“it Had To Come Back To Doubling Down On Product Quality” – White Rabbit’s Nick Croft-simon On How Uk Gluten-free Firm’s Investment Is Paying Off

Co-founder and CEO Nick Croft-Simon talks White Rabbit’s activity connected manufacturing, recipes and branding arsenic nan UK patient looks to boost sales.

White Rabbit co-founder and CEO Nick Croft-Simon

UK gluten-free business White Rabbit is 10 years aged and is showing nary signs of slowing down.

In caller months, nan company, which markets a scope of pizzas, sides and desserts, has invested successful its factory, its merchandise recipes and a “refresh” of its brand.

Co-founder and CEO Nick Croft-Simon tells Just Food nan finance was designed to amended nan value of its products and says nan efforts are already paying dividends, boosting income and distribution successful its home marketplace – and pinch profitability connected nan horizon.

“All of our activity complete nan past 12 to 18 months was really do we span that spread from a worth and value perspective,” he says.

Dean Best (DB): White Rabbit marked a decade successful business successful 2025. You’ve had a engaged fewer months, pinch superior finance and a marque refresh. What was nan rationale for those projects?

Nick Croft-Simon (NC-S): We realised nan 2 biggest bugbears of consumers successful our abstraction are not only nan value discuss but besides nan value they’re expected to salary for balanced products. If we really wanted to beryllium a leader successful nan class – and for our marque to get to nan adjacent level – we had to beryllium delivering a worth equation that was comparable to nan genitor category.

We benchmarked different premium brands successful nan genitor class – nan non-gluten-free space, truthful brands for illustration Crosta Mollica – and we fundamentally wanted to beryllium capable to make our products arsenic bully a value arsenic theirs astatine nan aforesaid value point. To do that, we needed to level-up a batch of our machinery successful nan bakery. The superior finance astatine nan commencement of past year, nan £750,000 ($1m) was each exertion astatine nan bakery. We upgraded our oven, we sewage a spot much automation connected nan line, conscionable trying to standard that artisanal process, basically.

DB: In your user investigation earlier embarking connected that investment, what had consumers been saying astir nan products successful nan category?

NC-S: I conjecture nan truth that a batch of nan clip free-from-ers are benignant of bundled successful together. A batch of gluten-free products are really besides dairy-free. That was nan first spot of feedback we got: ‘I’m already having to benignant of discuss and brands are asking america to double-compromise.’ There’s nary logic a coeliac would not want to eat dairy. There’s nary bigger proportionality of vegetarians aliases vegans aliases dairy free-ers wrong nan gluten-free conception than location is nan wide population.

The first point we wanted to do was segregate our ranges better. Rather than supply a one-solution-fixes-all and being gluten-free and dairy-free, we wanted to make judge we had options conscionable for gluten-free. In each of our ranges now, aliases arsenic galore arsenic possible, we’ve sewage gluten-free pinch dairy but nary meat; gluten-free pinch dairy and meat; and past besides a gluten-free and dairy-free version. You’re getting free of 1 situation from a merchandise improvement perspective. That already closed nan spread to nan genitor category.

We’re not afloat location yet but, pinch this rebrand, we consciousness for illustration we’ve closed a important magnitude of nan gap.

Then nan remainder is astir value of ingredients and price. Consumers consciousness for illustration they’re being asked to salary much for little quality. A coeliac and a gluten-intolerant [consumer] person nan aforesaid sensation buds arsenic anyone other and nan aforesaid constraints connected their budget. All of our activity complete nan past 12 to 18 months was really do we span that spread from a worth and value perspective. And nan caller rebrand, we wanted to bespeak those values, truthful nan truth that we champion nan gluten-free consumer, they’re not an afterthought; they’re our priority.

It’s been 10 years building and designing that bakery conscionable to do gluten-free products. It’s a journey. We’re not afloat location yet but, pinch this rebrand, we consciousness for illustration we’ve closed a important magnitude of nan spread and we’re seeing that successful nan numbers arsenic well, which is great, and successful a batch of nan feedback we’re getting arsenic well.

DB: Ahead of these 2 projects, were you starting to spot income maturation slow aliases travel nether pressure?

