Just Love unlock flexible invoice finance to scale inclusive baking nationwide
Goal
Secure dependable, flexible working capital to support growth, seasonal demand spikes, and evolving customer funding structures.
Region
United Kingdom
Industry
Food and Beverage
The Challenge
Scaling production required heavy upfront investment, while customers operated on delayed payment terms, creating consistent cash flow pressure. Seasonal demand spikes and evolving retailer funding structures further intensified short-term working capital strain.
The Solution
A £200,000 invoice finance facility unlocked cash tied up in unpaid invoices, converting sales into immediate working capital. The flexible structure scales with trading volumes, supporting growth, seasonal peaks, and expanding co-manufacturing operations.
Just Love Food Company was founded with one simple belief: no one should be left out of cake.
After Mike Woods’ children were diagnosed with life-threatening nut allergies, he saw firsthand how isolating celebrations could become. Watching them sit out birthday parties - unable to share in a cake-cutting moment - was the catalyst for building something different.
In 2010, Just Love Food became the first company to bring nut and peanut-free celebration cakes to UK supermarket shelves.
As demand grew, so did the ambition:
- 2016: Launch of a gluten-free (nut-free, milk-free) range
- 2019: Launch of a vegan range (nut-free, milk-free, egg-free)
- Today: Cakes covering 13 of the top 14 allergens across the range
Stocked nationwide, Just Love Food combines strict allergen controls with high-quality, hand-finished celebration cakes produced at scale.
Their mission remains clear:
Bringing people together with cake - so everyone can share the joy.
The Challenge
Scaling specialist cake manufacturing requires significant upfront investment:
- Ingredients sourced to strict allergen standards
- Dedicated production processes
- Skilled labour
- Packaging and nationwide distribution
Yet customers typically operate on delayed payment terms.
As the business matured, some larger retailer volumes transitioned to bank-funded structures, reducing the proportion of invoices funded externally.
At the same time, new growth channels emerged:
- Increased exposure with major wholesale distribution partners
- Expansion of co-manufacturing as an additional revenue stream
- Continued growth with independent customers without structured bank funding
The business also experiences predictable holiday demand spikes, when celebration cake volumes increase materially. These peaks create short-term working capital pressure, precisely when production needs to scale quickly.
Operationally, certain co-manufacturing arrangements do not involve formal signed proof of delivery, adding complexity to invoice verification processes.
For a mission-driven manufacturer operating in a highly regulated category, working capital must be dependable and flexible.
The Solution
Just Love Food partnered with Kriya Invoice Finance to unlock cash tied up in unpaid invoices and stabilise working capital.
Facility Limit: £200,000
The facility allows the business to:
- Convert invoices into immediate working capital
- Fund independent and wholesale customers efficiently
- Manage seasonal trading peaks without liquidity strain
- Support the expansion of its co-manufacturing stream
- Adapt to changing retailer funding structures
Importantly, the facility flexes alongside trading volumes - increasing support when demand rises and maintaining stability during quieter periods.
Kriya works closely with the Just Love Food team to ensure funding processes align with the operational realities of specialist food manufacturing, balancing documentation requirements with practical delivery models.
The Impact
The partnership with Kriya has enabled Just Love Food to:
- Bridge cashflow gaps between production and customer payment
- Maintain smooth operations during peak celebration seasons
- Scale inclusive cake production nationwide
- Diversify revenue streams through co-manufacturing growth
- Stay focused on its founding mission - ensuring no one is excluded from life’s celebrations
About Just Love Food Company
Founded in 2010, Just Love Food pioneered nut and peanut-free celebration cakes in UK supermarkets.
Today, the company offers:
- Nut-free celebration cakes
- Gluten-free ranges
- Vegan ranges
- Products covering 13 of the top 14 allergens
As pioneers in food inclusivity, Just Love Food continues to combine purpose with scalable manufacturing excellence - ensuring every celebration can be shared.
Fast Facts
Founder: Mike Woods
Founded: 2010
Industry: Specialist Inclusive Cake Manufacturing
Facility Type: Invoice Finance
Facility Limit: £200,000
Managing cash when growing, especially in new markets for us, is so important. This invoice finance facility helped us establish ourselves in those markets, which are now flourishing. The Kriya facility has been very helpful in supporting this growth.
