Meadow HQ

Dairy and plant-based ingredient specialist Meadow has purchased Naked Foods for an undisclosed sum.

Naked Foods, a Kent-based fruit and confectionery sauces maker, provides 300 recipes and several thousand tonnes of sauces to brands and own-label suppliers each year.

It supplies manufacturers of yoghurts, dairy drinks, ice cream and plant-based products, as well as sweet and confectionery fillings for bakery and dessert products.

The acquisition represented a further step towards Meadow “strengthening its position as a trusted partner of bespoke critical food ingredients to some of the UK’s most famous brands”, the ingredients business said.

“The acquisition allows Meadow to expand its portfolio into new product areas while enabling customers to benefit from the many synergies between the businesses, including product knowledge and manufacturing expertise,” it added.

CEO Raj Tugnait said the purchase of Naked Foods was “a natural extension of what we already do”.

“For some time our customers have been urging us to enter the sweet sauce category,” he said. “There is a gap in the market for an agile player who can develop, scale up and manufacture fruit preparations and Naked Foods has an enviable reputation for its quality and nimbleness.

“Adding sweet sauces allows us to further diversify our portfolio and strengthen our position as a leading supplier of quality food ingredients.”

Tugnait described the company as having a “three-pronged growth plan” made up of organic, inorganic and acquisition elements.

The move for Naked Foods follows Meadow’s purchase of Welsh decorations and toppings company Nimbus Foods in 2019.

Last year the firm promoted Jack Hancock to the new position of mergers & acquisitions and strategy director.