Food & Drink News April 2016

APRIL 2016 £4.75

HEPWORTHS - TRADITIONALLY CRAFT BREWED BEERS, FREE FROM ADDITIVES AND NATURALLY GLUTEN FREE

NEWS UPDATE RADNOR HILLS ARE KEEPING KIDS HAPPY

P02 FOOD AND DRINK NEWS APRIL 2016

CONTENTS PAGE 04 NEWS UPDATES

04

09 SOFT DRINKS FOCUS 12

HEPWORTHS

14

THOMAS RIDLEY FOODSERVICE

18

FIERA MILANO

20

MELPASS

22

EUPHORIUM BAKERY

24

COLSEC LTD

26

JOE’S ICE CREAM LTD

27

BEN RIGBY GAME LTD

28

PRIMERA

12

TECHNOLOGY EUROPE 18

22

26

TO VIEW THE 2016 FEATURES LIST PLEASE VISIT WWW.FOODANDDRINKNEWS.CO.UK OR CONTACT US AT +44(0)1484 321000 TO EMAIL A COPY TO YOU Food & Drink News is published by Planet Media & Design Ltd. Company registered in England & Wales, number 09365661. All material is the copyright of Planet Media & Design Ltd. All rights reserved. Food & Drink News is the property of Planet Media & Design Ltd. This publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form whole or part without the written permission of a Director of Planet Media & Design Ltd. Liability: while every care is taken in the preparation of this magazine, the publishers can not be held responsible for the accuracy of information herein, or any consequence arising from it. In the case of company or product reviews or comments, these have been based upon the true and honest opinion of the Editor at the time of going to press.

APRIL 2016 FOOD AND DRINK NEWS P03

EDITOR’S FOREWORD chief editor michelle hodgson deputy editor rachael whiteley art director paul roper senior designer jamie quarmby graphic designer ben wainman advertising production rachael whiteley production manager rachael whiteley accountant kerry monkhouse MICHELLE HODGSON - CHIEF EDITOR

proofreader becky ashwell

Planet Media & Design Ltd Brooke’s Mill Armitage Bridge Huddersfield HD4 7NR Tel: 01484 321000 Fax: 01484 502237 Email: food@planet-media.co.uk www.foodanddrinknews.co.uk

All major credit cards are accepted.

SUGARING THE PILL Following protracted debate on the issue over some time, the government revealed its plans for a sugar tax on soft drinks in the March Budget.

Whether this was a genuine attempt to tackle the alarming growth of childhood obesity rates or a way to grab the headlines and distract the public from further cuts to public services remains open to question. Whatever the case, drinks manufacturers now have to decide on a way forward, which in many cases will involve reformulating their products to contain less sugar.

While many have welcomed the tax – most notably celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, who has been campaigning on this issue for some time – others consider it a regressive tax that punishes the poorest in society. At the time of writing, media reports state that some drinks manufacturers are considering legal action against the tax, which will add 24p to a litre of soft drink with the highest sugar content.

Whether it will bring any money into the Treasury is also open to debate. The sugar tax will cost around £1bn to implement but is only expected to raise half that amount.

What’s more, the tax does not exist in

isolation: as some commentators and politicians have pointed out, we need to look at the bigger picture.

Obesity in childhood is not only caused by sugary drinks and unhealthy food – it’s also down to the sedentary lifestyles of today’s children. Study after study has shown that children are less active today than previous generations, and that around half are not meeting the recommendation for at least 60 minutes of physical activity a day.

In 2015, a review by British Heart Foundation researchers from the University of Oxford and Loughborough University found strong evidence that children develop better social skills and self-esteem through participation in sport and other physical activity.

Let’s not sugar the pill. Dealing with childhood obesity and promoting the health of the next generation requires a coherent, wellfunded, well-publicised all-round strategy, not a single headline-grabbing initiative.

This month our focus is – appropriately – on soft drinks, as well as vegetarian food.

Enjoy!

P04 FOOD AND DRINK NEWS APRIL 2016

NEWS UPDATES

HOWARD TENENS AWARDED BRC ACCREDITATION Howards Tenens Andover site has been accredited with a BRC award, an internationally recognised standard. The Standards audit and confirm a business’ adherence against strict quality, safety and operational criteria and ensure that manufacturers fulfil their legal obligations and provide protection for the end consumer.

Ian Wood, General Manager for Howard Tenens Andover, comments: “I am very proud of this achievement. The accreditation clearly demonstrates the quality of the services we provide and the calibre of our warehouse facilities and staff ”.

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) award is an internationally recognised standard that is fast becoming a fundamental

requirement for logistics customers. It has become a benchmark for best practices in storage and distribution, guaranteeing the standardisation of quality, safety and operational criteria. In order to obtain the award Howard Tenens employees have undergone numerous different training courses above and beyond those the company already offers.

“Having a customer base made up of household names and blue chip businesses meant that a lot of the quality process document was already in place as a prerequisite of working with those

types of brands,” states Wood, “but going through the BRC accreditation process helped us further increase our standards and gives our customers a recognised

accreditation for their supplier chain which they can then market.”

TEL: 01453 732 733 WWW.TENENS.COM

THE DOT - DIGITAL OVEN THERMOMETER IS NO LIGHTWEIGHT The new Digital Oven Thermometer (DOT) has been designed to do one thing really well!

Simply set your target temperature with the ‘Up’ or ‘Down’ buttons, insert the probe into your food, and

the DOT beeps (70dB) when the food gets to the required temperature. It’s as easy as that.

With a resolution of 1°C/°F, the DOT measures temperature over the range of -50 to 300°C. Designed for commercial food service applications, the DOT is no lightweight and outperforms consumer thermometers for intuitive usability and survivability in the demanding kitchen environment.

With just two buttons – ‘Up’ and ‘Down’ - there’s no complicated programming or flashing food icons.

The DOT has been designed for professional kitchen staff who don’t want to get bogged down in gadgetry or restricted by someone else’s pre-programmed settings.

Setting your own temperatures is

faster and easier than ever before.

The DOT Digital Oven Thermometer is supplied with a food penetration probe. A range of alternative temperature probes are available as optional extras, such as food penetration and oven temperature probes. The DOT is competitively priced at £24 exclusive of VAT and carriage from Electronic Temperature Instruments Ltd. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT ELECTRONIC TEMPERATURE INSTRUMENTS LTD - EASTING CLOSE, WORTHING, WEST SUSSEX BN14 8HQ TEL: 01903 202151 EMAIL: SALES@ETILTD.COM WWW.ETILTD.COM

APRIL 2016 FOOD AND DRINK NEWS P05

NEWS UPDATES DEB INSTANTFOAM® COMPLETE – THE WORLD’S FIRST FULLY VIRUCIDAL FOAM HAND SANITISER Deb Group has launched Deb InstantFOAM® Complete, the world’s first alcohol-based foam hand sanitiser that is proven to be fully virucidal, bactericidal and yeasticidal. The unique perfume free and dye free formula is dispensed as softstructured foam and is designed for use without water to provide a complete solution for hand sanitising by combining its highly effective broad spectrum biocidal efficacy with safety and user preference.

Deb InstantFOAM® Complete kills 99.999% of many common germs in just 15 seconds and its non-specific biocidal action ensures there is no risk of antimicrobial resistance. The product meets the highest levels of European microbiological standards for bactericidal (EN1500), virucidal (EN14476), yeasticidal (EN1650) and mycobactericidal (EN14348) activity.

Part of the new Deb Stoko® Range, Deb InstantFOAM® Complete has been created to provide the highest level of hand hygiene in sensitive environments, such as the food industry, but also germ transfer ‘hotspots’ in general workplaces and public facilities.

In the food industry, from restaurant kitchens

through to food handling and manufacturing facilities, Deb InstantFOAM® Complete can be used to prevent the spread of pathogens found on raw meats and other food products, protecting both staff and consumers from food-transmitted infections. The formula has been independently tested and assessed by experts to demonstrate that it is non-tainting and does not influence the quality and safety of food products.

WWW.DEBGROUP.COM/UK

FLEXIBLE LOW COST TRAY SEALING PACKAGE HELPS WHITBY SEAFOODS LAUNCH PRODUCT INTO RETAIL Packaging Automation recognises the upsurge in innovation within the food industry with many small businesses launching exciting fresh new brands. PA is keen to support and encourage this innovation by allowing these smaller companies to access professional top quality packaging options that open the door to retailer listings.

PA have launched a scheme that will help customers to automate packing processes from day one with minimal investment. The hire scheme offers entry level machines with a sealing tool for

one pack format on hire for a fixed weekly hire rate.

