A food factory in Whickham set up by a Hong Kong immigrant has secured £75,000 to help it sell a new frozen meatball product across the UK. Gary Yeung moved to the UK four years ago and founded Tai Lung Fung in 2024, a brand focused on bringing Hong Kong comfort food to British consumers.
The business has reportedly seen rapid growth and now supplies more than 70 Asian supermarkets nationwide, alongside national wholesale distribution partnerships with Oriental Food Express (Kung Fu) and Korea Foods.
Funding and Expansion
The investment comes from the North East Elevate Fund, managed by FW Capital and part of North East Mayor Kim McGuinness' £100m regional investment framework, administered by The North East Fund. The funding has allowed Mr Yeung to acquire an additional 2,300 sq ft unit on Whickham Industrial Estate.
Tai Lung Fung currently offers a core range of five beef and pork meatball products and plans to double this to ten items, introducing a wider variety of authentic Hong Kong flavours to the UK.
Founder's Vision
Mr Yeung 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."
He added: "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."
Support and Growth Prospects
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."
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."
