Hider Foods acquires Dart Valley Foods brands and assets

The Yorkshire-based food business has invested an undisclosed sum in purchasing exclusive brands from the firm, which will now be produced on its site. It has also acquired stock, labels and machinery to allow it to produce the brands.

Hider Foods will add Butler’s Grove and A Taste of the City to its portfolio of 3,500 lines of fine food and drink brands. Butler’s Grove allows farms shops, tourist outlets and delis to personalise the bonnet or label of an array of food products to create an own-label range. Hider Foods will continue to produce approximately 150 products under the brand, which will include jams, honeys, pâtés, biscuits, confectionery, chutneys, pickles, sauces and relishes.

A Taste of the City is a collection of 12 products inspired by London landmarks. The company states that the range is perfect for export and tourist shops, and will include jams, chutneys and pickles.

Hider Foods has also announced that two ex-Dart Valley Foods employees have accepted new roles with the company, which the business believes will “strengthen its expertise across the fine food distribution sector”. Ex-managing director and Dart Valley founder, Michael Jolley, has joined the business in a strategic business development role and will help support the growth of current key Hider Foods’ brands, including Butler’s Grove. Ex-sales director, David Parry, also joins as a national account manager.

Duncan Hider, managing director of Hider Foods said, “We are incredibly proud to be an independent third-generation family business and we are continually evolving our offer to meet the changing demands of a competitive retail market. In recent years, we have invested in our people and our facilities, which has put us in good shape for the future. The acquisition of Dart Valley assets and brands means we can add Butler’s Grove and A Taste of the City to our key brand portfolio and offer something unique to our customers. We’re pleased to welcome Michael and David to the Hider family and I’m confident they will add fantastic expertise to our business. 

“We are a business of two halves which allows us to offer a flexible and full-circle service from ingredients sourcing and packing through to distribution, and now a bespoke branded range. We are one of the only distributors with a national presence and we work hard to offer fantastic service to our customers.”