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Chelmer Foods: An appetite for opportunity
Chelmer Foods sources, imports and distributes foods from around the world, from sultanas to sesame seeds. Since acquiring their own warehouse and achieving revenues of £100 million for the first time in 2024, find out how utilising Invoice Finance supports their day-to-day cash flow.
Read time: 5 mins Added: 20/11/25
A taste of the world
The family-run business, Chelmer Foods, was founded in Braintree, Essex by former city trader Roger Weaire in 1992. Today it imports close to 40,000 tonnes of produce annually from more than 20 countries. Its diverse range includes raisins, sultanas, prunes, apricots, nuts, seeds, and pulses, all carefully sourced to meet the evolving tastes of health-conscious consumers.
Although over 50% of Chelmer Foods’ products are sourced from Turkey, the company also imports from a diverse range of countries including Chile, South Africa, China, Greece, the Philippines, Canada, USA and parts of Europe. A dedicated team of field experts closely monitor harvests throughout the growing season, ensuring quality, consistency, sustainability and ethical working conditions.
Chelmer supplies its products to major UK supermarkets and some of the largest food manufacturers in the UK, as well as independent retailers. Its ingredients can be found in well-known household branded products, such as bread, cereals, cakes, as well as many others.
James Weaire Managing Director, Chelmer FoodsWe started out purely as a raisin and sultana importer 34 years ago and since then we have added more dried fruits, nuts, seeds and pulses to our portfolio, which is still growing. That reflects how consumer tastes are changing, and people are becoming more conscious about the foods they are eating and the nutritional benefits. In recent years we’ve seen greater demand for beans and pulses as more people move away from eating so much meat or choose to follow vegetarian or vegan diets, for example.
What sets us apart
A major milestone for the business, which employs 63 staff and achieved revenues of £100 million for the first time in 2024, was the acquisition of its own warehouse in 2021. Although Chelmer funded the acquisition from its own cash reserves, it also utilises an Invoice Finance facility from Lloyds, which provides early access to the money owed in unpaid invoices.
Finance Director Paul Pleasant said: “Our business is very seasonal, so our cash requirements can vary massively from one month to the next. The Invoice Finance facility means we can draw down when we need to, to support our day-to-day cash flow. It gives us continuity when we're cash hungry, which tends to be just before Christmas, when demand is at its highest. It's been very easy to use and cost effective, because you're utilising availability as and when you need it.”
Graham Millward Associate Director of Specialist Client Solutions, LloydsThe acquisition of the warehouse created a need for increased working capital to maintain smooth day-to-day operations while preserving existing reserves. Following a review of funding options, it was clear that Invoice Finance was the most suitable and flexible solution. The facility supports the business during high-demand seasonal periods, ensuring suppliers are paid on time and that cash flow remains stable during these peak periods. It’s a valuable tool for supporting both day-to-day liquidity and long-term scalability, enabling agile decision-making and further growth opportunities.
Importantly, the warehouse acquisition gave Chelmer Foods full control over the just-in-time service its customers rely on.
James added: “The pandemic made it clear that we couldn’t depend on third parties to pick and pack our orders. To maintain the quality and reliability our customers expect, we needed to bring that process in-house. What truly sets us apart in the industry is our ability to deliver anything from a full truckload to a single box. Owning our warehouse gives us the flexibility to meet demand with precision, delivering the right quantity, at the right quality, exactly when it’s needed.”
Healthy, tasty, and nutritious
With a stable base from which to continue its growth, Chelmer Foods is now considering acquisitions to help broaden its product portfolio even further. While James says market volumes in the dried fruit category have been fairly static over the years, there is an opportunity to innovate to add value to the raw products it supplies.
James said: “It’s all about creating healthy, tasty, nutritious products that people can add into their day-to-day diet. Wherever possible, we are taking out sugars, flavourings and added colours to make our products healthier. For example, we used to add sugar to some dried fruits like cranberries and blueberries, but now we use fruit juices, which works as a sweetener but also have nutritional benefits. And we are open to acquisitions where we can add more unique flavours or products to our portfolio.”
Chelmer has also been on the front foot with sustainability measures, investing in solar panels, LED lighting and electric vehicles (EVs), and offering EVs to employees as part of a salary sacrifice scheme. Further efficiencies are being achieved using technology to optimise efficiency, including software to streamline ordering and shipping processes.
It all adds up to a world of opportunity for Chelmer Foods and its customers.
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Invoice Finance facilities may be provided by one or more of Lloyds Bank Commercial Finance Limited, Lloyds Bank plc and Bank of Scotland plc. Lloyds Bank Commercial Finance Limited. Registered in England & Wales no. 733011. Registered office: No.1, Brookhill Way, Banbury OX16 3EL. Bank of Scotland plc. Registered in Scotland No.SC327000. Registered Office: The Mound, Edinburgh EH1 1YZ. Bank of Scotland plc is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority under registration no. 169628.