After a turbulent two years, Stroud-based Kitchen Garden Foods, owner of the Wolfy’s organic porridge and NAFF food brands, has announced that its turnover has exceeded pre-pandemic levels and passed £1 million.
With its markets including hotels, restaurants, pubs and the leisure and travel sectors, the Gloucestershire business was hit hard by the pandemic and had to use the government’s furlough scheme to stay afloat.
However, the ever-creative food manufacturer focused on readying itself for when those markets re-opened, and new contracts with the likes of British Airways have already seen sales of its NAFF sauce, rub and pickle brand double.
From August 2022, it also expects to see its Wolfy’s Protein Boosted Porridge on sale in 226 Co-op stores nationwide – with more exciting contracts due to be announced soon.
James Horwood, director and joint owner of Kitchen Garden Foods with James Moinet, said: ‘The last couple of years have been crazy – full of highs and lows. One minute your business is taking a battering, and the next you’re seeing orders flood in.
‘I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little bit nervous about what Kitchen Garden would look like post-pandemic – or if it would even exist anymore. Fortunately for us, we’re not heavily laden with debt or other large commitments and we have a long shelf-life product, so we managed to weather the storm pretty well.
‘Looking back now, I am unequivocally confident that we made all the right decisions at all the right times, and ultimately, that shored us up.
‘Now, having just finished our 2021 to 2022 financial year, business is better than ever. We’ve secured lots of new customers and our sales are the highest they’ve been in our history.’
Founded in 1989, Kitchen Garden Foods specialises in preserves, chutneys, jams, marmalades, sauces, mustards and dressings. All products are made by hand, in small batches, using only natural ingredients.
The firm, which employs an estimated 20 staff at its Salmon Springs headquarters, has received more than 100 awards and its wares are sold in more than 1,000 outlets across the UK and overseas – including Waitrose and Ocado.
