P&W takes a bite of Healthy Food Brands

Pemberton & Whitefoord is set to take a stake in Healthy Food Brands, a start-up company that owns packaged goods brands Honegar, Rayner’s baking essences and PLJ cordials.

P&W director Adrian Whitefoord explains that the consultancy started working with HFB after Martlet Natural Foods – the company that previously owned the three brands – went into receivership last year.

Whitefoord already has a personal connection with Healthy Food Brands managing director Cliff Moss, from a separate joint shareholding venture, Free Natural. To gain an insight into the direction of HFB, Whitefoord has been attending board meetings and plans to ‘trade shares in the back company’.

The first rebrand by P&W – PLJ – launches with a new look this week (pictured), while plans to relaunch the Honegar and Rayner’s ranges are in the pipeline. ‘As a brand, PLJ is one of the three sleeping giants in the HFB portfolio. It hasn’t done anything for a long time, but it has a lot of relevance for the health-conscious market. We have lots of ideas how to take it even further,’ says Whitefoord.

Whitefoord feels there is a lot of mileage in the company’s brand portfolio, adding that, as well as taking the Rayner’s brand back into the UK market, there are plans to raise the profile of Honegar, a ‘health mix’ made from cider vinegar and honey. ‘With home baking making a comeback, this suite of products could be right “on trend”,’ he says. ‘It’s all about consumer recognition.’

Rayner’s is currently an export-only brand, selling mainly in the Middle East, with an annual turnover of about £1m.