Bridge Farm Group drives on to net zero with Shawbrook’s support

• Bridge Farm Group is a leading horticulture and bioscience company specialising in supplying ornamental plants, cut flowers, and plant-derived molecules
• Bridge Farm are looking for funding to support output levels season-round
• Shawbrook support by providing a debt re-financing and a Revolving Credit Facility

Established in 1988, Bridge Farm has expanded quickly, amassing an impressive client base of some of the UK’s biggest retail brands including Tesco, Sainsburys, Morrisons and B&Q. The company’s highly automated 60-acre greenhouse facility, located in Spalding, utilises renewable biomass heating, energy efficient LED lighting and rainwater reservoirs as part of a sustainable cultivation model. Recently, Bridge Farm made huge strides in helping their customers meet their net zero ambitions with an industry leading transition to peat-free cultivation.

Bridge Farm also boasts a successful bioscience offering, with the extraction of high value molecules from plants a key focus for the business as it continues to expand into the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and personal care markets.

The full terms of the deal include a debt re-financing worth £30 million as well as a further £1 million Revolving Credit Facility to provide Bridge Farm with extra liquidity to ensure it can retain output levels season-round.

Shawbrook was retained as Bridge Farm Group’s funding partner due to the strength of the existing relationship between the two parties and the team’s in-depth knowledge of how the business operates. The two parties have been working together since June 2021.

Tom Cox at FRP Advisory Group advised for Bridge Farm Ltd. Linda Williams and Ben Churchyard at Shoosmiths LLP provided legal counsel for Shawbrook and Shaun McCabe at Browne Jacobson provided legal counsel to Bridge Farm Group Ltd.

Louise Motala, Managing Director of Bridge Farm Group Limited, said:

“Working with Shawbrook for the past two years has been an absolute pleasure for us at Bridge Farm. This new line of funding facilitates our growth ambitions and our continual drive towards net zero, whilst also giving us the opportunity to further enhance our bioscience offering to the market.

“Shawbrook continue to be great partners to us, they truly understand our business and their own vision for sustainability aligns with ours. We look forward to continuing our work together going forward.”

Steve Armstrong, Director at Shawbrook, said:

“Bridge Farm are a truly impressive and ambitious business, the progress they have made towards carbon-neutrality acts as a model for large parts of the industry.”

“The management team at Bridge Farm combines experience and industry knowledge and we have no doubt that this combination will continue to take the business from strength to strength. It was a great pleasure to get this deal done and we are excited to continue our support going forward.”