CATERWARE LTD

What CATERWARE LTD does

Caterware Ltd is a UK-based, family-owned specialist in commercial catering equipment, founded in 1977 by Bernard Drazen in Blackpool and now led by his son Mark Drazen as Managing Director. The company provides an integrated turnkey service spanning commercial kitchen design (using CAD), equipment supply, professional installation, project management, and ongoing maintenance contracts, drawing on direct import and master dealership relationships with premium brands such as Angelo Po, Rational, and Meiko alongside a broader partner portfolio across refrigeration, ware washing, ice, and tableware.

The customer base spans five primary verticals: stadia and leisure (Manchester City FC Etihad, Watford FC, AFC Fylde), hotels (Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, Lakeside, Greenwich Hotel), restaurants and bars (Street XO Mayfair, Indian Accent London, Leon, Comptoir Libanais, Sushi Daily), heritage and public attractions (Cutty Sark), and healthcare (HC-One). Caterware serves clients from small family-owned takeaways through to national hotel groups and stadium-scale operations, with UK-wide geographic reach delivered through direct sales and a purpose-built showroom.

The business model is project-based, with revenue generated primarily from one-time heavy equipment sales, light equipment supply, and professional services revenue from design and installation, supplemented by recurring maintenance contracts. Pricing is quote-based and tailored to project specifications and budget, with no publicly disclosed pricing structure. The company operates with 11-50 employees from its Blackpool headquarters and holds multiple accreditations (Gas Safe, Refcom, WRAS, Construction Line, CHAS, CEDA) that pre-qualify it for enterprise and public sector procurement.

Name

CATERWARE LTD

Legal name

Caterware Limited

Website

https://caterware.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Caterware Ltd is a UK-based, family-owned specialist that designs, supplies, installs, and maintains commercial catering equipment for foodservice operators across stadia, hotels, restaurants, healthcare, and public sector clients nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Catering Equipment Services

NAICS

Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing (33331)

SIC

General Industrial Machinery & Equipment (3560), Cutlery, Handtools & General Hardware (3420)

akta.pro primary industry

Restaurant & Commercial Kitchen Equipment Wholesale (AFAIALAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Food Preparation Equipment & Smallwares Wholesale (AFAIALAK)

Keywords

• Commercial catering equipment
• Commercial kitchen design
• Catering equipment installation
• Foodservice equipment supply
• Kitchen maintenance services

Headquarters

HQ city

Blackpool

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Heavy Equipment Sales: Supply of major commercial catering equipment including prime cooking, refrigeration, preparation equipment, bespoke stainless steel fabrication, extraction systems, and ventilation.
2. Light Equipment Sales: Supply of tableware, glassware, barware, kitchen utensils, and sundries. Ranges from fine dining to everyday use products.
3. Installation Services: Professional installation of commercial catering equipment and kitchen facilities, managed from concept to completion.
4. Maintenance Contracts: Ongoing maintenance contracts for equipment, providing servicing and maintenance for customers across the UK.
5. Design Consultation: Commercial kitchen design consultation services including CAD planning and specification of equipment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CATERWARE LTD designs, supplies, installs, and maintains commercial kitchens for foodservice operators across the UK. The family-run firm provides turnkey solutions from initial design and 3D CAD modeling through procurement of heavy and light catering equipment to on-site installation and ongoing post-installation maintenance. It also operates an in-house stainless steel fabrication facility and a showroom displaying partner manufacturer equipment.

Product overview

CATERWARE LTD is a specialist provider of commercial catering equipment design, supply, and installation services, established in 1977 and celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2017. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio comprising heavy equipment (prime cooking suites, refrigeration, preparation equipment, and bespoke stainless steel fabrication) and light equipment (tableware, glassware, barware, and kitchen utensils). These are complemented by professional services including commercial kitchen design with CAD capabilities, end-to-end project management, and tailored maintenance and service contracts. The company serves sectors including restaurants, hotels, stadia, healthcare, and public sector organizations across the UK.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Commercial Kitchen Design Design of commercial kitchen layouts using 3D CAD modeling for hotels, restaurants, bars, stadia and leisure venues, healthcare/care homes, and education sector clients across the UK.
• Commercial Kitchen Equipment Supply Supply of heavy equipment (cooking, refrigeration, prep, stainless steel fabrication) and light equipment (tableware, glassware, barware, kitchen utensils) from partner manufacturers including Angelo Po, Modular Systems, IMC, Meiko, Lincat, Electrolux, Falcon, Hoshizaki, Whirlpool, and others.
• Commercial Kitchen Installation On-site installation of supplied commercial catering equipment, delivered by the company's project team across UK foodservice venues.
• Stainless Steel Fabrication In-house custom stainless steel fabrication service supporting bespoke kitchen fabrication needs for commercial clients.
• Post-Installation Maintenance Ongoing maintenance service for installed commercial catering equipment, providing aftercare support to UK foodservice operators.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1250+ items installed within 5 weeks for Manchester City FC
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and standard.

