A pioneering food manufacturer bringing genuine Hong Kong-style frozen meatballs to the UK market has secured a £75K investment to scale its operations.
Founded in 2024 by Gary Yeung who moved from Hong Kong to the UK four years ago, Tai Lung Fung was born out of a passion for sharing authentic, uncompromised Hong Kong comfort food and culinary traditions with British consumers. This investment comes from the North East Elevate Fund, which is managed by FW Capital and is part of North East Mayor Kim McGuinness’ £100m regional investment framework, administered by The North East Fund. The North East Elevate Fund was established by The North East Fund with the support of North East Mayor Kim McGuinness and The North East Mayoral Strategic Authority.
Tai Lung Fung has experienced fast growth, rapidly building a loyal customer base across more than 70 Asian supermarket locations nationwide while also securing national wholesale distribution partnerships with Oriental Food Express (Kung Fu) and Korea Foods. To support this growth, Tai Lung Fung needed larger premises and more equipment.
The funding from the North East Elevate has allowed them to acquire additional premises covering 2,300 sq ft on Whickham Industrial Estate in Newcastle and is supporting investment in production equipment which will enhance profitability and operational performance. Tai Lung Fung currently offers a core portfolio of five beef and pork meatball products and plans to double its range to ten items, introducing an even wider variety of authentic Hong Kong flavours to the UK.
North East Mayor Kim McGuinness’ £100m regional investment framework aims to strengthen access to early-stage finance for start-up, scale up and growing companies in North East England, and to tackle long-standing market failures that have hampered innovation-led growth in the region.
Gary Yeung, Founder Tai Lung Fung said: "Moving to the UK four years ago and starting this business was driven by a simple mission, to introduce true, authentic Hong Kong flavours to British kitchens. The journey since our launch has been incredible, and the support from Asian supermarkets has surpassed our expectations. This investment from FW Capital marks a significant milestone, allowing us to expand our premises and our product range. Before I started Tai Lung Fung I worked in property development and when I came to the UK I met with a number of like-minded Hong Kong and British people who have been an important part of our journey. Ruby Knowles at FW Capital has helped me to make my business plan a reality. She understood what we needed and has been very professional and guided me throughout the whole process and ensured all went smoothly.”
Ruby Knowles, Assistant Investment Executive at FW Capital said: "This is an exciting time for Gary and the team at Tai Lung Fung as they embark on their next exciting chapter of growth. Since moving to the UK, Gary has demonstrated exceptional entrepreneurial drive, using his deep-rooted Hong Kong heritage to fill a genuine gap in the market. The brand's rapid expansion into over 70 Asian supermarkets is a testament to the incredible quality and authenticity of their products. The company has secured demand from established distributors and has a clear route to increasing sales. This investment will provide the vital infrastructure and capacity needed to unlock further growth, and we are proud to support the business as it brings these wonderful, authentic Hong Kong flavours to kitchens across the UK.”
Andrew Gibson, External Engagement Officer at The North East Fund said: “Tai Lung Fung is one of many great businesses I’ve been introduced to through networking events and the information drop-in sessions that The North East Fund holds across the region. I met with Gary at his development kitchen to discuss his plans to scale-up production and then introduced him to Ruby at FW Capital. I was delighted that he went on to secure funding for Tai Lung Fung from our Elevate Fund, which will help him to grow the business from its base in Gateshead.”
