NWF Group is a specialist agricultural and distribution business delivering feed, food and fuel across the UK, headquartered in Nantwich, Cheshire. With a heritage in the agricultural sector, established in 1871, the Group has over 150 years of experience in adding value and delivering results to our customers’ businesses.
Covering the major dairy farming areas from Central Scotland down the UK to Cornwall, our core business is the manufacture and supply of ruminant compound feeds and blends. Our feeds are further supported by comprehensive trading teams supplying a range of straights and speciality feeds, forage seeds, minerals, supplements, additives and more to support farmers maximise their stocks health, performance, fertility and efficiency.
We believe that our expertly manufactured ruminant compounds feed and blends, our comprehensive range of minerals, molasses, seeds, additives & other associated products and our knowledgeable sales specialists and technical teams are behind our longevity and successful relationships with British Farmers across the UK.
NWF Agriculture is incredibly proud to have been supporting British farmers for over 150 years. Over the past century and a half, we’ve grown across the west of the UK, supplying over 4750 farmers, feeding over 100,000 dairy cows, beef cattle and sheep every day.
Starting on the 5th June 1871, the Cheshire Farmers Supply Association Ltd quickly grew to become a cooperative in 1918.
After 40 years, in 1958, after a merger of the Cheshire, Shropshire & North Wales Farmers Supply Association and the Chester Farmers, the cooperative changed to the commonly known North Western Farmers Ltd, with the Wardle Mill site officially opened in 1980. Continuing with the production of ruminant feeds, North Western Farmers Ltd operated until 1988 when it became a limited company, operating under the current name, NWF Group Ltd. The feed division is known as NWF Agriculture.
In 1995, the NWF Group was listed on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange, becoming the first company in the North West to do so. In July 2003 NWF Agriculture manufactured its two millionth tonne of ruminant feed and then in 2004 expansion extended to the South West with the purchase of JGW Thomas & Son Ltd in Devon
Our mill at Wardle, the largest specialist ruminant feed mill in the UK produced its one-millionth tonne in March 1998. The two millionth tonne was produced in July 2003, three millionth tonnes in October 2005 and the four millionth tonne was produced in January 2008. The mill in total to date has manufactured over 11 million tonnes across our sites.
In 2013, NWF acquired the ruminant business, SC Feeds based in Cheshire & Staffordshire, strengthening our operations and opportunities to support farmers across Cheshire, Staffordshire, Shropshire, Derbyshire, North Wales & surrounding areas.
In 2015, NWF acquired 100% of the issued share capital of ruminant feeds manufacturer & nutritional advisory business, New Breed (UK) Limited.
To further strengthen feed supply and services to livestock farmers for the North West, in 2016, we acquired the ruminant business, Jim Peet Agriculture based in Cumbria to supply farmers across the Cumbria, Lancashire, Northumberland and the South-West of Scotland.
Our strategically located sites allow us to efficiently manufacture and deliver across our key regions, operating out of Cumbria, Lancashire, Cheshire and Devon, the key livestock regions.
With the industry continuing to innovate with advancements in nutritional expertise, technology and portfolio of on-farm services, in 2019, the NWF Academy was launched. The objective of the specific training schedule is to produce the farm advisors of the future, assisting British livestock farmers and the livestock industry in developing a sustainable, profitable future. We are currently looking for applicants to join our third NWF academy, starting in September 2021. For more information, please visit the NWF Academy page or email Jo.Sayers@NWFAgriculture.co.uk
In 2020, we launched our online eCommerce, Agri Express, retailing a wide range of associated livestock products with free delivery nationwide, with both the option to pay on card to pay via your NWF credit account.
For more information on NWF group or our history as a company, click HERE to visit the NWF Group website or view our 150th Anniversary Timeline HERE.
