Chilled food specialist The Compleat Food Group has further extended its UK manufacturing portfolio with the acquisition of Freshpak.
Based out of a 430,000 sq ft site in Barnsley, Freshpak claims to be the UK’s number one supplier of own-label deli fillers, chilled food-to-go snacks, and poached eggs. Its products are stocked in major retailers including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrisons, and Co-op, as well as being sold to foodservice customers such as hotels and restaurants.
Around 500 people are employed by the company, with revenues of £93m reported in 2024 as part of three straight years of sales growth.
The deal, made for an undisclosed sum, is said to give Compleat new capabilities in egg processing, enabling it to tap into growing consumer demand for health and protein-rich foods.
“We’re delighted to welcome Freshpak to The Compleat Food Group,” commented CEO Nick Field. “Its market-leading position in added-value egg products, deli fillers and chilled food-to-go is a perfect complement to our existing portfolio, allowing us to extend our capability and category leadership role to deliver further value and category growth with our existing partners, whilst also opening up new opportunities in both retail and foodservice.”
Toby Brinsmead, CEO of Freshpak, noted how the Yorkshire company had built a strong reputation for quality, innovation, and customer service. “Joining The Compleat Food Group marks an exciting new chapter for the business, and I’m confident that under the Group’s ownership, Freshpak will continue to thrive and grow,” he added.
Compleat – which is backed by European private equity firm PAI Partners – has undergone significant expansion via acquisitions over the past few years. Most recently, the group added Yorkshire pudding supplier The Real Yorkshire Pudding Co to its line-up. It purchased dips and deli fillings maker Zorba Foods and party food specialist SK Chilled Foods in February 2024, followed by speciality food producer Harvey & Brockless later the same year.
The latest additional to the Compleat portfolio increases its turnover to over £1.3bn and its total workforce to more than 6,000 employees across 17 sites. In March of this year, however, it revealed plans for mass redundancies at its Crewe factory, less than two months after announcing it would be slashing 131 roles at its pork pie bakery in Nottingham.
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