Babease Goes Bust: The Costly Collapse of a Promising Baby Food Brand
Babease was once seen as a rising star in the world of organic baby food. Their colourful pouches of healthy meals for babies were available in top UK supermarkets, including Tesco, Waitrose, and Boots, as well as online through Amazon and Ocado.
However, behind the scenes, things weren’t as healthy as the food they were selling. In 2019, after spending over £11 million of investors’ money, Babease went into administration. This blog examines what happened to Babease and what small business owners can learn from the Babease liquidation.
A promising start
Babease was launched in 2016 by founder Tom Redwood with the mission of offering nutritious, organic baby food. They teamed up with a sister company, Brecon Foods, which handled the manufacturing from a factory in Wales. Babease did everything from cooking the food to packing it and sending it out.
Everything seemed to be going well on the outside – they had staff in both London and Wales and were stocked by big-name retailers; however, problems were building fast.
Big spending, small returns
In just three years, Babease and Brecon Foods spent over £11 million. This money came mainly from investors, including Amitis Partners, who invested £5 million in August 2019. The spending covered expensive marketing campaigns, high wages for nearly 60 employees, top-quality ingredients, and supporting a major (but loss-making) contract with Lidl.
Despite all that money, the business only made £5.4 million in sales. In the first nine months of 2019 alone, they lost £2.8 million while bringing in only £1.4 million.
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