Fresh dips challenger Holy Moly is aiming to become the world’s number one avocado brand after securing growth investment from the parent company of Westfalia Fruit, The Grocer can reveal.
Hans Merensky Holdings has acquired a sizeable holding in the UK guacamole brand for an unknown sum, providing Holy Moly co-founder Gaz Booth with an exit.
Tom Walker, who launched Holy Moly with Booth in 2016, will continue to independently run the brand alongside managing director Peter Oden. Early-stage backers Perfect Redd, which is the venture capital arm of Samworth Brothers, retain a stake in the business, with all pre-existing shareholders also remaining invested.
Working with Westfalia Fruit, which is one of the world’s largest suppliers of avocados, would give Holy Moly access to global sourcing expertise and international infrastructure to support expansion into new markets, the business said.
Holy Moly is the second biggest dips brand in the UK and sells its range of guacamole in all the major supermarkets. It continues to grow rapidly, and turnover has raced past £13m in its latest financial year.
“Ten years ago we set out to prove that the dip category could be much better than it was, and that it deserved a proper brand built around quality, taste and real food values,” Walker said.
“I’m incredibly proud of Holy Moly’s success to date, but we always knew the UK was just the beginning. Collaborating with Westfalia Fruit gives us stronger grower relationships and the reach to take Holy Moly around the world.”
The deal comes as global demand for avocado-based products continues to grow, with the western European dips market valued at €1.1bn and the US branded guacamole market worth approximately $400m.
Holy Moly added it aimed to replicate its UK success across international markets, leveraging Westfalia Fruit’s global footprint and avocado expertise.
“This is a really exciting moment for everyone at Holy Moly,” said Oden, who joined as MD in 2023. “We’ve spent a decade building a brand with strong retail presence, a loyal customer base and selling a product that people genuinely love.
“The challenge has always been replicating that success internationally without the infrastructure to back it up. Westfalia Fruit solves that. They are the world leaders in avocado, and they believe in what we’ve built as much as we do. The next chapter is about building Holy Moly into the world’s number one avocado brand.”
Westfalia Fruit group CEO Chris Bush, a former UK boss of Tesco, joins the Holy Moly board following the deal, alongside group CFO Rian Du Toit and chief growth and strategy officer Paulina Criticos, according to filings at Companies House.
Westfalia traces it roots back to the 1920s when South African scientist and conservationist Hans Merensky bought an estate in Limpopo in South Africa. Today, the group operates in 17 countries across five continents and is involved across the entire supply chain, growing, sourcing, ripening, packing, processing and marketing avocados worldwide.
Holy Moly said it would continue to build upon its “amazing team, strong brand identity and category-leading product philosophy” following the deal.
The B Corp sources its avocados from farmers in Mexico and Colombia and produces guacamole made from 100% natural ingredients.
This year it has worked with Co-op to launch a ‘dip and dunk’ chicken wrap with Holy Moly branded guacamole for the retailer’s premium meal deal. It has also expanded into kids’ snacking and on-the-go breakfast with a duo of avocado-based NPD exclusively in Sainsbury’s.
And its Chip & Dip snack pots won a Gold at The Grocer’s New Product & Packaging Awards 2025 in the ‘food on the go’ category.
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