Whitby Seafoods took advantage of the flexible hire scheme to come up with a packaging solution for their breaded scampi product. Lesley helped source a CPET tray with a film lid and PA provided a small rotary table machine to automate the packing process. Whitby are now able to pack 26 trays of breaded scampi per minute and have their product stocked in three retailers. Barry Harland, Group Technical Manager from Whitby Seafoods, commented: “PA were recommended to us when we were looking to move to a new packaging format.

From the very first communication to ongoing work today, they continue to be proactive and offer solutions by applying their expert friendly knowledge”.

TEL: 01565 755000 WWW.PAL.CO.UK

FULTON ANNOUNCES THE MOST RADICAL CHANGE TO BOILER DESIGN IN NEARLY 70 YEARS

In the year that sees them celebrate 50 years of UK manufacturing, Fulton is to launch a heat transfer solution, claiming that the allnew SRT Series is the most radical change to vertical steam boiler design since the company pioneered the vertical tubeless boiler in 1949!

By adopting a systems engineering approach to design and using its own ‘PURE’ technology, Fulton’s SRT Series challenges the heat transfer and mechanical design principles of traditional vertical steam boilers.

With 30+ worldwide patents pending, the boiler’s spiral-rib tubeless design is a world first and creates a compact boiler with the industry’s smallest footprint. In fact, compared to equivalent 30hp Fulton J Series models, the SRT is an impressive 40% smaller.

Using in-house modelling with CFD and finite element analysis, the SRT’s ‘PURE Optimised’ design makes it durable and reliable, and with up to 6:1 turndown and a fully-modulating burner, the SRT also boasts industry-leading performance with an 84.5% gross (93.5% net) thermal efficiency and 99.5% steam quality from a fully-water-backed design with no refractory.

The SRT complies with anticipated EU regulations, with its combustion technology being reconfigured and the mesh burner and furnace designed as a single component, resulting in NOx emissions of less than 40mg/kWh. WWW.FULTON.CO.UK

P06 FOOD AND DRINK NEWS APRIL 2016

NEWS UPDATES

CARGILL COCOA PROMISE REPORT: HOW LIVELIHOODS FOR COCOA FARMERS AND THEIR COMMUNITIES ARE IMPROVING Cargill has published its second report on the Cargill Cocoa Promise, highlighting its progress towards improving the livelihoods of cocoa famers and their communities.

Strengthening the Cargill Cocoa Promise, the company has introduced a monitoring and evaluation system to improve the effectiveness of its activities, enabling a more evidence-based approach to help raise the living standards of farmers and their families.

“We have advanced our way of thinking and reporting. It’s not only about reaching the farmer, we are focused on improving livelihoods of cocoa farmers and their communities. Capturing the results of our efforts achieved on the ground is key, as it helps us understand how our actions are delivering results that truly benefit farmers and communities,” says Harold Poelma, President, Cargill

Cocoa & Chocolate.

By participating in the Cargill Cocoa Promise, farmers become empowered, self-supporting entrepreneurs who manage professional and responsible farms and generate a living income or beyond. In 2015, some 90,000 cocoa farmers attended 2,700 Farmer Field Schools. This training enables farmers to achieve maximum profitability from their cocoa farms, to optimise production by using inputs, such as crop protection and fertilisers efficiently, while reducing their impact on the environment.

Through applying better plant protection, a 23% average yield improvement could be achieved for farmers.

A major part of the work today is focused on women’s empowerment, children’s protection and family nutrition. In 2015, more than 2,000 women successfully accessed credit to support income-generating

activities, which is over 50% of the total number of people who received finance through Village Saving and Loan Associations set up with Cargill’s support.

The main evolution outlined in the report are the robust methods established to monitor and evaluate progress in terms of gains in autonomy and professionalisation of farmer cooperatives, enhanced entrepreneurial capacity for farmers and empowerment of the farming

communities.

“The ‘let’s produce more’ approach is shifting to a more nuanced alternative. We’re looking to increase profitability of the farm, by increasing productivity in a cost efficient manner,” says Taco Terheijden, Director of Cocoa Sustainability at Cargill.

WWW.CARGILLCOCOACHOCOLATE. COM

SLEEVES FOR UK’S FIRST NATURAL ENERGY WATER Leading packaging manufacturer, Clondalkin Flexible Packaging Bury (formerly Chadwicks), has produced the sleeves for a new range of water from the Powerful Water Company.

POW Energy Water brings the qualities of water to the energy drink category. Made with natural ingredients POW is a low sugar, low calorie sparkling fruit flavoured energy water.

It is the first natural energy water to be launched in the UK and Ireland.

Clondalkin has produced three variants of the sleeve for three different flavours: cranberry and apple, coconut and lime, and citrus and zest.

Ken Dunlop, Sales Manager for Clondalkin Flexible Packaging Bury, commented: “It’s always exciting to be involved in a new product launch. The sleeve design is simple, yet striking and complements the product inside.”

Founder, Ed Woolner, from The

Powerful Water Company, said: “This was a new product for us so the packaging was really important.

We’ve been very pleased with the overall service received from Clondalkin Bury and hope to be putting more orders their way very soon. We have exciting plans in 2016, launching in Sainsbury’s, Boots and Spar, and Clondalkin are a great partner to help us grow the business.”

TEL: 0161 763 2100 WWW.CLONDALKINGROUPBURY.COM

APRIL 2016 FOOD AND DRINK NEWS P07

NEWS UPDATES

SPANISH MULTI-MILLION EURO INVESTMENT IN PET REINFORCES LEADING POSITION OF LINPAC IN EUROPE LINPAC is addressing the growing demand for PET and rPET by investing in excess of €8m in new extrusion and thermoforming capacity in Pravia, Spain to deliver a greater range of lighter, more costeffective and sustainable products.

The installation of a fourth extruder at its Pravia, Spain site will allow the food packaging manufacturing site to increase its capacity by 25% in order to meet demand from retailers and packers across Europe who are making the transition from EPS and PP to PET packaging.

Ricardo Cabeza, Managing Director of LINPAC Southern Europe, said: “The new extruder will extend our capabilities and enable us to offer a wider variety of products to customers, ensuring they receive the best packaging for their application.”

The installation of new thermoforming capacity will enable the site to increase annual production to 630m trays - an increase of 80m.

PET and rPET is becoming increasingly popular as a food packaging material across Europe due to its versatility, lightweight nature, barrier and food safe properties, as well as its recyclability.

These benefits are driving the growth of the market among retailers and packers in Spain and other European countries.

The investment is part of a threeyear plan with an estimated total of €14.3m going into LINPAC Spain; €3.8m is allocated for 2017 and a further €2.5m in 2018. The project endorses the commanding position that LINPAC holds in the Iberian region and further afield in terms of

market share and innovation.

Mr Cabeza added: “This investment will help to increase capacity, quality assurance and delivery of innovation, as well as greater flexibility in meeting customer needs for high quality products which address their environmental concerns.

“We pride ourselves on delivering

reliable, high quality, rigid and flexible packaging solutions to leading retailers, packers and distributors around the world. This investment will secure our future in the region as a leading innovator in the European fresh food packaging market.”

WWW.LINPACPACKAGING.COM

RADNOR HILLS ARE KEEPING KIDS HAPPY… With the launch of two NEW FLAVOURS to add to their extremely popular School Compliant Drinks Range Radnor Hills are certainly keeping the school kids happy, and most importantly, healthy this year!

Following the successful launch of Orange and Tropical flavours at the start of the year, Radnor have now unveiled the ‘Sour Cherry’ flavour in

the Fizz range and ‘Raspberry and Cherry’ flavour in the Fruits range, and golly… they taste good!

Both ranges contain 45% fruit juice and each 330ml bottle delivers children one of their five-a-day portions.

Radnor Hills are passionate about providing great tasting yet healthy drinks for children that are fun! All the drinks are made using their own natural spring water and all are bottled at source!

“It’s important to get kids of all ages on board with healthy

drinking,” says Radnor Hills Managing Director, William Watkins. Both Radnor Fruits and Fizz are a perfect thirst quencher for kids and are installing a healthy attitude to drinking!

This year Radnor Hills will be celebrating 25 years in the soft drinks industry – and what better way to do it than with some brand new exciting flavour launches!

WWW.RADNORHILLS.CO.UK @RADNORHILLS #DRINKRADNOR

P08 FOOD AND DRINK NEWS APRIL 2016

NEWS UPDATES

BLADESTOP BRINGS SAFE SOLUTION FOR BANDSAWS Meat and food processors can help to minimise the risk of serious operator injury following news that Interfood Butchery has been appointed as the sole distributor of BladeStop™ in the UK and Ireland.

