Headquartered in Staffordshire, Blakemans is a family business that has been manufacturing specialist raw and cooked sausage and meat products for over 70 years.
The business, which has a workforce of 290, has a particularly strong foothold in the UK foodservice market and is recognised as the leading supplier of sausages to UK fish and chip shops, as well as supplying products to manufacturers of prepared meals.
The £32 million acquisition, completed on 16 May 2025, is complementary to Cranswick’s existing added-value gourmet business, adding capacity in raw and cooked sausage production whilst enabling efficient supply into the foodservice market.
It also follows the business’s recent acquisition of JSR Genetics – a UK-based genetics producer and more recent turbulence following an undercover investigation which showed numerous animal welfare breaches at one of its farms in Lincolnshire. The latter arguably driving a dive in its share price of around 7% earlier this month.
Still Cranwick’s preliminary results for the 52 weeks ended 29 March 2025 showed total revenue at £2,723.3 million, with strong growth of +6.8%.
Offering analysis on the acquisition, Mark Field, CEO of Prof Consulting Group told Food Manufacture it represents a “solid strategic move” from Cranswick, with the addition of Blakemans a “natural product fit that should unlock efficiencies in both businesses from raw material supply, innovation resources and distribution”.
He added that the move will also provide Cranswick with “access to heritage and craftsmanship that can strengthen the main retail business bringing further innovation into the premium or gourmet sausage category” and “additional capacity across raw and cooked with a strong customer base”.
“It would be expected that the well-established Blakeman’s clients would benefit from the acquisition through access to some of Cranswick’s wider product portfolio, ultimately driving sales and growth opportunities,” Field concluded.
The acquisition of the business by Cranswick follows not long after co-founder James (Jim) Blakeman’s passing.
Established in 1953, production of Blakemans sausages started just two years later after Jim met his wife Ann. The couple bought a farm in Caverswall near Stoke-on-Trent, converting the cow sheds and stables into a small production unit for the manufacture of sausage and cooked meats. They made an investment into automated machinery, enabling the business produce more than 3 tonnes a week.
Through the years, Jim and Ann grew their company, boosted in the 1970s with the creation of the chip shop sausage.
The turn of the millennium saw Jim step into his role as chairman, handing over the daily running of the business to his children, Philip Blakeman and Susan Cope, now CEO and finance director respectively.
Commenting, the siblings said they are excited to become part of the Cranswick business.
“The two businesses complement each other in so many ways and we also look forward to working with the management at Cranswick to continue producing quality products into the foodservice sector,” they added.
Cranswick’s CEO, Adam Couch, said: “I am delighted to announce the acquisition of Blakemans, a well-invested, leading foodservice sausage manufacturer. Blakemans is highly complementary to our existing added-value Gourmet business. We look forward to welcoming the entire Blakemans team to Cranswick and to working with them to develop the business further.”
Oghma advised the business, adding to a growing list it has completed in the last year, including advising; Two Chicks (UK) on its majority sale to Eurovo Group (Italy), Paulig (Finland) on its acquisition of Panesar Foods (UK), Ingå Group (UK/Sweden) on its acquisition of MSK Ingredients (UK), strategic advice to BGF (UK) on its £9m minority investment in Plant-Ex Ingredients (UK), and Glendale Foods (UK) on its sale to the Shallan Group (UK).
