Hodmedod's

Hodmedod's is a British food retail and production company focused on pulses, grains and seeds grown in the United Kingdom. Founded in 2012 and based in Brampton, Suffolk, the business developed from the Norwich Resilient Food Project, a community initiative associated with Transition City Norwich. That project explored whether a city could supply more of its own food and what changes to diets, farming systems and land use would be required. Hodmedod's emerged from this wider interest in resilient, regional food systems and the potential for British agriculture to produce a broader range of staple crops. The company has built its identity around bringing underused or unfamiliar British crops into mainstream food retail. Its range includes pulses such as fava beans, lentils and chickpeas, as well as grains, seeds and flours. The business combines retailing with production and works with British growers to develop and market crops that have historically received less attention in the domestic food system. This emphasis distinguishes Hodmedod's from brands whose pulse and grain ranges depend primarily on imports. Its products are presented as practical pantry foods while also communicating a provenance story centred on British farming, crop diversity and shorter supply chains. A notable early product development came in 2014, when Hodmedod's introduced three varieties of tinned British-grown fava beans. The launch helped demonstrate that a familiar convenience format could be used for locally grown pulses. The company subsequently expanded into crops that were considered difficult or commercially unusual in Britain. In 2017 it grew a commercial-scale lentil crop, despite having been told that lentils could not be grown successfully in the British climate. The same year, Hodmedod's received the BBC Food & Farming Award for Best Food Producers, recognising its contribution to food production and innovation. Hodmedod's has also promoted British-grown alternatives to imported ingredients. Its organic quinoa, developed in Essex and grown in Suffolk, won Delicious magazine's 2016 produce award in the From the Earth (Primary) category. In late 2019, the company became the first business to offer British-grown chickpeas for sale in the United Kingdom. These developments reflect a recurring approach: identify a crop associated with overseas production, support its cultivation in Britain where feasible, and make it available to consumers in a recognisable retail form. The name and visual identity reinforce the company's regional positioning. The logo features a hedgehog, and the company explains that “hodmedod” is an East Anglian word with several meanings, including a hedgehog, snail, ammonite or curls in a girl's hair. The word refers broadly to small or curled forms and connects the brand with East Anglian language and heritage. Hodmedod's has used this local reference to frame its products as part of a broader effort to recover overlooked crops and food traditions. Available reference material identifies the business as active, but does not provide sufficient information to establish its current ownership structure, executive leadership, revenue, international operations or corporate group affiliations.

Hodmedod's was founded in 2012 in the context of the Norwich Resilient Food Project, a community initiative initiated by Transition City Norwich. The project considered how a city might become more resilient by increasing the role of local and regional food production, and examined the implications for diets, farming and land use. Hodmedod's developed from this setting as a commercial food business intended to make British-grown pulses, grains and seeds more visible and accessible to consumers. The company's early activity centred on crops that were suitable for British agriculture but were relatively underrepresented in mainstream retail. In 2014, it launched three kinds of tinned British-grown fava beans. The use of tins gave the products a convenient format while retaining the central proposition of domestic provenance. Fava beans became an important symbol of the company's approach: a traditional or familiar crop that could be repositioned as a contemporary pantry ingredient and a British alternative to imported pulses. Hodmedod's later expanded its work into crops whose British cultivation was less established. Its organic quinoa was developed in Essex and grown in Suffolk. In 2016, the product received Delicious magazine's produce award in the From the Earth (Primary) category. This recognition helped associate the company with primary agricultural production rather than only with retail packaging or distribution. In 2017, Hodmedod's grew a commercial-scale crop of lentils. The achievement was significant within the company's stated mission because it addressed a crop that had been regarded by some as unsuitable for the British climate. Lentils broadened the company's range of domestic pulses and illustrated its willingness to work with growers on crops outside conventional British production patterns. That year, Hodmedod's also won the BBC Food & Farming Award for Best Food Producers. The company continued to extend the range of British-grown pulses. In late 2019, it became the first company to offer British-grown chickpeas for sale in the United Kingdom. Chickpeas are strongly associated with production in warmer regions, so their commercial availability through a British brand further reinforced Hodmedod's focus on testing the limits of domestic crop production and creating markets for growers. Hodmedod's branding draws heavily on East Anglian identity. Its hedgehog logo and unusual name provide a regional marker, while the company describes “hodmedod” as an East Anglian term that can refer to a hedgehog, snail, ammonite or curls in a girl's hair. The association with small, curled forms is also connected by the company to beans and peas. The name therefore serves both as a local-language reference and as a distinctive identity for a business concerned with overlooked crops and food heritage. The available reference material describes Hodmedod's as a British food retail and production company based in Brampton, Suffolk. It establishes the business's principal product focus and several important crop and award milestones, but does not document a complete current management roster, ownership structure, financial performance, legal disputes or international expansion. Those areas remain unverified in this dossier.

