FoodChain Issue 141 September 2018

FoodChain Issue 141

l

SEPT 2018

The business of food and drink

Hand-cooked to perfection

How a dedicated investment strategy has always played a vital role in driving Burts Chips’ plans for growth

Industry News Mark the diary Chocolate Week is in October l

Clean and green Some tips on taking a more environmentally-friendly approach to energy in the factory

Free Soul products focus on women’s unique nutritional needs l

Beetroot powder from Zuma creates nutritious pink drinks

l

Technology release Customer data can help restaurants, bars and pubs get insights into their customers

LINKS IN THE FOOD CHAIN T H WHITE Projects has gained a strong reputation for the design and construction of bespoke systems handling the processing and storage of grain and free-flowing materials for the food and drink industry.

But that’s only part of our contribution to the food chain. T H WHITE Group started business in 1832 as an agricultural ironmonger and today T H WHITE Agriculture is still at the forefront of supplying Britain’s farming industry, operating premier dealerships for New Holland and Case IH machinery and other leading brands, supported by legendary aftersales service.

Fulfilment of your project is likely to call upon many resources and T H WHITE Construction can help to meet on-site equipment challenges.

For the full picture, call us today.

Nursteed Road, Devizes, Wiltshire SN10 3EA.

GROUP

T: 01380 723040 E: projects@thwhite.co.uk www.thwhite.co.uk

FoodChain ISSUE 141 L SEPT 2018

THE BUSINESS OF FOOD AND DRINK

Hand-cooked to perfection

Editor’s Welcome

How a dedicated investment strategy has always played a vital role in driving Burts Chips’ plans for growth

Industry News L Mark

Clean and green Some tips on taking a more environmentally-friendly approach to energy in the factory

the diary - Chocolate Week is in October

L Free Soul products focus on women’s unique nutritional needs L Beetroot

powder from Zuma creates nutritious pink drinks

Technology release Customer data can help restaurants, bars and pubs get insights into their customers

Chairman Andrew Schofield Managing Director Joe Woolsgrove Editor Libbie Hammond Assistant Editor Will Daynes

Sharing experience

Art Editor Fleur Daniels Staff Writer Vladi Nikolov Advertising Design Fiona Jolliffe Sales Mark Cawston Tim Eakins Darren Jolliffe Dave King Theresa McDonald Web Sales Tim Eakins Operations Director Philip Monument Editorial Researchers Anna Davies Alasdair Gamble Natalie Griffiths Wendy Russell Office Manager Advertising Administrator Tracy Chynoweth

A

s I looked through the content of FoodChain this month, I was struck by how lucky we are to be able to explore such a wide area of fascinating topics and talk to so many contrasting people from the food and beverage industry.

Whether it’s the success story of Burts Chips or the history of the Radstock Co-op, everyone has a lesson to share or some experience that is valuable to others.

Of course, also being the recipient of lovely products to sample is another benefit of being the editor of FoodChain. I am always so grateful to receive these and feel very privileged to be able to showcase these delicious items to a wider audience.

Follow us at:

We’re also trying to include equipment too – so if you have anything to review, please get in touch!

@FoodChain_mag

Schofield Publishing Cringleford Business Centre, 10 Intwood Road, Cringleford, Norwich, NR4 6AU, U.K. T: +44 (0)1603 274130 www.foodchainmagazine.com

libbie@schofieldpublishing.co.uk

© 2018 Schofield Publishing Ltd

Please note: The opinions expressed by contributors and advertisers within this publication do not necessarily coincide with those of the editor and publisher. Every reasonable effort is made to ensure that the information published is accurate, and correct at time of writing, but no legal responsibility for loss occasioned by the use of such information can be accepted by the publisher. All rights reserved. The contents of the magazine are strictly copyright, the property of Schofield Publishing, and may not be copied, stored in a retrieval system, or reproduced without the prior written permission of the publisher.

www.foodchainmagazine.com

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Contents 20

24

22

26

Features Food chain Digitisation is key

Plastic waste Big changes

4

To eradicate food waste, improve food safety and mitigate the risk of a global food crisis, companies are going digital

Labelling The Brexit factor

8

A recent survey has revealed interesting findings about consumer attitudes to third party mobile and online ordering providers

26

One big unanswered question is: how will food safety and labelling regulations be impacted or altered by Brexit?

