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Panoramic backs Yorkshire sausage makers Heck

Panoramic Growth Equity has invested GBP1 million of growth capital in family-run premium sausage makers Heck Foods, which was founded by Yorkshire farmers Andrew and Debbie Keeble. 

Heck manufactures two brands of sausage – mid priced “The Harrogate Sausage Company” and its super premium “Heck” range. Its brands are sold throughout the UK in Tesco, ASDA, Morrisons, Booths and Waitrose, and via its own website. 
 
The Keebles previously built the UK’s leading premium sausage brand, Debbie and Andrew’s. At its peak, it represented 26 per cent of the UK’s premium sausage market. Established in 1999, the business was sold to JJ Tranfield in 2005. The Keebles founded Heck in 2012.
 
Heck’s production facilities are based near Northallerton in Yorkshire. Heck is a family business with three of the second generation currently working in the business alongside Andrew and Debbie Keeble. Employing a team of 20, the company achieved GBP3m revenues in its first year of operation (2013- 2014) and has forecast revenues of GBP6m for the current financial year.
 
Panoramic partner Stephen Campbell will join Heck’s board  
 
This is the sixth investment made by Panoramic in the last eighteen months.
 
Campbell says: “Andrew and Debbie Keeble and the team at Heck have created premium sausage brands that offer consumers the very highest quality of ingredients and production with no compromises. They have a proven ability to create brands that capture the attention of consumers and have done an excellent job in bringing their products to supermarket shelves across the UK in just two years. Having been in dialogue with them for some months, we share their vision and determination to grow their brand into the UK market leader in its space and for this reason are pleased to put GBP1m investment behind their growth plans.”
 
Andrew Keeble says: “We were looking for investors who would not only support us and help us to take our business to next level, but who would also allow us the freedom to run our business our way.  We offer our customers the highest quality hand-made produce and production methods – it is the essence of our brands – and it is something we don’t ever wish to compromise.  Panoramic offers a bespoke approach to investing and they took time to understand our values.  They vowed never to alter our production facilities and this was really important to us. Panoramic brings a great deal of business experience, connections and financial firepower to the table but we remain in total control of our production process.  It was imperative that we were able to work with external investors in that spirit.”

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