Organic baby food company secures £1m investment

The producer initially approached BFS for investment after raising funds to acquire Brecon Foods in 2016.  

Tom Redwood, Babease director and founder, said the company had sought funding to enable it to expand its range and production to meet the demand for new products on the high street.

“[BFS’] expertise in the food manufacturing sector was comprehensive and they understood our business direction and growth trajectory,” ​said Redwood.

Continued growth​

“We are excited to continue growing our business with the support of BFS, which will help realise our objectives to become the UK’s favourite baby food brand, working with farmers we know and trust and producing products in our own factory.”​

BFS head of corporate sales Dan Burton said Babease had shown a real ability to develop high-quality produce that had been generating attention from major retailers.

“As a relatively new business aiming to be a high street supplier, we were impressed with the dedication that Babease has shown towards its product strategy. The funding we have provided Babease will enable them to meet demand for a high-quality product.” ​

Established in 2016 by Redwood, Babease uses organic vegetables to create meals for young children and babies from its factory in South Wales.

The company claims to be one of the fastest-growing baby food brands in the UK, having grown at over 945% in the past year. Its products are available in Tesco, Boots and Booths stores nationwide, as well as online retailers Amazon and Ocado.

Product recall​

However, it has not all been plain sailing recently for the business. It recalled three batches of Babease Broccoli, Parsnip & Lentils with Onion, Tomato, Quinoa, Fennel, Rapeseed Oil & Herbs baby food due to the potential presence of spoilage organisms on 23 July.

130g packs, with batch codes 02.06.2019-1; 02.06.2019-2 and 02.06.2019-3 were affected. The company claimed it had discovered isolated cases of packaging faults that could potentially lead to natural product spoilage of the product. No other products were known to have been affected, according to a Food Standards Agency recall notice​.​

Meanwhile, dairy-free and halal baby food manufacturer Aisha has secured funding from Barclays bank​​ to expand the company and create three new jobs.