NC-S: We’ve ne'er not grown twelvemonth connected twelvemonth but our maturation complaint – I guess, nan emblematic travel for a challenger marque for illustration ours is you tin get from zero to £3m, £4m, £5m, I’m not going to opportunity easily, because it’s not easy, but you tin get location done caller distribution. Then to get from £5m to £10m to £15m, caller distribution isn’t enough. You request to beryllium increasing distribution upon a increasing halfway business and increasing complaint of sale. We needed to look into that 2nd shape of our maturation because we were increasing but it was 9%, 10%, 11% twelvemonth connected year, whereas we want to get backmost into 30-40% twelvemonth connected year.

It each had to travel backmost to doubling down connected merchandise quality. We’ve ne'er not grown but it was that maturation complaint for nan 2nd shape of our improvement going from a start-up to a benignant of SME. That maturation had to beryllium driven by repetition complaint of sale, arsenic overmuch arsenic caller business. That’s what led to nan relaunch and very happy to opportunity that we’re really increasing 40% twelvemonth connected twelvemonth now. That is fundamentally disconnected nan backmost of repetition complaint expanding by 4 aliases 5 percent points and complaint of income besides increasing.

DB: Has nan finance successful merchandise value meant higher input costs?

NC-S: It has to beryllium honorable but owning our bakery has meant that we’ve done our champion to sorb those costs. We didn’t want to value bottom-up. Yes, gluten-free ingredients are much costly and, yes, it’s a much artisanal process but we wanted to activity backwards from ‘look, this is what consumers are being asked to salary successful nan genitor category. We request to lucifer that, truthful that we’re delivering for nan consumers first.’ That’s nan strategy we’ve decided to instrumentality to different our proposition falls apart. If we want to beryllium delivering nan aforesaid worth astatine nan aforesaid quality, we can’t beryllium 40% much costly than nan balanced successful nan genitor category. Yes, input costs went up but we’ve done our champion to sorb that wrong efficiencies successful nan bakery that we’ve sewage done accrued scale.

Credit: White Rabbit

DB: Is nan number of coeliac and gluten-intolerant consumers flat? If so, are you needing to pull much of ‘lifestyle’ consumers?

NC-S: Gluten-free arsenic a class is increasing astir 5% twelvemonth connected twelvemonth and it’s group to proceed to turn astatine that complaint for nan adjacent fewer years. As diagnoses get amended and aesculapian advancements happen, I deliberation much group will beryllium diagnosed pinch things for illustration coeliacs and gluten intolerance. That is still growing. We besides cognize 1 successful 5 households person a gluten-free personnel successful them. The rumor is, astatine nan moment, complete 60% opportunity whoever shops for nan family shops different fixtures for different group successful nan house. Again, it conscionable comes backmost to matching nan value and nan value. If we tin do that arsenic a category, there’s nary logic why, if location was 1 gluten-free personnel successful nan household, whoever’s shopping for that family wouldn’t conscionable buy, for example, White Rabbit for nan full house. At nan moment, there’s still that spread successful value and value perception.

DB: How do White Rabbit’s income divided betwixt chilled and frozen?

NC-S: Chilled is nan biggest portion of our business. It’s astir 60% chilled astatine nan moment. That was wherever we started and that’s wherever we person nan astir distribution. Our stiff limb is growing, truthful it will beryllium person by nan extremity of this year.

DB: You’ve expanded nan portfolio recently, pinch biscotti and gnocchi.

NC-S: Biscotti is really breathtaking to waste because it’s our foray into ambient. We had nan tiramisus motorboat past twelvemonth arsenic well, which are nan number 1 contributor to maturation successful gluten-free desserts, which is great. Desserts are different large 1 wherever gluten-free and dairy-free thin to get bundled successful together. We really wanted to present thing that had dairy successful it truthful that we could get location connected quality. Lots of NPD but 80% of our gross is still nan bakery products that we make ourselves. Things for illustration nan desserts that we can’t do successful our bakery are [made by] Italian manufacturers pinch our recipes.

DB: As nan White Rabbit scope expands, is it harder to negociate nan portfolio?

