Market gardening and smallholding businesses that operate as UK limited companies or LLPs are eligible to apply. Growing food for direct sale, wholesale or box-scheme delivery creates a recurring annual cash cycle: seed and input costs come early, revenue follows weeks or months later. Short-term business finance can bridge that gap without the complexity of agricultural grant applications or long-term bank lending.
Typical finance needs for market gardeners
- Polytunnel or glasshouse installation and repairs
- Irrigation systems, water storage and drainage works
- Tractor attachments, cultivators and harvesting equipment
- Seed, compost, plug plants and fertiliser bought ahead of the growing season
- Cold storage, packing sheds and grading equipment
- Delivery van for box-scheme or wholesale routes
Which product fits the growing cycle?
Credicorp Flex (revolving credit) suits market gardeners particularly well: draw down in late winter or early spring when input costs arrive, repay through the summer and autumn harvest, and keep the facility ready for the following year. For a one-off infrastructure purchase — a new polytunnel or cold store — a Credicorp Business Loan provides a fixed sum with predictable short-term repayments. For a single supplier invoice, Credicorp Slice splits it into three or four weekly payments at a flat 6% fee.
Things to keep in mind
- Weather risk is real — a realistic cashflow forecast should include a buffer for a poor season
- Box-scheme and subscription revenue is recurring and helps demonstrate repayment capacity
- Wholesale contracts with supermarkets or restaurants often have long payment terms; map these before choosing a product
We lend only to UK limited companies and LLPs, and the loan is to the company with no director personal guarantee. As business finance outside the consumer-credit regime, it is not covered by the Financial Ombudsman Service or FSCS.
See also: Finance options for farm shops and rural retail businesses, Business finance for fishmongers and seafood traders.