Anybody involved in the operation of commercial bandsaws is aware of the potential for serious injury. Numerous accidents have caused deep wounds that require surgical intervention, with some even resulting in amputation. This was the driver behind the development of BladeStop, an innovative system specifically designed to address the health and safety issues relating to bandsaws.

The system - designed and manufactured by Australian based company Scott Automation &

Robotics in collaboration with Meat & Livestock Australia - works by mechanically stopping the bandsaw blade when the unit senses that a person has come into contact with, or is dangerously near to, the blade.

The blade stops operating within 15 milliseconds, minimising the severity of an incident – potentially the difference between just a small skin cut and an amputated finger.

Mark Bishop, Joint MD of Interfood, said: “It was very rewarding that the Australian developers of the BladeStop system approached us when they wanted to maximise its potential in the UK and Ireland.”

TEL: 01844 217676 WWW.INTERFOODTECHNOLOGY.COM

FREE DOWNLOADABLE ICE GUIDE PROVIDES INSIGHT INTO BARCODES Coding and marking specialist Interactive Coding Equipment (ICE) has launched the first in a series of free interactive technical guides, to allow companies to get the most out of printing and coding solutions.

Aimed at production line staff and engineers, the ICE Barcode Guide describes the different types of codes available together with an explanation of coding terminology, and provides a brief overview of the barcodes and their uses, including a graphical

explanation of how each barcode is structured.

Produced by the technical experts at ICE, the guide also contains valuable information about the industry benefits of using each barcode, including statistical data and a brief history of their implementation.

In addition, the guide features sections on primary and secondary packaging and simple explanatory descriptions of the barcode types that are used for both types of pack.

There is also a section on symbology, which explains the relationship between data and the barcode and how product information is encoded.

Chris Simpson, Managing Technical Director at ICE, comments: “Our Barcode Guide is

designed to provide a quick-to-use reference document that will help companies maximise the many benefits of barcode technology.

“It is easy sometimes to be confused by the technical jargon surrounding the codes so our guide aims to provide clear and simple explanations of the codes and the types of packaging they are most suitable for to help users make informed decisions about the best solution for their requirements.”

The interactive guide is now available to download at www.interactivecoding.co.uk/barco deguide A second free guide on secondary packaging will be published shortly.

For all its latest developments, the company can be followed on Twitter @ICE_Coding.

APRIL 2016 FOOD AND DRINK NEWS P09

SOFT DRINKS FOCUS

ENCIRC BEVERAGES DOUBLES SOFT DRINKS PRODUCTION CAPACITY Following significant growth in customer demand, glass manufacturer and contract bottler, Encirc Beverages, has installed a second drinks blending stream at its facility in Elton, Cheshire, doubling its capacity to blend beverage products.

The multi-million pound investment in the new equipment will both increase production capability and allow ingredients to be correctly mixed into syrups at high speeds ready for diluting and bottling. This will further improve the quality of soft drinks, beer, wine, cider and other beverages containing ingredients with low solubility, such as pectin, which have traditionally been challenging to blend.

The new blending equipment has

been fitted with a drum offload injection feed and homogeniser, as well as a five-stream blending skid and high shear batch mixer, while existing equipment has been upgraded to further increase capacity at the plant.

Two storage vessels have been transformed into additional batch mix vessels, and another two have been fitted with recirculation chilling technology to store fruit concentrates at sub-zero temperatures until they are ready to be bottled.

David Lynn, Technical Manager at Encirc Beverages, explained: “As a company, we’ve seen some impressive growth in demand for our manufacturing and filling services over the last 12 months, so

it’s crucial that we do all we can to ensure we can satisfy our customers’ needs now and in the future.

“This investment is not just about meeting demand though. It’s vital to help us further improve the quality of the drinks we fill to ensure we

continue to provide the best possible service both to our customers and to end-consumers.”

TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT ENCIRC, VISIT THE WEBSITE: WWW.ENCIRC360.COM

PREMIUM NEW LOOK FOR SCHWEPPES KICKS OFF ITS BIGGEST YEAR OF INVESTMENT FOR 20 YEARS Producer of the UK’s number one tonic brand, Schweppes,[1] is revamping its pack design by launching a bold, effervescent new look to showcase its premium credentials to adult consumers.

From April, Schweppes 1litre mixers will be available to retailers with striking new black labels which demonstrate the brand’s longstanding heritage as the ‘creator of bubbles since 1783’. The sophisticated and modern new design is also peppered with adult wit and humour to appeal to 30+ consumers looking for intriguing brands that suit their lifestyles.

Schweppes, the nation’s favourite tonic,[2] is supporting the packaging re-vamp with lifestyle POS, OOH

and cinema advertising, experiential marketing and a digital campaign – showcasing that shoppers can get the perfect serve using Schweppes products.

The move is the first in a series of investments planned for the Schweppes brand in 2016, which promises to be the brand’s biggest campaign in 20 years.

Wider plans also include reintroducing the Schweppes Russchian variant, currently known as Citrus Blend.

Simon Harrison, Commercial Director, Schweppes and New Brand Development at Coca-Cola Enterprises, said: “Schweppes is an iconic brand that will benefit from a bold new look that drives home the

brand’s unique heritage, distinctive sharp taste and premium quality.

Many people are not aware that the founder of Schweppes actually created the art of bottling the bubble, and the brand has been perfecting the product since then to make it a proven consumer favourite.

“With mixers performing well, we have impressive plans for Schweppes this year, and this is the

first in a line of activations that will encourage trial and build brand loyalty by emphasising Schweppes taste preference, distinctive British style and sharp sense of humour.”

P10 FOOD AND DRINK NEWS APRIL 2016

SOFT DRINKS FOCUS

TAXING TIMES FOR SUGARY DRINKS SOFT DRINKS MANUFACTURERS HAVE BEEN ADAPTING TO INCREASED CONSUMER DEMAND FOR LOW-CALORIE AND NO CALORIE BEVERAGES FOR SOME TIME. SO HOW WILL THEY RESPOND TO THE SUGAR TAX? a joint legal battle against the Sugar Tax. There are also questions around fruit juices, smoothies and milkshakes – all of which will be exempt from the tax.

Speaking at Retail Week Live in March, the Vice-President of CocaCola said: “We don’t believe the sugar tax is the right thing to be done. We are not debating the issue, we are debating the solution. The facts don’t suggest that a sugar tax works to change behaviour.”

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

Headlines were made in March when the government announced that a Sugar Tax would be introduced in April 2018. The tax will have two categories: one representing the total sugar content over 5g per 100ml, and another for drinks with more than 8g per 100ml.

Campaigning celebrity chef Jamie Oliver cheered the decision in the

media and with a statement on his website, including the comment: “The tax will generate half a billion pounds that will go straight into our schools, invested into sports and breakfast clubs. I believe that it will reduce consumption, as it has done in other countries, and more importantly, it will force the industry to reformulate more quickly.”

The other countries include Mexico, France and some US states, which have all brought in versions of a sugar tax over the past three years – in Mexico a one peso (4p) tax on each can of soft drink introduced in 2014 saw a 12% fall in sales over the course of the year.

Others have been more critical and, at the time of writing, a number of companies are launching

According to ‘Changing Tastes: The UK Soft Drinks Annual Report 2015’ from The British Soft Drinks Association (BSDA), the UK soft drinks industry is valued at £15.7bn. The 14.8 billion litres of soft drinks consumed in the UK in 2014 included increased consumption of bottled water (up 9.3%) and still flavoured water (16.4%); while still and juice drinks volumes saw a small rise (0.7%); and fruit juice and smoothie sales were down (9.5% and 6% respectively) on 2013 figures. Almost half (49%) of the carbonates sold in 2014 were low-calorie or no-calorie.

In his introduction to the ‘Changing Tastes’ report, the BSDA Director General, Gavin Partington, said: “The number of consumers switching to low, no and midcalorie drinks in 2014 speaks volumes for industry’s efforts to meet changing consumer demands … Through reformulation, new product development, smaller pack sizes and increased advertising spend of nearly 50% last year alone, soft drinks manufacturers have used a variety of initiatives to achieve their calorie reduction goals whilst still meeting consumer expectations.”

APRIL 2016 FOOD AND DRINK NEWS P11

SOFT DRINKS FOCUS REFORMULATION – AND THE ALTERNATIVES

The delay in introducing the tax is intended to give soft drinks manufacturers time to alter their formulations; indeed, many already produce soft drinks with alternative sweeteners, such as aspartame, saccharine, Splenda and Stevia.

