on-site organic Market Garden and Knepp's own wild range meat), and the Knepp Wild Range Butchery (selling wild pastured meat online). Accommodation options span glamping units (treehouses, shepherd's huts, bell tents, yurts), the Wildland Campsite, and furnished cabins (The Bothy, The Dairy, The Stables). Supporting offerings include Rewilded Walled Garden Tours, the Knepp Wildland Podcast, and Kneppflix YouTube channel. The business model integrates rewilding conservation with visitor experiences, dining, and retail meat sales.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Wilding Kitchen: Restaurant celebrating nature-focused cooking with sustainable, seasonal produce from the organic Market Garden and Knepp Wild Range meat. Awarded a MICHELIN Green Star.
• Wild Range Meat
• Knepp Wildland Safaris

Products and services

• Knepp Wildland Safaris Expert-led wildlife safaris conducted in open-sided Land Cruiser vehicles or on foot across the 3,500-acre rewilded estate, ranging from general wildlife observation to specialist experiences including Beaver, Nightingale, Butterfly, White Stork and Pasture to Plate safaris. Targeted at nature enthusiasts and wildlife observers seeking close encounters with free-roaming herds and rare British species.
• Glamping Accommodation Glamping units set in ancient woodland and wildflower meadows, including shepherd's huts (Tamworth, Exmoor, Longhorn), bell tents (Bechstein's, Barbastelle), yurts (Turtle Dove, Purple Emperor, Cuckoo) and the Peregrine Treehouse, with on-site wild swimming. Targeted at experience-seeking visitors and couples/families wanting nature-immersive overnight stays.
• Wildland Campsite Safari-style pitch-your-own campsite situated in a wildflower meadow on the edge of an ancient wood, surrounded by the 3,500-acre rewilding project. Targeted at campers and outdoor enthusiasts seeking low-cost nature-based stays.
• Wilding Kitchen Restaurant Restaurant and café set in a restored 18th century Sussex barn offering nature-focused cooking with sustainable, seasonal produce from the on-site organic Market Garden and Knepp Wild Range meat. Awarded a MICHELIN Green Star. Targeted at conscious diners, food enthusiasts, and walk-in visitors.
• Knepp Wild Range Meat and Online Butchery Online butchery selling wild pastured meat from the rewilding project and other nature-friendly suppliers, including beef, venison, pork, poultry, charcuterie, meat boxes and BBQ selections, delivered direct to UK consumers. Targeted at conscious consumers seeking traceable, sustainably produced meat.
• Rewilded Walled Garden Tours Guided and self-guided tours of the Rewilded Walled Garden designed by Tom Stuart-Smith and James Hitchmough, showcasing nature-friendly gardening inspired by rewilding principles. Includes specialist workshops on garden design, rewilding of vegetable gardens, and botanical painting. Targeted at gardeners, garden enthusiasts, and smallholder land managers.
• Self-Contained Cabins (The Bothy, The Dairy, The Stables) Three self-contained cabin accommodations on the estate: The Bothy (rustic former dairy for one or two guests with four-poster bed and woodburner), The Dairy (rustic former cow barn overlooking the wild swimming pond), and The Stables (furnished cabin in Shipley on the edge of the rewilding project). Targeted at couples and small families seeking premium self-contained stays.
• Venue Hire, Weddings and Private Events Venue hire for corporate team away days, weddings, and private events using estate venues including The Granary, Cow Barn, and outdoor spaces. Targeted at corporate groups and couples seeking celebrations in a natural setting.

Quantifiable outcome

• Recovery of nightingale, turtle dove, and purple emperor butterfly populations
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.

• Tom Stuart-SmithcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRenowned garden designer who co-designed the Rewilded Walled Garden at Knepp, bringing expertise in combining horticultural excellence with wildlife-friendly design principles.
• James HitchmoughcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExpert in naturalistic planting design who collaborated on the Rewilded Walled Garden, applying rewilding principles learned from the wider Knepp landscape to garden-scale horticulture.
• UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Head of Medical Entomology & Zoonoses Ecology from UKHSA collaborated with Knepp ecologists to monitor tick populations and Lyme Borrelia infection rates at the estate.
• BBC SpringwatchmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerBBC Springwatch broadcast live from Knepp, featuring wildlife, free-roaming animals, rare butterflies, and recovering bird species. The broadcast significantly raised awareness of the rewilding project.
• Knepp Wildland FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe charitable arm of Knepp that offers bespoke safaris for schools and tours for younger children, providing educational outreach and wild futures programs for younger audiences.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@kneppflix2180
• Instagraminstagram.com/kneppwildland
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/knepp-rewilding

Compliance1 record

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 Knepp Wilding