cotswold_fayre
Activity: Food & Drink, Wholesale Distribution
Region: Berkshire
Founded: 1999

Cotswold Fayre

Cotswold Fayre is well known as the leading wholesaler of speciality and fine foods, delivering to independent retailers across the UK.

Cotswold Fayre is the UK’s leading speciality and fine food wholesaler, supplying independent retailers, garden centres, food halls, farm shops and national grocers with nearly 5,000 carefully curated ambient, chilled and frozen products. For 26 years, we have championed responsible British producers and helped independent retail thrive in an increasingly consolidated marketplace.

Working with almost 500 producers, we act as the vital link between innovative food brands and retailers who want to offer something distinctive, ethical and high quality. Our consolidated “one order, one delivery, one invoice” model simplifies operations for customers while reducing food miles and carbon impact.

Since becoming one of the UK’s first food wholesalers to certify as a B Corporation in 2015, we have embedded the belief that business should be a force for good at the heart of our strategy. Commercial success is not the end goal; it is the engine that enables greater positive impact. From sustainable sourcing and carbon-neutral distribution to donating over 10% of wholesale profits to charity and influencing more than 90 suppliers to become B Corps themselves, we are committed to proving that profitability and purpose can grow together.

Today, that founding ethos shapes everything we do — from how we support our customers and suppliers, to how we invest in our people, innovate with technology, and build long-term resilience for the UK’s independent food sector.

EB100 People's Choice Award

Contribution
At our heart is a simple belief: look after people and planet, and commercial success will follow. We consolidate supply chains to reduce food miles and have been Carbon Neutral since 2019, with a clear pathway to Net Zero by 2030. Over 90% of our range is British-made, strengthening UK food resilience. We donate over 10% of wholesale profits to charity, have contributed more than ?158,000 this year alone, and empower every team member to volunteer 20 paid hours annually. Our influence continues to grow — from just 6 B Corp suppliers in 2019–20 to more than 90 today — demonstrating the wider impact we are having across the food sector.
Support
We are proud to be recognised as a Sunday Times Best Place to Work. Our workplace happiness score is 90% (vs 75% global average), with a flight risk of just 11% compared to a 28% industry average. We invest heavily in development, delivering 1,920 training hours last year alone, alongside private healthcare, wellbeing initiatives, sabbaticals and employee share schemes. Our culture attracts people who want to do meaningful work and build long-term careers.
Innovation
In the past year we have accelerated both commercial and technological innovation. We expanded into four national retailers, grew garden centre sales by 97%, national grocers by 141%, and online retailers by 34.7%. Our frozen category grew by approximately 70%, supported by our new Dual Temperature delivery model, reducing carbon and simplifying logistics for customers. Half of all orders now flow through our live-stock website, supported by AI-driven forecasting, waste reduction systems, financial automation and real-time supplier insights via our CoFI platform. These tools empower suppliers with rare visibility in the independent sector and help retailers make smarter, more sustainable decisions.
Future
Our ambition is to build a ?100m business by 2030–31 — growing organically, through retail expansion and selective acquisition — while deepening our positive impact. The bigger we become, the greater our ability to reduce supply chain carbon, champion British producers, strengthen independent retail and inspire better business across the UK food sector. Cotswold Fayre resonates because we combine commercial strength with genuine care — proving that profitability and purpose can thrive together.