Who we are
Founded in
2000
NPD Direct was founded in 2000 to support food innovation and strategy, built on a founder's career in chilled prepared foods since 1987. More than 25 years on, we still start every project with the business question.
Combined experience
200+ years
Built over careers in category management, semiotics, culinary development, operations and brand design, working with leading retailers, food manufacturers, brands and foodservice providers.
Teams across
The United Kingdom & North America
Specialists in Lincolnshire and London, and in Alabama, Mississippi and Nevada, bringing both markets' retail and consumer insight to every project.
Category + Commercial
Market, customer and portfolio performance translated into commercial priorities.
Semiotics + Consumer
Needs, meaning, signals and validation behind the market numbers.
Culinary + Development
Concepts, recipes, prototypes, costing and product feasibility.
Operations + Delivery
Factory fit, scale-up, programme governance and commercial launch support.
Packaging + Brand design
In-house packaging and brand design resource, from brand positioning and pack architecture to artwork and on-shelf impact.
Supporting retailers, food manufacturers, brands and foodservice providers. Extended culinary, RGM and design specialists in Lincolnshire and London, UK, and Alabama, Mississippi and Nevada, US.
Where it all started
Our UK facility in Lincolnshire is where NPD Direct began, and it is still the focal point of the business. Ideas become recipes, recipes become prototypes, and prototypes are photographed for packs, buyer presentations and consumer tests, all under one roof.
Development kitchen
Our development chefs turn opportunities into recipes and working prototypes, benchmark against what is already on shelf, and refine them with you in the kitchen before they go to factory trials and costing.
Food photography studio
Prototypes are styled and shot in-house for pack photography, concept boards, buyer presentations and consumer testing, working hand in hand with our packaging and brand design team.
From kitchen to shelf
The team
Category & Commercial
35+ years
Category management and commercial strategy, UK and US
Turning market, customer and portfolio performance into clear commercial priorities for UK and US manufacturers, retailers and foodservice businesses.
What this covers
Semiotics & Consumer
30+ years
Semiotics and consumer behaviour, UK and US
Reading the needs, meanings and cultural signals behind the market numbers, so new products land with the right consumers for the right reasons.
What this covers
Culinary & Development
35+ years
Food product development since 1990
Designing next-generation chilled, ambient and frozen products for blue-chip retailers and producers, from first idea to factory-ready recipe.
What this covers
Founder
Since 1987
In chilled prepared foods; founded NPD Direct in 2000
Founded NPD Direct in 2000. In chilled prepared foods since 1987, creating and launching some of today's most recognisable foods.
What this covers
Robert Kedzlie
Client experience
Retail · Food manufacturing · Foodservice
Retail · Manufacturing · Foodservice
Retail · Manufacturing
