Naturaw, the West Yorkshire raw dog food maker, has secured a six-figure debt facility from Allica Bank to triple production at its solar-powered Wetherby kitchen over the next three years.
The funding, announced on 29 June 2026, will pay for new machinery and production equipment, expanded storage capacity, and team growth. Allica’s loan lifts Naturaw’s pack capacity above 100,000 packs, enough for around half a million meals, on top of a significant headquarters expansion the company completed last year.
The Six-Figure Deal and the Three-Year Plan
Allica Bank’s loan to Naturaw is described in the company’s announcement as a six-figure debt facility. The exact amount has not been disclosed. The headline use of capital is a storage expansion that will take Naturaw’s pack capacity above 100,000 units, enough for around half a million meals at current pack sizes.
The new funds will also buy new machinery and production equipment and expand the team. The plan is to triple production volume over the next three years. The company already says it doubles in size every two years.
Operations run out of a kitchen at Thorp Arch Estate near Wetherby that the company moved into in 2021, according to Pet Food Industry. The Wetherby site runs on solar power, and packaging across the range is plastic-free and home compostable.
How a Sick Rhodesian Ridgeback Named Louis Sparked Naturaw
Jess Warneken founded Naturaw in 2014 after her Rhodesian Ridgeback, Louis, developed repeated skin and ear infections. Warneken struggled to identify the exact cause, then switched Louis to a raw food diet. The change transformed his health, and the experience became the catalyst for the business.
“We are so proud of what Naturaw has become,” Warneken said in a statement released alongside the funding announcement. “What started as a desperate attempt to relieve Louis of his horrible ear and skin infections has grown into a thriving business providing breakfast, lunches and dinners for furry family members up and down the country.”
Naturaw started at Marston Moor Business Park in Tockwith, then expanded to a 6,000-square-foot site at Hessay Industrial Estate near York two years later, according to Naturaw’s prior six-figure NPIF II funding round. The business moved to its current Thorp Arch Estate headquarters and production kitchen in 2021. Warneken’s partner, Tom Johnson, created the brand identity, and Chris Broadbent later joined as an experienced company director.
What Naturaw Cooks in Its Solar-Powered Wetherby Kitchen
Naturaw makes homemade, nutrient-dense raw dog food from 100% high welfare British meat sourced from British farms. The menu includes free range chicken, grass fed beef, and a surf and turf line, all made in a kitchen powered by solar energy.
Packaging is plastic-free and home compostable, and the kitchen is solar-powered, according to the company’s own materials and trade coverage of the loan. Naturaw is a certified B Corp and counts the King’s Award for Enterprise for excellence in sustainable development among its credentials, both confirmed by Pet Food Industry.
The product range covers dogs from puppies through seniors. Highlights include:
- Free range chicken recipes
- Grass fed beef recipes
- Surf and turf recipes combining land and sea proteins
- 100% British high-welfare meat from British farms
- Plastic-free, home compostable packaging
Naturaw serves over 15,000 customers across the UK, including individual pet owners, independent pet stores, and grooming salons, and the full range is available through Naturaw’s raw dog food line. Over the past 18 months, the company doubled its staff from 18 to 35.
Inside the £200 Million UK Raw Pet Food Wave
The raw pet food segment Naturaw competes in is worth approximately £200 million, with the wider UK pet food sector valued at over £2 billion, according to figures cited by All Paws Industry. Both markets are growing as consumer awareness builds around pet health, nutrition, and ingredient quality.
Naturaw itself says the business doubles in size every two years. Director Chris Broadbent framed the growth as part of a wider consumer shift away from processed kibble toward fresh, raw feeding, a movement the company has branded the “rawvolution.”
The figures behind the loan, as printed in the announcement:
- UK pet food sector: over £2 billion
- Raw pet food segment: approximately £200 million
- Naturaw growth rate: doubles every two years
- Storage expansion: over 100,000 packs, around half a million meals
Why Allica Bank Is Backing a Family-Run Yorkshire Scaleup
Andy Castle, Naturaw’s Relationship Manager at Allica Bank, said the lender was drawn to the company’s combination of purpose and growth.
What a privilege it’s been to support Chris and the team at Naturaw as they bring dog health to the forefront of conversation and help families get the best nutrition for their beloved pets. Ultimately, Naturaw is exactly the kind of business Allica is proud to back. They’re opening up job opportunities in the local community and driving positive change not only here in Yorkshire but throughout the whole of the UK.
Castle, Allica Bank’s Relationship Manager for Naturaw, said the lender is “delighted” that the funding will contribute to the further expansion of Naturaw’s production and workforce. The loan extends a relationship that began when Dave Moore, founder of advisory firm North View Advisory, connected Naturaw with Allica. Moore has since joined Naturaw as a non-executive director.
Director Chris Broadbent said the funding will future-proof the business while keeping ownership in family hands.
Viva la Rawvolution! Dogs and their owners deserve better, they deserve real food, clearly labelled, that they were designed to eat. The rawvolution is on and our customer base continues to grow, with the business doubling every two years, because of the quality of the product.
Broadbent, who joined Naturaw as a director, said demand for raw pet food shows no signs of slowing down. With Allica’s support, he added, the company can “future-proof the business and add production and distribution capacity that will enable us to keep growing for the next three years and beyond.”
The Risks Behind Tripling Production
Tripling production is capital-intensive, and the plan assumes demand keeps pace with new capacity. Debt repayments add pressure if growth stalls or customer acquisition slows. The premium raw segment also depends on sustained household spending on pet health, which can compress in tighter budgets.
Scaling up a kitchen that runs on solar power and 100% British high-welfare meat also introduces supply-chain pressures. Each percentage point of growth relies on farms willing to supply at the standards Naturaw promises. A mismatch between expansion pace and supply would either slow growth or force a relaxation of the sourcing rules the brand depends on.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is funding Naturaw’s expansion?
Allica Bank, a UK challenger bank focused on small and medium-sized enterprises, is providing Naturaw with a six-figure debt facility announced on 29 June 2026.
How much is Naturaw’s loan from Allica Bank?
The loan is described as a six-figure sum. Naturaw has not disclosed the exact amount.
What will Naturaw do with the money?
Invest in new machinery and production equipment, expand storage to hold over 100,000 packs, and grow the team. The goal is to triple production volume over the next three years.
Where is Naturaw based?
Naturaw operates from a solar-powered kitchen at Thorp Arch Estate near Wetherby, West Yorkshire. The company moved into the site in 2021.
Who founded Naturaw?
Jess Warneken founded Naturaw in 2014 after switching her Rhodesian Ridgeback, Louis, to a raw food diet that cleared up his skin and ear infections.
