How Hunt’s Food Group is expanding across the UK while remaining true to its roots
“We’ve made a few acquisitions over the last 12 months, most of which are based in Somerset, starting with a business called The Fine Food Company, which specializes in fruit and vegetables,” Thomas opens. “We then purchased Longman’s Cheese Sales, a dairy wholesaler concentrating on cheese, butter, milk, and other premium dairy products. Next came Cornish Connection, which specializes in pies, sausage rolls, and pasties, and then we also purchased a ready meal brand called Something for Supper.
“Longman’s Cheese Sales and The Fine Food Company were the largest acquisitions, enabling our expansion into more premium ranges for the hospitality sector. This is new for us and requires a very different service; products have higher price points and are delivered six days a week via vans, not HGVs. We still want to be known as a company that offers great value, a wide product range, and affordable pricing for our customers, but we’re also diversifying our operations to serve other key markets.
“Aside from acquisitive growth, we were pleased to be one of the main suppliers for Glastonbury Festival earlier this year,” he adds. “We’re also extremely proud that we became a Sunday Times Top 100 Employer, as this recognition is testament to our values and philosophy. It’s important to us that even as we grow, we remain consistent with our approach to company culture, local suppliers, and transparent management.”
Extensive product portfolio
Hunt’s has also opened a café, The Farmyard Kitchen in Sherborne at Blackmarsh Farm, which takes the business back to its roots. “Blackmarsh Farm is where the business began in 1912, and it’s still a working farm run by my cousin, Charlie Hunt,” Thomas explains. “There was a small coffee shop on site, but we opened a café there earlier this year as we think it’s a great opportunity to reconnect the business with its early roots. We have our wholesale operational head offices in Sherborne and there’s a lot of history in the area, so it’s great to add another offering in the region.
“Just four weeks ago [at the time of writing] we opened Hunts Food Hall at the farm too. There was a large, underutilized barn on the site and we’ve converted it into a food hall, which we’re describing as somewhere between a supermarket and a farm shop. It’s got a butchery counter, local cheeses, fine wines, and fresh fruit and veg; so, all the things you’d expect to see in a farm shop, but we’ve also made sure visitors could also do a ‘weekly shop’ if they wanted to. We identified a gap in the market and area for a shop that sold both artisanal products but also essential items at affordable prices, as there are also lots of deals and discounts from the wholesale side of the business.”
Prioritizing people
It has clearly been a very exciting and busy time for the business, but Thomas is keen to highlight that other priorities have also been upheld alongside such growth. “As a fifth-generation family-owned business, sustainability is really important to us and we want to protect the planet for generations to come,” he states. “There are several initiatives underway across the business, from solar panels and LED lighting to reduced milage and tree planting. We partner with local food banks and charities like the Devon and Cornwall Food Action Group to ensure no food is wasted, and we’re part of a rewilding project in the Dorset area that supports specialists by providing tree planting efforts.”
Emphasizing the company’s commitment to sustainability and wider ESG, Thomas explains: “We take our corporate social responsibility very seriously and over the last three years, we’ve given £881,431 to nominated charities. We’re a people-oriented business and we’re passionate about supporting and engaging with our employees through company or charity events.
“We’re constantly reinvesting in the business, whether it’s new warehouses, systems, or solar panels, to enable further group growth moving forwards. We’re in the process of building a new warehouse, which will provide additional space at our head office location. As we build this new warehouse, we’re exploring tools and technologies to enhance our efficiency and improve our services for our customers.”
Acquisition opportunities
As our conversation closes, Thomas turns to what 2026 holds for Hunt’s. “This year has been an extremely busy one, with five acquisitions bringing a lot of changes across the business, and our sales are expected to move from around £110 million to £150 million by the end of the year. In fact, 2025 has probably been the biggest year of change in the company’s 113-year history!
“Looking to 2026, there appears to be a difficult trading environment on the horizon as many customers in hospitality sectors face ongoing challenges. We’re focused on improving our service and delivery levels, as well as upgrading our internal systems by adding a better online ordering platform and app to make operations easier for our customers. We’re concentrating on growing the food side of the business, and we remain open to future acquisition opportunities if they align with our business.
“Further afield, I see Hunt’s continuing to do what we do but on a bigger scale, as we’re always aiming to grow by ten percent each year,” Thomas concludes. “If I think five-to-ten years ahead, our internal goal is to reach £250 million in turnover, while maintaining our reputation of being a nice place to work. We’ll continue to donate at least £150,000 per year to charities, and we’re passionate about reinvesting in the business to ensure our spaces, vehicles, and systems can support our continued growth.”