Technology On the trail

10

28

Embracing renewable energy and clean technologies can bring many benefits to food manufacturers; including reducing costs and cutting carbon

Some of the ways that technology is being used to fight criminals who steal, misuse and even resell bread baskets

Weighing and measuring Weighing up the options

Customer loyalty A new breed

16

30

There are a number of positive business benefits that accrue from delivering accurately weighed products – including brand protection

Kees Jacobs explains why retailers need to move away from rational loyalty schemes and engage with shoppers an emotional level

Customer relationships Meeting expectations

Exhibition Food Matters Live

20

How the right IT solution can help prevent B2B food and beverage companies taking their customers for granted

Health drinks In good health

The future prospects for the health drinks sector are bright, with a real change in lifestyle values driving the market forward

2

24

The plastic crisis is now unavoidable, and food and drinks businesses need reduce the amount of plastic they use

Technology Technology release

Energy Clean and green

www.foodchainmagazine.com

22

Live

34

More than 16,000 influential professionals are expected to attend this year’s Food Matters Live event, which is being held at London’s Excel on 20-22 November

News

14/32

Up-to-date products and announcements from the food and beverage sector

Taste Test

The FoodChain team sample a selection of new and innovative foods and drinks

36

68

82 46 Profiles

60 Innovations & developments within some of the world’s finest companies

Burger Lounge

36

Broxburn Bottlers

88

Burts Chips

40

UCC Coffee UK & Ireland

96

Vergeer Holland

46

McDonald’s UK

102

Cutting Edge

50

Bowland Foods

106

Braswell Family Farms

54

Proper Cornish

110

BBF Limited

56

The Taste of Suffolk

114

Valio

60

Tree of Life

116

DRWakefield

62

Harvest Fine Foods

118

Radstock Co-op

65

Shell South Africa

120

GA Pet Food Partners

68

Vale of Mowbray

122

Providence Hospitality

78

Ziegenfelder

124

Ugo Foods Group

82

Southern Co-op

126

Wadworth

85

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3

Digitisation

is key

Jason Kay explains the role digitisation is playing in transforming the cold food chain to eradicate waste, improve food safety and mitigate the risk of a global food crisis

T Right: Jason Kay

4 www.foodchainmagazine.com

he world today has a vast problem with food – from a lack of biodiversity to excessive wastage, from poor health linked to over consumption to massive food poverty. We grow enough food to feed 12 billion – far in excess of the seven billion population

– yet more than one billion people are under fed. The UN estimates that, on our current path of food consumption and waste, by 2050 we will reach a tipping point and the world will be in a food crisis.

The problems extend from agriculture all the way through the food supply

Food Chain

chain to the home, where food wastage – in more economically developed countries at least – is excessive. The UN target calls for the world to cut per capita food waste in half by 2030 – but while changing consumer education and expectation is essential, as is the drive to increase biodiversity, it

is within the food supply chain that these changes will come together.

Without democratising an incredibly consolidated food supply market, it will be impossible to reduce wastage, embrace innovation and change consumer behaviour. Systemic change is essential.

Unsustainable model The way in which consumers have been educated to purchase food – both in store and in restaurants – has changed radically over the past few decades.

Following significant consolidation, both retail and restaurant markets are dominated by a small number of

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‘

organisations delivering a consistent and stable customer experience, one that offers products of identical size, shape and price irrespective of season or country of origin.

Of course, a sizeable proportion of fresh produce will never meet these unrealistic criteria. By creating a consumer expectation for blemish-free goods and specific size, food purveyors have built a market predicated on waste. Even if these ‘non-perfect’ items can be reallocated to sauces or ready meals, damage will occur at each stage of sorting and sifting that will result in further wastage.

Yet what has been achieved by this approach? Economically it is flawed, with subsidised agriculture and incredibly low margins for producers and retailers alike. Consumer populations – certainly in more economically developed countries – are less healthy, due in no small part to excessive consumption and the

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A democracy of participation within the food market will help to educate consumers, improve understanding of food quality and the implications to health

increasing use of excessive processing to address food safety concerns, especially regarding fresh food, and to extend shelf life. Yet, while much of the population feasts on unhealthy, processed food, by 2027 the world could be facing a 214 trillion calorie deficit. Something has gone awry with the global model of food production and consumption.

Lack of innovation Over the past 50 years, the economies and ethics of food production have fallen out of sync. Farmers do not want

to produce food that is wasted but every aspect of this low margin model results in wastage. Fears regarding food safety combined with failure of cold chain equipment leads inevitably to food being destroyed. But basic process failures are just one aspect of the problem.

The sheer cost of managing suppliers to ensure product consistency and safety makes it difficult for retailers to embrace new, innovative providers; whilst those with existing contracts cannot afford any risks associated with late delivery or under supply, and hence build in significant contingency.