NC-S: I deliberation it goes successful cycles. We person a period, for illustration this year, erstwhile we’ve had nan relaunch and launched immoderate caller SKUs. Now we want to spell done a play of focusing connected those ranges, optimising those and making them arsenic bully arsenic possible. Our halfway maturation and our halfway products ever person to stay our heartland. If there’s an opportunity to scope different consumer, a different repast juncture for illustration pinch nan biscotti, we’ll spell for it but, connected nan whole, astatine nan size we are now, arsenic we’re maturing arsenic a business, we want to beryllium focusing arsenic overmuch connected look improvement for our existing ranges arsenic we do connected caller products.

There’s a inclination to get carried distant pinch NPD but there’s nary constituent successful filling a leaky bucket. You request to beryllium looking aft your heartland and make judge that’s increasing first and foremost.

DB: In your astir caller financial year, what were your yearly nett sales?

NC-S: So past year, to nan extremity of Jan ’25, £5.77m.

DB: What are you forecasting for nan extremity of Jan ‘26?

NC-S: £8.1m. We’re really pleased pinch nan measurement nan relaunch has landed. It’s not an easy situation astatine nan moment, truthful I’m really proud of nan relaunch and really it’s doing.

DB: Is nan business profitable yet?

NC-S: We had our first profitable 4th successful Q1. Q2 this financial year, we’re reinvesting again successful a spot of trading and immoderate merchandise improvement but then, from Q3 onwards, we’ll beryllium profitable again.

DB: Do you deliberation successful this existent financial year, you’ll beryllium profitable astatine a nett profit level?

NC-S: We will, yes.

DB: Would that beryllium nan first afloat year?

NC-S: Yes. It’s been a long, aged journey. Having nan mill is our biggest spot strategically and from a merchandise value constituent of position but evidently that’s a big, aged overhead that we request to facet in. We’re getting to nan standard now wherever we tin break-even pinch nan factory, which is awesome because we person that strategical spot and hopefully, we tin commencement reinvesting successful nan brand.

We’re getting to nan standard now wherever we tin break-even pinch nan factory, which is great

DB: Does White Rabbit waste extracurricular nan UK?

NC-S: We don’t but we decidedly want to. It comes down to resources wrong nan business and know-how. I deliberation we’d beryllium looking to put much successful that complete nan adjacent 12 months. If we tin get a foothold successful 1 aliases 2 countries successful Europe, that would beryllium incredible. Ireland would beryllium an evident one. From a demographic constituent of view, they’ve sewage much coeliacs per capita than nan UK does. At nan moment, we’re doubling down connected our heartland, which is UK grocery.

DB: Do you do immoderate business successful foodservice successful nan UK?

NC-S: We do. We waste our bases to restaurants and pubs that past root and apical them themselves. Again, there’s much to do there. It’s a high-single-digit per cent of our revenue. There’s a batch location because not a batch of group are doing it, and moreover less are doing it well. If we tin beryllium known arsenic nan go-to for a high-quality, gluten-free solution, that takes a headache distant because they cognize it’s been made successful a dedicated, free-from tract and besides delivers connected quality. It’s mini astatine nan infinitesimal but it’s decidedly 1 that we’re looking to turn successful nan future.

DB: For almanac twelvemonth ‘26 – your financial twelvemonth ’27 – what are nan main priorities for nan business?

NC-S: We’ve had truthful galore launches this twelvemonth and, fingers crossed, there’ll beryllium much to travel successful Q4. Optimising those ranges and making judge they get disconnected to a flying commencement is nan number 1 priority. From there, we want to build up nan squad again. We’re a mini squad of astir 60. The business has grown 40% twelvemonth connected twelvemonth this twelvemonth but nan squad hasn’t grown by 40%.

Then, marketing. As a marque that has its ain manufacturing, 90% of our finance goes into nan mill and into nan products, which is perfectly really it had to be. To support our maturation and to support our marque awareness, we want to commencement investing a spot more. We typically walk betwixt 1-2% connected marketing. A batch of different brands our size will beryllium doing upwards of 10%, 15%, 20%.

In our category, nan premium challengers are driving nan growth. A batch of that is wherever nan out-of-home walk is shifting into premium unit – wherever group want to dainty themselves but they don’t want to salary £30-40 connected having a repast out. They want to replicate that acquisition astatine home. I deliberation premiumisation will proceed to beryllium nan leader of nan maturation successful astir categories and it decidedly is successful ours. Hopefully, that lends itself good to a marque for illustration ours that wants to present high-quality solutions.