“The first thing to consider is that sugary drink bottle filling lines start with syrup and ingredients,” says Martyn Gill, Managing Director of EMEA, InfinityQS, a leading provider of enterprise quality management systems and SPC software to food and drink manufacturers. “There is instrumentation available on the market to ensure the sugar content is monitored and regulated. SPC software, such as InfinityQS’s ProFicient can collate sugar content data directly from the instrumentation for monitoring and traceability purposes.”

However, he believes manufacturers may look for alternative options to altering formulations. “Ultimately, the drinks manufacturers would likely see changing recipes as a last resort and will focus on looking for cost savings across other elements of the supply chain including packaging. If for example, the weight of a bottle of cola can be reduced by a fraction of a gram, the cost savings to a drinks company could literally run into the millions.”

WHO WILL PAY THE COSTS?

A recent report in The Guardian suggested that another option would be for

manufacturers to reduce pack sizes but not prices and to offer smaller discounts, which would mean that consumers could end up effectively paying the tax.

Martyn Gill suggests that others in the supply chain may also take a hit. “The impact of the Sugar Tax is going to have interesting consequences for the drinks industry, particularly who is going to have to absorb the costs and what impact it is likely to have on the bottom line. The retailers are likely to be expected to bear the brunt of the tax but they will be less enthused about this prospect and may therefore attempt to pass any additional costs down the supply chain.”

He also says that suppliers and manufacturers could benefit from increased collaboration. “Unless these industries come together, pool their resources and collaboratively look at ways to help one another, then the opportunity to combat new challenges, such as the sugar drinks tax, will be seriously hampered.”

WHAT NEXT?

Will the Sugar Tax be a one-off or just the beginning? Antony Earley, Business Development Director at shopper marketing agency Lick Creative, thinks the latter.

“The ‘War on Sugar’ has, so far, focused solely on drinks with added sugar, but the new Sugar Tax will be the catalyst that sees attention inevitably shifting to encompass other food types. This change in legislation has multiple implications for marketing strategies and in-store displays – particularly in the light of Public Health England advocating the banning of BOGOFs and end of aisle displays.

Brands could start introducing new ranges with less sugar, or reformulate their existing products.

It’s a great opportunity for marketers to amplify intrinsic nutritional values, and create consistent, innovative campaigns both in and out of stores.”

Meanwhile, companies producing bottled water and sugar-free flavoured water brands such as Simply Pure could see their sales increase further.

While it will be interesting to see what changes the industry adopts in the run up to April 2018, the real test will be whether the Sugar Tax brings positive benefits to the nation’s health in the years that follow its introduction.

P12 FOOD AND DRINK NEWS APRIL 2016

HEPWORTHS

TRADITIONALLY CRAFT BREWED BEERS, FREE FROM ADDITIVES – AND NATURALLY GLUTEN FREE WE ALL KNOW THAT IT IS OUR FOOD AND DRINK THAT MAINTAINS OUR LIFE; IF THESE ARE SUITABLE FOR US, THEN WE INCREASE OUR CHANCES OF A HEALTHY LIFE

Recent scandals about traceability have concentrated the public’s awareness of the potential within the food industry for exploitation and deceit. We all want good food and drink, and we all want to know exactly what we are buying.

For allergen sufferers, this desire to know what we are eating becomes vital; it can literally control their diet because tiny particles of allergens can cause important, even long-term life-threatening reactions.

Gluten is a typical food allergen; it causes painful symptoms and the reaction can lead to nutritional deficiencies. Moreover, it is a

common component of many foods and seems difficult to avoid.

Barley contains gluten and obviously beer is brewed with barley. The conclusion seems obvious.

But it is not necessarily so.

Hepworths have launched a range of seven beers and lagers which are gluten free. And brewed using barley with no deglutenasing additives -or any other additives - and in a purely traditional manner! So how does this happen?

“It all begins in the field,” says Andy Hepworth. “We forward-buy our barley and have a long and good

relationship with our farmers. We use low protein barley – gluten is a protein – and our farmers harvest at just the right moment for the yield.

We can even stipulate whereabouts in the field our barley comes from.

Forward purchasing gives the farmer the security to plant according to our needs and so ensure a consistent supply. Buying barley on the spot market would risk a variation in the protein content.”

Hops are also forward purchased, to similar high specifications, but hops are not the allergen that Coeliacs, the gluten intolerant or those avoiding potential allergens

must avoid. But the principle is the same. Meticulous choice of ingredients and meticulous treatment are key in producing high quality ales and lagers whether gluten free or not.

The next process is malting.

Hepworths prefer traditional floor malting to allow the gluten to start to break down. The resultant product, the malt, is a major component of the ultimate flavour.

Treating the malt with care is the malster’s art – and Hepworths only use the best malsters.

The milling of the malt breaks the grain apart and the long hot boil

APRIL 2016 FOOD AND DRINK NEWS P13

HEPWORTHS helps to break down the gluten still further. Time taken over conditioning the beer is also paramount to allow the flavours to mature and develop. During this time, much of the gluten will fall naturally within the conditioning tank.

“Good beer takes time,” says Andy. “We test for gluten at every stage of production. The last stage of the brewing process filters out any remaining gluten.”

Samples from every brew are sent to an independent laboratory for verification of their status. Tests undertaken independently can only asses the gluten content down to 10 parts per million – the equipment cannot detect below this level. The Coeliac Society accepts 20 parts per million as the standard for gluten free status – and Hepworths are registering at half that! “And it may well be that there is absolutely no trace of gluten. The independent tests certainly can’t detect any.”

For Andy, the real pleasure is that this gluten free status has involved absolutely no manipulation of the beers which the brewery has always produced. There is no compromise.

Their award winning formula is unchanged. “All we have changed is the labelling to show the gluten free status. This is first class beer, spanning a range of styles and flavours – and exactly the same as it always has been!

“We have had sincerely moving letters and calls from people, beer lovers who had been deprived of their favourite tipple for many years.

They are all very enthusiastic and often say how good it is just to be able to order a pint in a pub with confidence – and then to experience a full-bodied, full strength and traditional craft beer, just as they remembered it.

Nostalgia and pleasure – what a reward. And all that in a pint!

“It makes for a rewarding relationship with our customers when they are so appreciative,” says Andy.

“We are proud of our products and are pleased that our ongoing

commitment to an ethic of good professional practice gives such splendid results – and all naturally brewed. Job satisfaction in every pint!”

Satisfaction comes in more than one pint glasses. With a strong client base Hepworths have taken the big step of buying land and building a much bigger brewery to their own design. The new brewery still lies within Horsham District Council, Hepworth’s previous base. “We are overflowing on this site.”

It is obvious, looking at the current site: towering piles of kegs and casks are visible all around the building outside the brewery yard; glass bottle skips have had to be moved outside the yard too. Inside, the office area is tiny; Andy’s office can just manage two guests. “When the architect came with large plans and drawings we had to decamp to the local pub to find enough space for us all.”

It seems appropriate that a brewery should be conceived in a pub!

The new brewery will have three times the capacity of the current, cramped one. “We are confident we can fill it” Andy adds. “We have even planned in a space for expansion on the new site. Business is brisk.”

In addition to the brewery, the new premises will also have a shop, something that space wouldn’t previously allow. “We will also run a Visitors’ Centre for visits and hospitality - that proved almost impossible in the old brewery because of available space, and we are keen to provide some training facilities for young people thinking of brewing as a career.”

The future looks busy and bright, and exciting, too.

The new brewery is set to open at the beginning of June. It will be well worth the visit!

Hepworth’s new brewery will be found on the A29, just north of Pulborough, West Sussex.

FOLLOW DEVELOPMENTS ON THE WEBSITE WWW.HEPWORTHBREWERY.CO.UK

P14 FOOD AND DRINK NEWS APRIL 2016

THOMAS RIDLEY FOODSERVICE

DELIVERING THE GOODS A HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL OPERATION SUPPLYING KEY COMMODITY INGREDIENTS TO COMMERCIAL KITCHENS, THOMAS RIDLEY FOODSERVICE PUTS THE CUSTOMER FIRST

From Norwich City Football Club and CenterParcs to education facilities and care homes, Thomas Ridley has built up an impressive client base by offering high fulfilment rates, excellent service and a low cost base.

Based in Bury St Edmunds, the company champions local and regional producers and delivers UKwide through its network of partners in the Country Range group.

Having developed significant expertise specialising in education and care homes, the company has made great strides into the independent sector, in particular hospitality and leisure.

