January 2018
Caterer, Licensee & Hotelier
25
Royal Wedding To Bring Business Boost FullClear Beer Line Cleaning Systems' Successful Admiral Taverns Trial
ONE OF the country's biggest party supply companies is backing Brits to go bonkers over the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Peeks, of Christchurch, Dorset, says the occasion is a great excuse for patriotic people to have a party and envisages a bumper boost to sales. The company has miles of red, white and blue bunting, union flags galore and masks and cut-outs of the happy couple. Pub and hotel groups are already putting in orders and enquiries through Peeks' website and giant party store are picking up. Playboy Prince Harry met the glamourous American actress on a blind date and after a whirlwind romance the engagement was announced in November. On Saturday May 19 the couple will marry at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle - the same day as the FA Cup final. Nick Peek, MD of the 72-year-old family business, said: "We have been supplying party goods to people since the end of the war and the appetite
remains for these occasions. "We saw huge spikes in sales for recent Royal events such as the Jubilee and Prince William's wedding. "Harry is a popular prince and indications are that there will be a lot of interest when he weds Meghan. "As the bride is American we are also anticipating interest from across the pond and this puts an interesting new slant on things. "Pub and hotel chains are already putting in orders and other clubs and groups are planning events. "Individuals too will have parties and, while not on the scale of Prince William's wedding, there are likely to be street parties as well. "We are bringing in more products nearer the day which will have the couple's names on and will be wedding-themed. "We have plenty of union flag bunting and flags, face paint, table-ware and patriotic goods and the event will certainly give us healthy boost to sales. "Later in the year we have the football World Cup which is another occasion when Brits have a great excuse for a party." See the advert on page 7.
Comesto To Launch Crowdfunding Campaign
Upstart online wholesale procurement platform, Comesto, today announced plans to launch a crowdfunding campaign on Crowdcube in early January 2018. The Midlands-based membership company brings F&B industry buyers and suppliers together, giving massively increased choice to buyers and smart, direct access to buyers for quality suppliers of all sizes. The traditional wholesale service offers buyers a limited choice and no means to test or compare the value of potential suppliers. Comesto’s unique peer to peer marketplace – complete with reviews and sample request functionality opens up potentially the whole market for not only food and drink premises, but also their suppliers. Traditionally, new food producers or suppliers have to compete with big brands and their huge marketing budgets to get into a wholesaler’s catalogue. Comesto takes away this barrier to market access and enables suppliers of food, drinks, equipment and services to set their own direct pricing.
Comesto is looking to raise £100,000 on crowdfunding platform, Crowdcube, to accelerate their existing rapid growth. With well over 4,000 members already, the company has got off to a great start, but wants to build on this to expand even faster. Membership is free for buyers and costs just £30 a month for suppliers, a highly cost-effective way of marketing to exactly the right sort of customer. Becoming a part of Comesto’s bright future through our crowdfunding campaign gives unique benefits to supporters, be they suppliers or buyers. Suppliers offering £300 support get a year’s free membership, saving £360 on the normal price. Buyers giving £200 get free BlueCart stockroom software, making Comesto’s offering even more powerful. Visit www.comesto.co.uk to find out how a pledge from just £10 could open up unmissable opportunities and to register your interest before the campaign launch in early January 2018. 0800 086 9722 info@comesto.co.uk www.comesto.co.uk
Fighting Food Fraud!
PAST-DATE MEATS, mislabelled produce, and powdered shakes sold as health tonics; food fraud is a serious issue for the modern world, with potentially harmful ramifications for consumers and businesses alike. The National Food Crime Unit (NFCU) describes food fraud as 'a dishonest act or omission, relating to the production or supply of food, which is intended for
ADMIRAL TAVERNS successfully trialled FullClear in June last year and have been working closely with the company on an estate wide adoption program.
Marsha Jones, Bar Manager at Black Lion, Leeds said: “FullClear was simple to adopt and easy to use. All our equipment appeared instantly cleaner and we were able to serve consistently good quality beer whilst only cleaning once a month." FullClear’s revolutionary new beer line cleaning solution achieves best beer quality and the highest health, safety and environmental standards while safely extending the keg line cleaning cycle to monthly. There are zero set up costs and licensees can expect to save up to 70%. Admiral have a real commitment to delivering the highest quality beer and FullClear are a key partner in helping to support tenants to serve great beer. Greg Beresford, Dispense Quality Co-ordinator of Admiral Taverns said: “Our continued rollout of FullClear
enables Admiral to optimise beer quality and health and safety standards, allowing us to serve the best possible pint”. FullClear and Admiral continue to work together on initiatives that reach far beyond just a product offering can be expected to be seen later this year. Alex Murray, Co-Founder and Chief Executive at FullClear said: “By working with Admiral to understand the needs of today’s publican, this has enabled ourselves at FullClear to become immersed in the day to day running of a pub. The challenges that have presented themselves have helped fuel further new and exciting initiatives, all with the aim to deliver the lost value back to retail opportunity.” FullClear’s recent raise of £325,000 on CrowdCube from over 370 investors will now help them to accelerate their platform development and vastly enhance their service offering. Anyone interested in FullClear are encouraged to take up CLH’s special introductory offer at www.fullclear.com/CLHnews or see the advert on page 13.
Fri Pura Win The Caterer Product Excellence Award FriPura, producers of a filter which reduces calories and harmful chemicals produced in deep-fat frying processes, took the top spot in the ‘Technology: Hardware’ category at The Caterer Product Excellence Awards. With the filter proven to improve food quality, cut the calories and harmful chemicals in the oil and reduce costs to restaurants by doubling the life of the oil, the filter fulfilled each set of criteria along with boasting extra benefits. FriPura’s success comes at a time when the spotlight on the UK’s health concerns has never been brighter. A growing concern around the UK’s obesity levels has seen Public Health England asked to investigate calorie
personal gain or to cause loss to another party'. Examples of food fraud include; • Food or drink that has potentially been adulterated or substituted • Illegal or substandard methods used in workplaces for producing, processing, storing, labelling or transporting food • Businesses selling food or drink that purport to be of a certain quality, suggest health benefits or claim to be from a specific place or region, but do not appear genuine or are suspected to be fake Food fraud becomes food crime when the scale and potential impact of the activity is considered to be serious, often with a cross-regional, national or international reach. Food crime poses a significant risk to public safety, and can cause a
consumption among the population, and produce a plan to reduce the calories in food. Levels of acrylamide, a harmful chemical created when starchy foods are cooked for long periods at high temperatures, are also under scrutiny. April 2018 will see new legislation come into play, requiring UK food businesses to mitigate acrylamide levels in their food. Sam Wilbraham, FriPura’s Exec Chef and Marketing Director, says the revolutionary filter tackles both of these health concerns: “These benefits, along with the fact that oil life is doubled with the use of a FriPura filter, are ultimately what led to our award win.” Visit www.fripura.com for more information or see the advert on page 10.
substantial financial loss to consumers or businesses. protect 2016 saw 156 cases of food fraud, 147 concerning food, and 9 concerning feed. Mislabelling composition was the largest violation observed and the top fraud commodities included; meat products, fish products, fats and oils, poultry meat products and milk. Food Standards Agency’s NFCU works with partners to protect consumers from serious criminal activity that impacts on the safety or authenticity of the food and drink they consume. BRS is a central regulatory control system that will assist you in ensuring you are compliant and help protect your business. For more information contact a member of the BRS Team www.brs.uk.