The result is not only more wastage but also minimal opportunity to invest in innovation, to explore opportunities for new, healthier food options or embrace automation to improve efficiency.

Achievable change today Clearly the systemic change required if the world is to avoid the predicted food

Food Chain crisis cannot be achieved overnight.

In a difficult, low margin market, with small numbers of players fighting hard to retain share, it is incumbent upon innovators and disruptive market players to leverage digitisation to drive that change.

The most obvious role of digitisation is in minimising avoidable waste.

When one in three freight journeys in the UK is food, the use of real-time information to improve routing and distribution planning is key to improving resource utilisation. In addition, using existing sensors on refrigeration units, heating units and air conditioning systems to raise alarms when problems occur to enable immediate rerouting or allocation of items, plus the use of predictive maintenance to avoid equipment downtime, can have a very significant impact on food wastage.

This approach is already being used by forward thinking organisations that are using digital and automation strategies today to reduce avoidable loss of food, achieve huge reduction in reactive maintenance costs, even reducing customer complaints. Add in the use of real-time data to support a comprehensive energy management strategy incorporating a range of different metrics, from seasonal differences to equipment reliability, and organisations can radically reduce annual power consumption. Together these changes result in a reduction in revenue expenditure of tens of millions and, in large estates, percentile point gains on capital employed can run into many hundreds.

Critically, this is being achieved by layering digitisation over existing infrastructure – clearly it is not feasible for retailers to rip and replace control infrastructure across hundreds or thousands of locations. The impact on both profit and customer experience would be hugely damaging.

Instead, by leveraging edge-based processing to ensure information from existing equipment throughout the supply chain is both actionable and actioned to make immediate changes, retailers are able to achieve IoT capacity at pace and with no downtime.

It is this frictionless approach to digital

adoption that will be key to releasing measurable value.

Democracy and innovation With this approach organisations can achieve a significant revenue uplift - without the need for massive investment. Indeed, it is the compelling ROI from this initial step of leveraging existing equipment that will be key to providing the investment that will underpin the next level of digitisation – the use of traceability systems to manage the advocacy, source and safety of food.

With the ability to confirm not only that products have been correctly produced but that they have followed the correct processes at every stage of the supply chain, from farm to retailer, digitisation provides a full audit trail of trusted information. This approach delivers low cost governance, radically reducing the cost of supplier ownership for retailers and opening up new opportunities for suppliers to enter the supply chain and create the democracy that is essential to enable innovation.

And it is this innovation that will be key to moving away from the entrenched practices of food procurement that have embedded consumer expectations and misunderstanding. A democracy of participation within the food market will help to educate consumers, improve understanding of food quality and the

implications to health, and facilitate the introduction of new products and practices, including biodiversity, that deliver a new consumer experience.

A more predictable marketplace will also encourage investment, enabling SMEs to enter and embrace automation to replace the reliance upon cheap labour to improve productivity. The result should be not only less wastage and a fairer distribution of food globally but also a better consumer experience with access to fresher, healthier and less heavily processed food. In effect, the adoption of IoT to minimise avoidable waste within the retail cold food chain is the essential first step towards full digitisation throughout the food production lifecycle – digitisation that will underpin the global response to the developing food waste crisis.

Conclusion A fundamental change to the global supply chain will take time. But there are very significant changes that can be made today that not only begin to address the wastage endemic within the food chain but also release the investment required to support the adoption of digitisation throughout the infrastructure that will be key to transforming the end to end business model.

It is by embracing digitisation to improve food safety and advocacy that the market can democratise access in order to generate the innovation key to making fundamental change, from automation to enhanced productivity to improving consumer education and supporting essential change in global food production and consumption. D Jason Kay is CCO at IMS Evolve.

Built upon a clear vision to positively benefit the core purpose of a business and make more efficient use of its resources, IMS Evolve has developed a fundamentally new approach to turning machine data into actionable insight with low impact, on premise processing technology, known as processing at the edge. www.ims-evolve.com

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Technology release R

Seventy per cent of consumers want restaurants to take their money, not ‘Deliveroos’ 8 www.foodchainmagazine.com

esearch from Preoday has revealed the findings on consumer attitudes to third party mobile and online ordering providers (such as Deliveroo and Just Eat) which charge commission fees; 70 per cent say they’d rather order direct, preferring that their money goes straight to the restaurant, not a third party. Only 15 per cent said they didn’t really care how much money the restaurant received from their order.

The response came after consumers were informed that 68 per cent of food and drink professionals, questioned by digital ordering technology provider, Preoday, pay commission fees to their digital ordering technology supplier.

