Burgess Farms - Chiltern Capital

The Business

Burgess Farms is one of the UK’s longest-established growers, processors and packers of carrots, parsnips and potatoes for UK supermarkets. Founded in 1898 by the Burgess family, the Company packs over 120kt of fresh produce annually, across over 400 SKUs, with a market leading position in organic produce.

The Deal

Chiltern has supported the Management Buy-Out of Burgess Farms alongside the existing management team, led by CEO, James Barker, in delivering its growth plan. As part of the transaction, Clive Sharpe, experienced PE chair and food / produce industry veteran, has been appointed as Chair of the business.

David Butler, Partner at Chiltern Capital said: “Burgess Farms is a rare example of a company with deep heritage, technical expertise, and a commitment to sustainable agriculture. We are delighted to support James and the management team in their ambitions to grow the business while upholding its core values.”

James Barker, CEO of Burgess Farms said: “With the backing of Chiltern Capital, we will continue to build on our strength supplying top-quality produce to the UK market and supporting long-term customer partnerships.”

The Plan

Burgess Farms plays a key role in the supply of potatoes, carrots and other root vegetables across the UK. Burgess creates an established platform from which to continue to grow organically, through operational improvements, continued investment in facilities and growth within the existing customer base; and inorganically through considered, strategic acquisitions targeted at expanding operational footprint and building on the product range.

The Team

David Butler

Partner

Jon Rawlings

Director

Harry Reid

Manager

Back to Team

David Butler

David was previously an Associate Director at Downing LLP where he focused on early-stage growth capital investing across a range of sectors.

Prior to Downing, David was a Manager in the Corporate Finance team at PwC in London having spent three years within the PwC Assurance practice, where he qualified as a Chartered Accountant.

At Chiltern, David leads transactions across multiple sectors, with particular experience in industrial products and services.

Since joining Chiltern, David has been involved in the acquisition and subsequent sale of Doby Verrolec, add-ons of Plasmech and Amerplast to Hanmere to form the Trueman Group, add-on of TTG to Gradwell, and the acquisitions of Inciner8, Emtez and Strata Products.

Outside of work, David enjoys spending time with his young family, supporting his old rugby club, and is a keen golfer.

Back to Team

Jon Rawlings

Jon joined was previously an Investment Director at a mid-market private equity fund where he focused on supporting portfolio companies in delivering their growth strategies.

Since joining Chiltern, Jon has been involved in supporting Rapid Repair Network in building out its value creation plan as well as providing portfolio support to a number of Chiltern’s investments.

Outside of work, Jon enjoys spending time with his family as well as keeping fit, cycling and watching a wide variety of sports.

Back to Team

Harry Reid

Harry joined Chiltern after several years advising local and global mid-market private equity firms. Harry is qualified as a Chartered Accountant.

Harry is involved in the assessment of new investment opportunities and supporting investee companies as a board member. He was involved in the investment into Rapid Repair Network and Strata Products and sits on the board of Inciner8.

Away from the office, Harry has a keen interest in rugby league and union, cricket and golf. He also enjoys travelling and talking all things agriculture, as he remains closely linked to family farming operations in rural Australia.