“It’s about seasonality,” explains Managing Director, Justin Godfrey, a

sixth generation grocer whose family have traded in the area since the 1700s. “Schools shut down during the holidays so it’s about filling our lorries when it’s quiet in that sector.”

Recent growth has also been boosted by the opening of a new depot in Kent, the purchase of specialist supplier of chocolate and pastry products, FoodAngles, and the relaunch of its beer and wine product lines.

Moving forward, there are plans for increased digital activity, including a new website with more in-depth information about products, to help customers make a better choice.

BROAD CUSTOMER BASE

The company deals with all the main foodservice sectors: education facilities; care homes and hospitals; hotels, restaurants, pub chains and gastropubs; sports and leisure providers; garden centres, contract caterers and workplace catering.

“One of our key customers in this sector is CenterParcs, we’ve been working with them for a number of years,” says Justin Godfrey. “Plus premiership football clubs, like Norwich City. In education we trade with all the London school boroughs; we’re currently working very closely with schools on Soil Association accreditation.”

Despite fierce industry competition, Thomas Ridley has

continued to win and keep customers, delivering a comprehensive range of chilled, ambient and frozen products, as well as professional hygiene and catering sundries, in multi-temperature vehicles.

“It’s all about service,” says Justin Godfrey. “Our fulfilment rate is on average about 99.5%, which is the highest in our industry. Our cost base is one of the lowest in the industry, so we can be very competitive. We are very efficient in the way we operate – we don’t waste resources.”

Stockholding is also important, as Sales Director, Steve Lyons, points out: “The entire range we offer is held in one place so it’s available for next-day delivery. Many of our large

APRIL 2016 FOOD AND DRINK NEWS P15

THOMAS RIDLEY FOODSERVICE competitors hold stock in several depots, so they have earlier cut off times and the incidence of getting products to the customer in the correct delivery format happens less often.”

NEW DEPOT

While all of the stock and back office functions are based at the Bury St Edmund’s site, in August 2015 Thomas Ridley opened a new depot in Paddock Wood in Kent.

Goods are taken overnight down to the depot, where they are sorted ready for delivery the next morning.

The depot has both helped the company to cater for ongoing, organic growth with existing customers and to increase its reach in the south east.

K2N NUTRITION

With plans to develop its digital platform moving forward, the business is keen to promote the

benefits of its online software program, K2N. Marketing Manager, Darren Osborn, explains: “We’re developing a new website that offers much more in-depth information about products, thinking more about our customers’ requirements, which means we’re going to concentrate heavily on further nutrition and allergen information.”

An easy-to-use, point-and-click tool, K2N allows clients to better meet the nutritional needs of their customers by ensuring that meals are prepared using the right ingredients in the right quantities, with clear information on nutritional content.

Pre-populated with more than 4,000 ingredients, K2N has hundreds of recipes to follow as well as the facility for clients to create their own recipes.

Information can be accessed from any computer, simply by using a login and password and K2N is free

to customers who spend £250 a week.

EXPANDING THE PRODUCT RANGE

While the core business is general catering supplies, including ambient food, fresh produce and frozen goods, Thomas Ridley is currently working closely with local and regional producers and suppliers

within the East Anglia region.

“We’ve stocked quite a few award-winning products in categories such as preserves, lemon curds and local beers,” says Darren Osborn. “We help companies get their business ready for the food service market, from ensuring their packaging meets legal requirements to marketing their products. Then

P16 FOOD AND DRINK NEWS APRIL 2016

THOMAS RIDLEY FOODSERVICE we’re out there in garden centre shops, retail and foodservice businesses, selling their products in.

Consumers are interested in provenance, but it’s also about spending money within the local economy so that smaller businesses around them are thriving.”

Around six months ago Thomas Ridley acquired FoodAngles, an online retailer specialising in the supply of high-quality chocolate and pastry products.

As well as supplying small commercial companies such as delis, bakeries and chocolatiers, FoodAngles offers products such as pastry cases and cooking chocolate to food manufacturers, wholesalers, cash & carry outlets, chefs and caterers.

“What we’re finding is that chocolate and pastries are driving traffic to our FoodAngles website for add-on sales of complementary items,” says Darren Osborn. “We see

this as an opportunity for us to offer the customer a broader product range online. We’re now the largest online retailer of Pidy products in the UK, outselling Amazon, and we also stock Callebaut, a fantastic range of premium catering chocolate.”

ON THE UP

With turnover increasing annually for the past 15 years, to a projected £51m for 2016, the business has also been expanding its depot by buying additional land and extending the warehouse.

Staffing levels are currently just below 200 and training is delivered both by an outside provider and inhouse. “Our employees are very loyal; we’ve several who have been here for 30 or 40 years,” says Justin Godfrey. “One staff member has worked here for 42 years – he was here when my dad carried me in as a baby for the first time.”

As for the future, the company is two years into a five-year plan and has ‘modest’ plans for expansion, but not at the expense of running a stable business, as Steve Lyons explains: “Our plan ensures that as the business grows we do not compromise on our service level to customers. We are consistently investing in our people, infrastructure and new technologies to maintain and improve our

service. We feel that this is crucial for our company to continue to deliver the BEST in foodservice.”

THOMAS RIDLEY FOODSERVICE ROUGHAM INDUSTRIAL ESTATE, ROUGHAM, BURY ST EDMUNDS IP30 9ND TEL: 01359 270536 EMAIL: INFO@THOMASRIDLEY.CO.UK WWW.THOMASRIDLEY.CO.UK

P18 FOOD AND DRINK NEWS APRIL 2016

FIERA MILANO

TUTTOFOOD ANNOUNCES EXCITING NEW DEVELOPMENTS AND CONFIRMS THE RETURN OF MANY BIG NAMES ITALY’S LEADING TRADE SHOW GEARS UP TO WELCOME THE WORLD TO MILAN IN 2017

There’s no mistaking the signs that the next edition of TUTTOFOOD will be an event of absolute excellence. The international food and agricultural exhibition staged by Fiera Milano will run from 8 to 11 May 2017 at the Fieramilano trade fair precinct in Milan.

With more than a year to go, the organisers have already received word from numerous exhibitors and attendees confirming that they intend to return to TUTTOFOOD, including many big names from the industry - from the major areas of production in Italy as well as important food associations and international companies and collectives - confirming that they will once again attend the show.

As of today, more than one-third of the exhibition space occupied in 2015 has been reserved. This was also the situation 18 months before

the previous edition, but this time the show won’t be taking place at the same time as EXPO. This underscores how much of a central role this Milan-based trade fair has begun to take on the European scene. Participation by international companies is also on the rise and, thanks to Expo, these companies now associate Milan with food.

This continuous growth puts TUTTOFOOD on the front lines of the Fiera Milano Group’s strategy, which is ever more decisively putting the focus on reinforcing its leading position in the shows it organises directly, with great potential for growth, increasing its reach in the top industries and in terms of international growth.

This strategy will receive a further boost from an increase of capital with Fiera Milano Spa having offered options to shareholders, for a value equivalent to €66.8m euros.

This will allow for the expansion of projects for incoming buyers, communications abroad, workshops and events and will increase participation by qualified visitors, especially international ones.

Part of the reason companies want to participate in TUTTOFOOD is because of the many innovations on the horizon

for the 2017 edition, which will see the addition of two new product categories. There is to be further development of a section for the fruit and vegetable industry, which began in 2015 with the first edition of Fruit Innovation. This area is to round out the show with products from the industry. Then there’s the other big launch with

APRIL 2016 FOOD AND DRINK NEWS P19

FIERA MILANO

TUTTOHEALTH/Spazio Nutrizione. Thanks to an agreement signed between Fiera Milano and Akesios, a company specialised in organising medical and scientific conventions and congresses, TUTTOFOOD 2017 will have even more to offer and not just in terms of the dedicated exhibition space. There will also be a series of meetings that will offer the opportunity to learn and share, involving new key figures, such as doctors, nutritionists, dieticians, wellness professionals, personal trainers and pharmacists thanks to an agenda firmly grounded in science.

This partnership further strengthens TUTTOFOOD’s position as an international ‘hub’ for discourse on nutrition and health, and it is also a unique business platform.

Since the beginning, TUTTOFOOD has had the ability to pick up on and interpret the most promising trends for food & beverage professionals in its DNA – not just for promoting business but also for educating the industry.

Therefore, it couldn’t miss out on this opportunity with one of the industries that can help with sustainability in the food area.

