About Kanes

Perfecting prepared food since 1990

At Kanes, we’re passionate about creating healthy, tasty and convenient meal solutions that are available for everyone. On the shelves of the UK’s biggest grocery retailers, you’ll find our fresh stir-fry mixes, salad bowls, dressings, sauces and prepared vegetables, ready to help you make great food fast.

The Kanes story

Founded by Dr. John Randall, Kanes Foods is one of the UK’s leading suppliers of prepared salads and stir fry.

Dr Randall was a true pioneer in the world of prepared produce. “The Doc” believed that fast food didn’t have to mean poor quality food and set out to become a champion of the ready-to-eat salads and vegetables we pick up off the shelves every day.

Since Kanes began, we’ve expanded into the land behind The Doc’s rural Worcestershire cottage. Our facilities now cover 30 acres, with production lines for fresh salads, noodles, stir-fry mixes, sauces, dressing bottles and sachets, and more.

What makes Kanes great

As a leading food manufacturing business, we aim to delight our customers with not only the high-quality food products we make, but by building great relationships and offering fantastic value.

We’re the first to celebrate when our team succeeds. That’s because Kanes’ magic is in its people, and we’re committed to empowering everyone, from the production floor to the leadership team. We want to be the best we can be, every day, do the best job possible and have fun doing it.

We want to be the UK’s preferred partner for growers, so we act ethically and responsibly to make the industry better for everyone. Our relationships with our suppliers are based on trust, transparency and shared values – we’re great believers in collaboration at every step.

To sum it up, we’re passionate about food (how could we not be?), enthusiastic about providing healthier choices for all, and committed to developing our people, providing long-term, secure employment and opportunities for growth in our community.

Meet our Leadership Team

Maribeth Keeling

Finance Director

Maribeth is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management accountants. Maribeth has considerable experience having specialised in turnaround companies and performance improvement of various companies in a wide variety of sectors. She has worked in listed entities (main market and AIM) but also in private companies and the not-for-profit sector.

Ian Schmid

Managing Director

With over 20 years’ experience in the food industry, Ian joined Kanes in 2016 as Technical Director and assumed additional responsibility for the Procurement function in 2018. As Managing Director, he leads the senior team in setting and delivering our business strategy. A food science graduate, Ian began his career at Adelie Foods, before moving into retail with Sainsburys Supermarkets Plc, where he held several commercial roles.

Liz Wood

Procurement Director

Liz is passionate about food and has spent over 20 years working in procurement and commercial roles within FMCG food companies, including Cadbury and Samworth Brothers. Liz joined Kanes in 2022 as Procurement Director and works closely with our suppliers to build a sustainable supply chain.

Debbie Edwards

Human Resources Director

Debbie has worked in food manufacturing and retail for over 25 years. She initially joined Kanes Foods in 1996 and then returned in 2014, becoming Human Resources Director in 2022.

Jason Hall

Operations and Supply Chain Director

Jason joined the business in 2017 as General Manager of Salads and was promoted to Operations & Supply Chain Director in 2019. He previously worked for Warburtons and Frank Roberts Bakery in various production, operations, and health and safety roles.

Mark Fisher

Commercial Director

Mark is a passionate leader of our sales, marketing and product development departments. With 20 years’ experience in the sector, Mark is well connected within grocery multiples, foodservice and discounter channels.

Miranda Freeman

Technical Director

A Food Science graduate, Miranda began her career as a Food Technologist and joined the Kanes team in 2016. She has held several roles within our technical department, with experience of both chilled and ambient manufacture. Miranda was promoted to Head of Technical in 2022.