Yorkshire Speciality Foods, the Harrogate-based company behind artisan smokery brand Old Hardisty, has bought premium poultry specialist Adlington Ltd for an undisclosed sum.
Adlington Ltd is a family-run business based near Coventry in Warwickshire. Founded by Rod Adlington in 1989, it specialises in value-added chicken and turkey products, supplying restaurants, retailers and the British fine food market.
The acquisition by Yorkshire Speciality Foods comes as demand for premium food continues to grow, with the businesses looking to plug a gap in the British fine foods market. The move will see the creation of a group capable of delivering on provenance and welfare, while having the capacity to reliably deliver the volumes required by retail.
Yorkshire Speciality Foods already supplies premium retailer EH Booths, and its purchase of Aldington will enable it to provide a much broader premium offering with an expanded poultry range.
Both Aldington and Old Hardisty have established quality credentials, including multiple Great Taste Awards and Adlington’s defined welfare standards, which the group says will be maintained. Customers, existing supply relationships, teams and standards will all remain unchanged.
It adds that the move provides them “scale without loss of character”, with resources and overheads spread across a family of independent businesses. This means the group can continue to invest in craft and provenance as it further develops its retail proposition.
Commenting, the founder of Old Hardisty, Andrew Butler, said: “Retail buyers increasingly want the best of both worlds - genuine provenance and welfare credentials, delivered with the consistency and volume a serious retail partner needs.
“That’s exactly the space we’re built for. Our relationship with Booths shows what’s possible, and this acquisition lets us offer buyers more.”