This is the idea behind the agreement Fiera Milano has signed with FederBio, the Federazione Italiana Agricoltura Biologica e Biodinamica (the Italian Federation for Organic and Biodynamic Agriculture) that is encouraging its members to participate in the next edition of TUTTOFOOD. The

objective is to offer its members important contacts in the food market. This is a unique collaboration in the B2B space, and with it, FederBio has the opportunity to offer its members a direct link to the world of specialised professionals and national – and, most of all, international – buyers, all of whom represent the ‘natural’ visitor at TUTTOFOOD. This collaboration, which also includes the opening of the Lombardy headquarters of the Federation in the Fiera Milano buildings in Rho, will lead to the creation of community projects for promoting and developing the organic industry in Italy and abroad.

When it comes to more traditional industries, PASTA ITALIA, which is a result of the partnership between Fiera Milano and AIDEPI, the Italian Association of Pasta and Confectionery Industries, is having much success.

AIDEPI has chosen TUTTOFOOD as its go-to show for promoting the value of pasta and the Mediterranean diet on an international level.

All of the other industries at TUTTOFOOD are also seeing growth. From companies that deal in dairy products to groceries, from the olive oil industry – with Unaprol once again confirming its important participation – to ‘green’ industries and companies that deal in meat and cured meats - with ASSICA, one of the key Italian players in the industry, confirming it

will return as well - to the sweets industry thanks to AIDEPI’s participation, all the way to seafood and beverages.

There’s a new project that will guarantee growth at TUTTOFROZEN, the area dedicated to frozen foods and created along with UNAS. This project will present a new way to preserve foods, maintaining the freshness and natural qualities and combining this with convenience, which is ever more a necessity due to how consumers live today.

Another innovation of the next edition is the TUTTOFOOD international road show, organised along with ITA-Ice, with various stops in Europe and outside of Europe in 2016 and 2017.

The Fiera Milano-branded show is adding new product categories, seeking new strategic alliances, developing new content and forging new opportunities for international

contacts, pursuing a path that has generated steady growth within the space of just five editions.

TUTTOFOOD now ranks as the third most important B2B agrifood fair in Europe, and the number one event of its kind in Italy. The show’s leadership is driven primarily by the quality of the business, rather than merely by its impressive facts and figures. This view is confirmed by the favourable opinions of exhibitors at the last show: 94% were satisfied with the quality of visitors to their stands, 88% with the number of visitors and 86% with the contacts generated by the event.

THE NEXT TUTTOFOOD EVENT IS AT FIERAMILANO FROM 8 TO 11 MAY 2017. FOR MORE INFORMATION, LOG ON TO WWW.TUTTOFOOD.IT AND CHECK OUT THE SHOW ON SOCIAL MEDIA (#TUTTOFOOD, @TUTTOFOODEXPO)

P20 FOOD AND DRINK NEWS APRIL 2016

MELPASS

A REVOLUTION IN LABEL PRINTING CHEMICAL CLEANING PRODUCT MANUFACTURER, MELPASS, HAS INVESTED IN A NEW DLP PRINTER FROM MAGNUM MATERIALS TO ENHANCE ITS LABEL PRINTING CAPABILITIES As a highly respected UK manufacturer and a forwardthinking company, Melpass Ltd is always on the lookout for ways to improve efficiencies and provide an even better service for its many customers.

Based in Burnley, Lancashire, Melpass has now become the second company in the UK to have purchased an Afinia DLP-2000 label press from Magnum Materials Ltd. Manchester-based Magnum Materials has successfully installed this new addition to Melpass’s digital label equipment – and it is

revolutionising the way they make labels.

LABEL PRINTING ON DEMAND

In 2012 Melpass Ltd took the decision to buy an Afinia L-801 digital label printer to get control of its label inventory and operate a “just in time” approach to labelling.

The L-801 label printer allowed the company to print as many or as few labels as it desired. Printing its own labels as the product is manufactured means Melpass carries virtually no printed stock of labels.

APRIL 2016 FOOD AND DRINK NEWS P21

MELPASS A NEW STEP FORWARD

Over the last few years the company has grown from strength to strength – and its labelling needs and demands have followed suit.

Now Melpass has purchased a DLP-2000 from Afinia UK distributor Magnum Materials Ltd. Magnum has over 30 years of experience in the label market and is the perfect partner for Melpass to work with. A large supplier of inkjet media, Magnum has a great deal of knowledge about the traditional label market and therefore has plenty of experience to offer any of its customers who want to buy a digital press.

The DLP-2000 incorporates the L-801 Memjet technology with an inline finishing system. This allows Melpass to print, die cut and laminate labels in one process. This level of flexibility means Melpass truly is a label printer in its own right.

The Managing Director of Magnum Materials, Stuart Botterman, says: “The DLP-2000 at Melpass perfectly complements the original L-801 and adds a new dimension to the business.”

He continues: “Originally Melpass had the capability to print pre-die cut labels, which made a big difference to the business. Melpass started off by making small volumes of labels and this has grown and grown. Now, with this latest addition, the company can print, laminate, cut and finish labels from raw media to the finished article.

This new machine means that Melpass can produce all its label requirements in-house, on demand.”

THE DLP-2000 IN DETAIL

The Afinia DLP-2000 is a digital label press that is powered by Memjet technology, which makes it possible to print high-quality labels without the high price tag associated with most traditional digital presses.

The DLP delivers flexibility, quality and speed, making digital production accessible and profitable in a variety of industries such as

chemical, food and drink, pharmaceutical and automotive labelling industries.

It prints vibrant labels at 1600 x 1600 dpi photographic quality colour at nine metres per minute.

The machine has a small footprint and benefits from low maintenance, with an internal cleaning system for the print head. Running on a 13amp plug instead of a 3 phase system, the DLP-2000 allows for print on demand, with no plates or expensive set-up. Finally, its semirotary tooling makes tooling cheaper, with no expensive cylinders to buy.

SPECIALIST IN CHEMICAL PRODUCTS

Melpass specialises in the manufacture and branding of chemical cleaning products for a variety of well-known companies around the world. The company’s market-leading brands include Thaumaturgy, Liquid Science™ and Unicorn Chemicals.

With trained sales professionals, technical advisors and chemists in house, Melpass is able to offer superlative guidance and technical

assistance to its customers to help them select the best products and applications for their business from the company’s broad suite of products.

In tandem with its chemical cleaning product ranges, Melpass also offers consumables such as paper disposables and spillage kits, including the Bay West towel and tissue dispensing system, with the aim of reducing the cost of washroom service by as much as 40%.

SHORT-RUN PRINT SOLUTIONS

Formed in 1983 to bridge the gap between printers and material manufacturers, Magnum is a supplier of short-run self-adhesive materials and machines. These are ideal for digital printers so that companies do not need to hold stock.

With trained engineers on hand to help and a vast experience of printing, especially Memjet technology, Magnum services a wide range of customers.

ANOTHER HAPPY CUSTOMER

Anthony Plummer, Assistant Operations Manager at Melpass,

says: “Due to the increase in demand for an own-label service from our customers and the addition of a new aerosol production facility, we felt the need to enhance our label printing capabilities. After viewing many different options we came across the DLP printer from Magnum Materials. This fit exactly what we were looking for in one complete, compact unit.”

He continues: “We are now running the machine eight hours per day and producing top-quality labels with a laminated finish. We can also now print labels to fit any shape container, something that we have always struggled to produce using in-house printing. Now we are able to buy and cut down master rolls of material, the saving is so great that the machine should pay for itself within the first 18 months of it being delivered.”

MAGNUM MATERIALS LTD THE SELF ADHESIVE CENTRE, GLOBE LANE INDUSTRIAL ESTATE, DUKINFIELD, CHESHIRE SK16 4UG TEL: 0161 3431131 EMAIL: INKJET@MAGNUM-UK.COM WWW.MAGNUM-UK.COM

P22 FOOD AND DRINK NEWS APRIL 2016

EUPHORIUM BAKERY

FRESHLY MADE, EVERY DAY IT STARTED WITH A SINGLE RETAIL OUTLET IN NORTH LONDON – AND NOW EUPHORIUM BAKERY IS BRINGING THE ARTISAN APPROACH TO TESCO STORES ACROSS THE UK By creating all its products from scratch at a central bakery and distributing them daily, Euphorium ensures that consumers can enjoy fresh bread, patisserie and other baked goods of a consistently high quality – whether purchased in one of the company’s bakeries or one of their ‘store within a store’ outlets in branches of Tesco.

A UNIQUE OPERATION

“We’re unique in terms of how we operate,” explains Commercial Director, Rebecca Cope. “We have a central bakery, built two years ago,

where our products are made from scratch every day. We invest in our staff and upskill them to become expert bakers. It’s a simple operation, but it allows us more time to concentrate on product quality.”

