Jones Food Company (JFC), a well-known name in the UK vertical farming landscape, has gone into administration, becoming the latest in a series of high-tech farming ventures to collapse under financial pressure.
Administration confirmed, operations ceased
The company, headquartered in Lydney, Gloucestershire, has ceased operations this week, with staff reportedly sent home and customer orders paused. According to a notice published in The Gazette, Jones Food Company Ltd. entered administration on 3 April 2025, with Damian Webb and Stephanie Sutton of RSM UK appointed as joint administrators.
JFC's portfolio included two major facilities: JFC1 in Scunthorpe, once labeled Europe's largest vertical farm and a major supplier of cut basil to the UK market, and JFC2 in Lydney, launched in 2023 and promoted as a benchmark in scale and technological sophistication.
Heavy investment, but no path to profitability
Ocado Group, JFC's majority shareholder, invested heavily in the business. A £25 million funding round in 2021 supported the development of JFC2, and a further £3.65 million was injected in 2023.
Despite this backing, the company's financial filings indicated it remained reliant on external support and faced operational losses. Directors had also outlined the need for additional funding to sustain plans for 2023 and 2024. According to reporting by Fruitnet, the decision to enter administration was taken by JFC's board and leadership team, with Ocado investors informed shortly thereafter.
A promising vision undone by market reality
At the launch of JFC2, founder and CEO James Lloyd-Jones expressed confidence that the company had achieved a breakthrough in making sustainable, premium, year-round food accessible at competitive prices.
However, the venture struggled to deliver profitability at scale, a familiar challenge within the vertical farming sector, which led to the decision to place the business into administration.
Part of a broader pattern of vertical farming failures
JFC's collapse comes amid a broader wave of setbacks in the vertical farming industry, both in the UK and internationally. In Europe, companies like Eider VF, Agricool, and Future Crops have gone under. Similar patterns are playing out in the United States: AeroFarms filed for Chapter 11 in 2023 before restructuring; Kalera sold off assets after failing to turn a profit; and AppHarvest entered bankruptcy proceedings following operational and financial difficulties.
Most recently, Plenty Unlimited also filed for Chapter 11 in March 2025, despite having secured nearly a billion dollars in funding in previous years. These failures highlight the global challenge of scaling controlled environment agriculture in a financially sustainable way, particularly when relying heavily on external capital.
Uncertainty ahead for staff and assets
JFC employed 32 people according to its most recent financial accounts. It remains unclear whether the company's facilities or brands will be sold, and whether there is interest from external buyers.
For more information: 
Jones Food Company
info@jonesfoodcompany.co.uk
www.jonesfoodcompany.co.uk