• Angelo PocoreTechnology or IntegrationPremium equipment brand that Caterware directly imports. Key supplier for cooking suites, refrigeration, and combi ovens. Angelo Po's factory technicians assist with complex installations such as the Street XO Monolithe suite.
• RationalcoreTechnology or IntegrationMaster dealership arrangement for Rational combi ovens and cooking equipment, a leading brand in commercial kitchens.
• MeikocoreTechnology or IntegrationMaster dealership for Meiko ware washing and cleaning equipment, frequently specified in Caterware installations.
• HoshizakistandardTechnology or IntegrationPartnership for ice machines and refrigeration equipment from Hoshizaki.
• Precision RefrigerationstandardTechnology or IntegrationSupplier of refrigeration cabinets and counters, specified in installations including Indian Accent.
• Robot CoupestandardTechnology or IntegrationPartner brand for food preparation equipment including processors and blenders.
• ManitowocstandardTechnology or IntegrationPartnership for ice machines and related equipment under the Manitowoc brand.
• FosterstandardTechnology or IntegrationPartnership for refrigeration equipment from Foster.
• WilliamsstandardTechnology or IntegrationPartnership for commercial refrigeration from Williams.
• FalconstandardTechnology or IntegrationPartnership for cooking equipment from Falcon.
• LiebherrstandardTechnology or IntegrationPartner for refrigeration equipment, noted in press coverage of Austrian hospitality products.
• SteelitestandardTechnology or IntegrationPartner for tableware and hospitalityware products.
• ChurchillstandardTechnology or IntegrationPartner for tableware and tabletop products.
• ArtisstandardTechnology or IntegrationPartner brand for light equipment in their portfolio.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Nisbets: Nisbets is the UK's largest direct supplier of catering equipment, tableware and bar supplies to the foodservice industry. It is directly comparable to Caterware across both heavy and light equipment, with overlapping customer base in restaurants, hotels and stadia and a similar end-to-end supply proposition.
• Premier Catering Equipment: Premier Catering Equipment is a UK supplier and installer of commercial kitchen equipment serving hotels, restaurants and public sector clients. It mirrors Caterware's design, supply and install stack and competes for similar project bids.
• Catering Design Group (CDG): CDG provides commercial kitchen design, equipment supply and installation for UK hospitality, healthcare and education operators. It is a like-for-like competitor to Caterware in the design-and-build segment with comparable enterprise and public-sector customers.
• Lockhart Catering Equipment: Lockhart supplies commercial kitchen equipment, tableware and design services to UK hospitality operators. It competes head-to-head with Caterware in design, supply and installation for hotels, restaurants and stadium venues, and shares partnerships with brands such as Rational.
• Alliance Online: Alliance Online is a UK foodservice equipment and supplies distributor selling commercial kitchen, tableware and barware products. It overlaps with Caterware's light equipment and smallwares proposition though it is more catalogue-driven than project-led.
• Cobalt Catering Equipment: Cobalt supplies, installs and services commercial catering equipment across the UK, with a focus on restaurants, hotels and care homes. Its end-to-end supply-install-maintain model and customer overlap with Caterware make it a direct comparable.

Broad incumbents

• Bidfood: Bidfood is one of the UK's largest foodservice distributors, supplying ingredients and equipment to caterers and hospitality operators. It overlaps with Caterware's customer base and competes in equipment supply, though equipment is a small part of a much broader offering.
• Brakes Group: Brakes is a large UK foodservice wholesaler with a broad equipment and supplies offering alongside its core food distribution business. It is comparable as a one-stop supplier to foodservice operators but operates at much greater scale than Caterware and across a wider portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/caterwareltd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/caterware-ltd

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 CATERWARE LTD