This unusual operating model also allows the business to be more agile when it comes to expansion. In addition to its high street chain of coffee shop bakeries, it now has a presence in 112 Tesco stores across the UK – 50 of which were opened within a few weeks at the end of 2015.

NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

In recent times, the company has turned its focus to developing new bread products at its central bakery, with some help from Scandinavian supplier Valsemøllen.

“The overall market in terms of baking is in decline apart from growth in the speciality bread sector,” says Rebecca Cope. “We’ve done a lot of work on grains and launched a new range last year focusing on added value through nutrition, which has been really well received.”

As well as wholegrain and

CSM Bakery Solutions is proud to work in partnership with Euphorium since their foundation to deliver innovative solutions that support the success of their bakery business.

CSM provides Euphorium with a broad portfolio of bakery solutions ranging from added value ingredients to fully finished thaw-serve and ambient products to enhance their bread and cake assortment.

The key ingredients to our mutual success are the close collaboration from concept to execution and the extensive technical service.

As an international leader in the baking industry, CSM takes pride in connecting people and processes, ingredients and expertise so that our customers may better serve their customers.

0800 783 4697 www.csmbakerysolutions.com info@csmbakerysolutions.com

APRIL 2016 FOOD AND DRINK NEWS P23

EUPHORIUM BAKERY wholewheat bread, a newly developed sourdough, and a popular high-protein bread, the range includes ingredients such as rye, spirulina, quinoa, flaxseed and chia seed. At the same time Euphorium continues to offer an extensive range of French bread – including baguettes, campaillette and paysanne boule.

The bakery is also famed for its celebration cakes, including cheesecakes, and for its patisserie, croissants, pain au chocolat and other pastries as well as traditional British staples such as Bakewell tarts and Eccles cakes. Customers also flock to their nearest Euphorium Bakery for lunchtime treats: sandwiches, rolls, toasties and bagels; salads from Hot Smoked Salmon & Puy Lentil Salad to Hoi Sin Duck Noodle Salad; and fruit pots, including porridge and yogurt pots.

Furthermore, in recognition of the excellent coffee served at Euphorium’s high street bakeries – sourced from Italian suppliers Kimbo and served by skilled baristas – the bakery has been awarded the prestigious 4 Cup Award from the Beverage Standards Association.

The business also has a social conscience: leftover food is donated to food banks or recycled as animal

feed, supported by Tesco, which has itself made major strides recently in terms of addressing food waste.

FRENCH INFLUENCE

The company might never have existed had it not been for the 1998 World Cup being held on French soil, which led founder Daniel Bear to bring a taste of the Parisian patisserie to Britain, opening the first Euphorium Bakery in 1999.

The purpose-built bakery at 202 Upper Street, Islington, north London, is still going strong today.

Within a couple of years, a second site was opened in Chapel Street market, followed by further sites across the capital and a head office on Horseferry Road, southwest London. In 2007 the business branched out into wedding and celebration cakes and a year later the company’s now famous muesli loaf was introduced.

The appointment of James Fleming as CEO in 2012, with a background working for PizzaExpress and renowned bakery chain Paul, marked a new chapter in the development of the business.

Together, he and Daniel Bear have guided the company into this new phase of expansion with Tesco, starting with the first ‘store within a

store’, which opened in the Kensington branch of Tesco in October 2012.

LOOKING AHEAD

With a raft of new and innovative products on the way, Euphorium Bakery will have even more to offer customers moving forward. While Euphorium Bakery’s coffee shop chain will continue to serve the

north London public, the partnership with Tesco is expected to evolve with further store openings – look out for one near you in 2016!

EMAIL: FEEDBACK@EUPHORIUMBAKERY.COM TWEET: @EUPHORIUMBAKERY WWW.EUPHORIUMBAKERY.COM

The foremost manufacturers of door hardware are proud to contribute to the success of

Manual and automatic door systems

Fasteners and hinges that ensure secure closure

The ultimate hygienic shelving system that optimises storage capacity

Unit 5D Ridgeway, The Ridgeway Iver Bucks SL0 9JQ Tel: 01753 631104 Fax: 01753 652312 Email: sales@fermod.co.uk www.fermod.com

APRIL 2016 FOOD AND DRINK NEWS P25

COLSEC LTD

BUILDING ON SUCCESS COLSEC OFFER A RANGE OF WALK-IN FREEZERS, CHILLERS AND CLEAN ROOMS THAT CAN BE INDIVIDUALLY DESIGNED TO MAXIMISE THE AVAILABLE SPACE Specialising in temperaturecontrolled environments, Colsec has more than 40 years of industry experience to offer its clients. These include many household names, from major food retailers and multinational fast food chains, to food processors and manufacturing units, hotels and restaurants, refrigeration contractors and catering houses.

Working closely with its clients to supply the right products for their requirements, Colsec has established an excellent reputation for the design, manufacture and installation of walk-in freezers, chillers and clean rooms. They manufacture Cold Room Panels with a camlock system which allows the room to be easily taken apart and so giving the ability to extend the cold room at a future date.

At present, the company is working on expanding its cold room range with development well under way and finished products expected by the summer. “We’re in testing stages at the moment so it’s quite exciting,” says the company’s Sales Manager, Richard Welch. “The

range we’re developing is going to make modular systems even simpler to build.”

The company also supplies firerated rooms, specialist racking and panel protection systems, and associated products such as door furniture. Cold room maintenance and repair is handled through its Servacool division, which has increased by around 30% over the past year, with ongoing expansion plans.

The process starts with the offer of a full site survey, so that the company can come up with the right solutions for each client.

Alongside this they offer CAD drawings with technical support and expert installation by their in-house team of installation engineers.

“It’s about organisations maximising the available space,” says Richard Welch. “Most of our work is made to measure, so it’s suitable for unusual shaped spaces. There are companies out there selling off-theshelf boxes at a low cost but they can’t offer the same as us in terms of utilising the total space available.”

The company’s headquarters are

in Droitwich, Worcestershire, and cover the UK and Ireland, with the offices and manufacturing facility covering 32,000 sq ft.

As well as attracting new customers through word of mouth, the business markets its products and services through online advertising and other activities such as social media. Colsec have recently revamped their spares website which has now been brought in-house with all the development work carried out by their Marketing specialist, Steve Burns. The new site will help to make ordering spares much quicker and easier on (www.coldroomspares.co.uk), and since relaunch turnover has increased by over 50%. Colsec’s main website (www.colsec.co.uk) was relaunched a couple of years ago but is also currently being redesigned to further enhance the clients’ experience.

Despite the recent downturn in the supermarket sector, turnover has remained steady at £7m and the company has maintained its position. “The challenge is trying to

compete with the online market of imported rooms that perhaps aren’t the quality they should be,” explains Richard Welch. “As a UK-based manufacturer we have higher costs, but at the same time we need to maintain the quality of the product and sensible margins. The other factor is the backup and service that we offer our clients which internet companies don’t.

“We have a very healthy business pipeline and we expect business to increase steadily from now until the end of the year, with a plan to increase turnover to £10m within the next five years.”

With a large, diverse client base and new products due out shortly, Colsec is well placed to achieve its goals.

COLSEC LIMITED HAMPTON LOVETT INDUSTRIAL ESTATE, KIDDERMINSTER ROAD, DROITWICH, WORCESTERSHIRE WR9 0NX TEL: 01905 795070 EMAIL: SALES@COLSEC.CO.UK WWW.COLSEC.CO.UK

P26 FOOD AND DRINK NEWS APRIL 2016

JOE’S ICE CREAM LTD

EVERYTHING ELSE IS JUST ICE CREAM FROM RUNNING SUCCESSFUL ICE CREAM PARLOURS TO CREATING BESPOKE PRODUCTS FOR RETAIL OUTLETS, JOE’S ICE CREAM IS A FAMILY-RUN BUSINESS THAT HAS STOOD THE TEST OF TIME It all began in 1922 when Joe Cascarini added his Italian ice cream recipe to the menu at one of his father’s coffee shops in Swansea. Still serving fresh vanilla ice cream made to Joe’s same secret recipe, Joe’s Ice Cream on St Helen’s Road is today one of four Italian-style ice cream parlours operated by the company in South Wales, with a fifth due to open later this year. All offer a takeaway and eat-in service and some serve sandwiches in addition to ice cream cones, wafers, specialities and sundaes.

The popularity of Joe’s fresh vanilla ice cream is all-important.

