LDC Top 50 2025
Nick Frogbrook
CEO
Blueleaf Care
When Nick Frogbrook joined Blueleaf in 2022, the family-owned business that supplies consumables, equipment and furniture to care homes across the UK had lost its way.
“It had diversified, hadn’t adapted to the changing market and had lost direction across the business,” he says. Nick quickly took it back to its foundations, closing underperforming divisions, acquiring a complementary competitor and launching n-kind, a new plant-based cleaning range now used in almost one in 10 care homes. Nick expects the business to now hit £100 million turnover within five years. He says: “We’ve not just righted the ship, but we’ve set it back on the right course.”
My legacy is not just that I’ve been able to right the ship, but that I’ve set it on the right course for the future.”
Q&A
How have you grown as a leader at Blueleaf?
I have learned to trust myself. Blueleaf was created eight years ago from bringing together two family businesses which had been going for 30 years, yet the owners have simply allowed me to make the changes needed. It has taken me to the edge at times when things still haven’t improved despite all the hard work, and then you suddenly turn that corner and realise you should have more faith in your abilities.
What are your ambitions for the business?
We have 15 per cent market share in the UK care industry but I have 30 per cent in my sights and I’m also looking at how we can help the wider health and social care market. If we do what we have done in care in other areas of healthcare, we could see growth to over £200 million. Then expanding into Europe will be the next thing on the list.
What is unique about Blueleaf?
Everything we do happens in partnership with our clients and comes from an understanding of their challenges. Our n-kind range was created because we saw a need for sustainable solutions to key everyday products, so we developed the plant-based range that is safe for use in the most challenging of nursing and dementia care home environments. Everything we do has to be right for the care home environment and reflect the best value for money.