• 2019

  British-grown chickpeas offered for sale

  [1]Hodmedod'sen.wikipedia.org

  In late 2019, Hodmedod's became the first company to sell British-grown chickpeas in the United Kingdom.

• 2017

  Commercial-scale lentil crop grown

  [1]Hodmedod'sen.wikipedia.org

  Hodmedod's produced a commercial-scale British lentil crop despite doubts that lentils could be grown in the British climate.

• 2017

  BBC Food & Farming Award received

  [1]Hodmedod'sen.wikipedia.org

  The company won the Best Food Producers category at the BBC Food & Farming Awards.

• 2016

  Organic quinoa receives Delicious magazine award

  [1]Hodmedod'sen.wikipedia.org

  Hodmedod's organic quinoa, developed in Essex and grown in Suffolk, won in the From the Earth (Primary) category.

• 2014

  British-grown tinned fava beans introduced

  [1]Hodmedod'sen.wikipedia.org

  The company launched three varieties of tinned British-grown fava beans.

• 2012

  Company founded

  [1]Hodmedod'sen.wikipedia.org

  Hodmedod's was founded after emerging from the Norwich Resilient Food Project and its exploration of more resilient regional food systems.

A provenance-led British food brand promoting domestic pulses, grains and seeds, with an emphasis on crop diversity, resilient food systems, underused ingredients and connections to regional agriculture.

• Pulses · 2014

  Tinned British-grown fava beans

  A range introduced in 2014 consisting of three types of tinned fava beans grown in Britain. The products combine a convenient shelf-stable format with Hodmedod's emphasis on domestic agricultural provenance and the revival of underused British pulses.

• Pulses · 2017

  British-grown lentils

  Lentils grown at commercial scale in Britain by 2017. Their development formed part of Hodmedod's effort to expand the range of pulses available from British agriculture and to demonstrate that crops commonly associated with warmer climates could be produced domestically.

• Seeds and grains

  Organic British-grown quinoa

  Organic quinoa developed in Essex and grown in Suffolk. The product received Delicious magazine's 2016 produce award in the From the Earth (Primary) category, reflecting its role as an example of a relatively unusual crop cultivated in Britain.

• Pulses · 2019

  British-grown chickpeas

  Chickpeas grown in Britain and offered for sale by Hodmedod's from late 2019. Their availability extended the company's domestic-pulse range and represented an effort to commercialise a crop not traditionally associated with British production.

• Grains and flour

  British-grown grains, seeds and flours

  A broader group of pantry ingredients based on British-grown grains, seeds and pulses milled into flour. These products support the brand's focus on making locally produced staple ingredients practical for household cooking and baking.

• 2019

  First UK sale of British-grown chickpeasProduct launch

  Background

  Hodmedod's continued to seek domestic alternatives to pulses commonly sourced from warmer overseas growing regions.

  Action taken

  In late 2019, the company offered British-grown chickpeas for sale in the United Kingdom.

  Aftermath

  The offering further differentiated Hodmedod's around British-grown pulse production.

  Source

• 2017

  Commercial-scale British lentil productionProduct launch

  Background

  Lentils were viewed as difficult or unsuitable to grow commercially in the British climate.

  Action taken

  Hodmedod's grew a commercial-scale lentil crop in Britain.

  Aftermath

  The crop expanded the company's range of British-grown pulses and demonstrated the potential for a wider domestic crop mix.

  Source

• 2014

  Launch of tinned British-grown fava beansProduct launch

  Background

  Hodmedod's sought to create a convenient consumer market for pulses grown in Britain.

  Action taken

  The company introduced three varieties of tinned British-grown fava beans.

  Aftermath

  The launch established a packaged format for the company's domestic-pulse proposition and preceded later expansion into lentils and chickpeas.

  Source

1. 1Hodmedod'sen.wikipedia.org