“The focus of our brand and company is our vanilla ice cream,” explains General Manager, Lucy Hughes, Joe Cascarini’s great-great niece. “Our tagline, ‘Everything else is just ice cream’, was coined for our unique vanilla.

“Due to our almost century-long history, customers have a real attachment to our ice cream and brand, they often tell us and send to us their own Joe’s Ice Cream stories from their childhood memories.”

Brothers, Dominic and Adrian Hughes (Joe Cascarini’s great nephews) developed the wholesale operation of Joe’s Ice Cream almost 20 years ago. Today Joe’s Ice Cream has a fleet of 10 vehicles that deliver ice cream to hundreds of outlets throughout Wales. Whilst the fresh parlour vanilla ice cream is made on site at each parlour, the wholesale ice cream is produced at the production unit in Llansamlet, with all NPD carried out at the modern facility, which has a five-star hygiene rating. The company’s 40-plus fulltime staff are supplemented by parttime and temporary staff, especially

in the summer, and employees gain experience in different parlours.

With strong competition from other local ice cream companies and Cornish brands, Joe’s USP on the wholesale side is creating bespoke products for different customers, from restaurants and cinemas to activity centres.

“The wholesale side of the business sells a variety of flavours including a tweaked vanilla recipe as our famous and fresh vanilla is designed to be eaten fresh over the counter,” says Lucy Hughes. “We have a lot of requests for our ice cream at weddings and we can create special products for different organisations and events.” This includes a Welsh cake ice cream for St David’s Day and various ice cream cakes designed for Christmas and Easter.

Moving forward, a traditional ice cream cart is being revamped to use at events: “It’s a way of increasing brand visibility and attaching to the street food trend. Events are our best marketing strategy, waving the flag and getting new audiences to taste our fresh vanilla ice cream.”

With plans to open more parlours in key locations, Joe’s Ice Cream will no doubt be on the menu for more and more customers moving forward.

JOE’S ICE CREAM LTD UNIT 1-5 CLARION COURT, LLANSAMLET, ENTERPRISE PARK, SWANSEA SA6 8RF TEL: 01792 702265 EMAIL: ENQUIRIES@JOESICECREAM.CO.UK WWW.JOES-ICECREAM.COM

APRIL 2016 FOOD AND DRINK NEWS P27

BEN RIGBY GAME LTD

THE NAME OF THE GAME AS A LONG-STANDING COMPANY WITH A REPUTATION FOR QUALITY, BEN RIGBY GAME IS WELL PLACED TO CAPITALISE ON THE GROWING MARKET FOR VENISON it’s in the supermarkets and some people buy it as a staple every week,” says Paul Scott. “If we can be in touch with the end user and promote our product, it can only help the whole industry which then reflects on our business as well.”

With a goal to increase venison processing to 2,500 carcasses a week, future plans include building a new facility and introducing New Zealand farmed venison to complement the existing seasonal supply.

“We have great hopes for the business. This year is up on last year and we envisage that next year will be better again. We’re already doing great things and we expect an even brighter future.”

Sourcing game from some of Britain’s finest estates and countryside, Ben Rigby offers 100% traceability and prides itself on quality above all.

“We know the market very well and we promote our business on the excellent quality we offer,” says Sales & Marketing Manager, Paul Scott.

“We have a reputation for paying promptly, so have great, long term relationships with our existing suppliers, which ensures we receive the very best quality game available.”

The company has benefited from the increasing popularity of venison in the UK and now processes, packs and labels around 1,500 carcasses a week at its state-of-the-art 18,000 sq ft production facility near Maldon in Essex. Other game supplied includes pheasant, partridge, grouse, wild duck, pigeon, rabbit and hare.

With a broad client base ranging from retailers and wholesalers to catering butchers and foodservice

companies, the business has expanded beyond the UK market and now has customers in France, Belgium, Scandinavia, the USA and the UAE, among others.

Established in 1979 by Ben Rigby, a poultry supplier with a farming background, the company began as a one-man band, with Ben processing and packing the game by himself – and even driving the delivery van. Soon he was supplying some of the largest game dealers on Smithfield Market, who recognised the quality of the product.

His commitment to quality control means that Ben still spends a lot of his time in the factory, especially now that the company has achieved BRC certification.

Although the business supplies wholesale, it also runs a game larder, as many customers like to come in and buy product fresh from the counter, along with exotic meats and locally sourced produce.

“It’s a way of staying in touch with the end user and of course you get feedback straight from the horse’s mouth,” says Paul Scott.

A new logo and website plus increased social media activity have all helped to market the company.

“Venison is more mainstream: celebrity chefs are talking about it,

BEN RIGBY GAME LTD ATHERSTONE LODGE, FAMBRIDGE ROAD, MALDON, ESSEX CM9 6NL TEL: 01621 741971 FAX: 01621 742182 EMAIL: ENQUIRIES@BENRIGBYGAME.CO.UK WWW.BENRIGBYGAME.CO.UK

APRIL 2016 FOOD AND DRINK NEWS P29

PRIMERA TECHNOLOGY EUROPE

SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL WITH A BACKGROUND IN PRINT INNOVATION, PRIMERA TECHNOLOGY EUROPE OFFERS INKJET AND LASER PRINTING SOLUTIONS FOR SMALL AND SPECIALIST FOOD PRODUCERS

The UK has many artisan food and beverage producers but shortrun and print-on-demand solutions have not always been available or affordable.

Harnessing the latest inkjet and laser technologies, Primera Techology Europe supplies a range of printers to suit the number and quality of labels required by its customers – whatever their size.

“The UK is one of our biggest markets, so we’re very focused on it,” says Anke Both who looks after public relations at the company. “We have many food producers as customers; many are small or specialist manufacturers, producing oils, sauces and dips, some offer handmade products and some are drinks producers.”

Customers can choose from Primera’s LX-series of inkjet label printers, or its CX/FX colour digital laser printing and finishing systems.

“Smaller companies usually start with pre-designed or even handmade labels, but when they get

bigger they need to professionalise the production of their labels and also to produce and apply their labels quicker and better,” says Anke Both. “That’s why we offer them the smaller entry-level colour label printers like the LX500e and LX900e.”

Later this spring the company will launch its LX500e into the European market. “It’s our new entry-level printer. Until now we had the LX400e as our smallest model, but we have improved this with a new print engine, doubling the maximum print speed from 25mm per second to 51mm per second. The capacity of the ink cartridge is higher and also an optional built-in cutter is available.”

The company also offers label accessories such as re- and unwinders or applicators, so customers in the food and drink industry have all the equipment they need to produce and apply labels in any shape and size.

Originally part of Fargo

Electronics until the printing and publishing division separated in 1998, Primera Technology’s global headquarters is in Plymouth, Minnesota, USA. In 2000 Primera Technology Europe was established in Wiesbaden, Germany, to service the European, Middle Eastern and African regions. From this European base, 45 employees offer support to distributors and customers – from marketing and sales to logistics, service and technical support.

Trained UK-based distributors also provide sales and support, including onsite demonstrations, and customers can take advantage of two-year warranties, backed up by 24/7 support via phone or live online chat.

All of the printers are manufactured in the US or at the company’s overseas facility in

Montego Bay, Jamaica, and Primera continually reinvests in new technology to improve the range and quality of its print solutions.

As well as regularly attending shows, either alone or supporting its distributors, Primera operates print and online marketing campaigns, including social media activity in recognition of its power to inform customers.

Moving forward, Primera will continue to look for new markets to expand into.

“We have a strong team and the label market is continuously growing,” says Anke Both. “Our customers are now realising they need more than just a standard label.

The demand is growing for individualised labels. With huge potential in the label market, first and foremost in the food and drink sector, and also for our specialised printers like the ones for medical needs, we are very optimistic for the future.”

PRIMERA EUROPE GMBH MAINZER STRASSE 131, D-65187 WIESBADEN, GERMANY TEL: +49 (0) 611 92777-0 EMAIL: INFO@PRIMERA.EU WWW.PRIMERA.EU

SUBSCRIBE TODAY One year subscription, All UK addresses £57.00 Sterling All European addresses €96.00 Euros Rest of the world $112.00 US Dollars

Mr/Mrs/Ms Job Title Company Address Postcode Country Telephone Fax Email Type of Business VAT No

PLANET MEDIA & DESIGN LTD BROOKE’S MILL, ARMITAGE BRIDGE HUDDERSFIELD HD4 7NR T: 01484 321000 F: 01484 502237 OR SUBSCRIBE ONLINE AT WWW.FOODANDDRINKNEWS.CO.UK