Prior to this information, 74 per cent had already said that they order food online or through a mobile app: 30 per cent used aggregators such as Deliveroo and Just Eat, while 23 per cent went straight to the restaurant to

Technology order; 21 per cent said they look at both options and decided at the time.

The shift in opinion is apparent; when given the full story, consumers want restaurants to take their money, not technology suppliers.

Nick Hucker, CEO of Preoday, comments: “The consumers’ change in response is key. It shows that with simple education, many customers would be willing to change their ordering habits. It also demonstrates that they do care and want to support their favourite brands. Given how much revenue some venues lose to third party platforms, this finding could be significant.”

How much is too much?

Of the professionals whose restaurant businesses give customers the opportunity to place food orders online or via a mobile app (be that an aggregator or their own branded platform), 25 per cent are paying more than 20 per cent commission per order, only 16 per cent pay less than ten per cent.

Questioned on whether they thought the commission fees they were being charged were fair; only 12 per cent of operators said that they were - 82 per cent said they were too high and 33 per cent went so far as to say that the fees weren’t worth the result.

Nick comments: “Such high commission fees can be damaging to a business’ profit, and in these challenging times, to its survival. Food service businesses make, on average, between five to eight per cent profit, so if they’re paying 20 per cent plus in commission fees, that profit is being eaten away. You have to question why these businesses don’t cut out the middleman and use a branded a technology that doesn’t stand in the way financially.”

Investigating this point, Preoday found 38 per cent of the questioned professionals would rather their business had its own ordering website/ app than use a third-party provider; only 14 per cent thought that it’s better for a brand to have a third-party app than use its own order or delivery app.

Worryingly, 38 per cent claimed that

• 82 per cent of restaurants, bars and pubs paying

commission fees to an online and mobile ordering provider, say they are paying too much • 25 per cent pay their online and mobile ordering technology

provider a commission fee higher than 20 per cent • 38 per cent claim that that once a business has started

using a third party (aggregator) ordering technology, it’s difficult to break away that once a business has started using a third-party ordering technology, it’s difficult to break away.

Preoday’s research further explored the access to customer data that digital ordering technology providers give clients. It found that, of those food service businesses offering a digital ordering service whether own-branded, or through an aggregator, 44 per cent aren’t given access. Considering the important role that data plays in understanding customers, enhancing marketing and giving a personalised service, it shouldn’t be surprising that 43 per cent of professionals said they believe third party apps - many of which withhold data - interfere with the direct relationship between a restaurant/bar/

pub and its customers.

Nick finishes: “There are many applications for the insight gained from customer data, but at its most basic, that data can help a business get to know its audience and build a relationship based on exactly what the customer wants. Something every person at Preoday is passionate about is data; we are proud of the data we help our clients gather on their customers and how our technology lets them analyse it for use. Unlike online ordering companies that keep customer data from their clients, we see it as an essential part of our service and believe it helps grow successful businesses.

Without it, how can a restaurant, bar or pub get to know its customers better and - therefore - grow its takings?” D

Preoday is a robust digital ordering platform that helps food and retail businesses around the world open new revenue streams and improve relationships with customers.

Preoday enables businesses to offer branded online and mobile pre-ordering facilities to customers purchasing food, drink and merchandise. It provides a white-label service to businesses ranging from restaurants and cafes to corporate caterers, theatres and stadiums. Preoday works both directly with businesses and partners including resellers, technology providers and ticketing agencies. www.preoday.com

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Clean and green Dr Randall Bowen discusses how to take a more environmentally-friendly approach to energy in the factory

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Energy

F

ood and farming is estimated to produce around 20 per cent of the world’s direct greenhouse gas emissions.

Most of these emissions are associated with agriculture, but the energy required to process goods is by no means insignificant. But there are ways that food manufacturers can save carbon, save cost and become more energy secure - by embracing clean technologies.

1. Switch to a renewable energy company The first change is as simple as switching to a clean energy provider, like Good Energy, which sources its electricity solely from renewable generators. It can be quick and easy to make the switch, and there are benefits for business as well as the environment.

Twenty-eight of the biggest retailers (including Aldi, Sainsbury’s and M&S) have recently signed up to the Better Retail – Better World commitment, led by the British Retail Consortium, which is mobilising the retail industry to meet some of the biggest global challenges of the coming decades. A key area of focus is reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the supply chain.

By switching to 100 per cent renewable electricity, food manufacturers can report a much lower carbon footprint, in line with the World Resource Institute’s Greenhouse Gas Protocol. This allows businesses to report electricity from renewables as carbon neutral if they use a market based methodology, which could help improve their ability to sell via larger retailers. And those who sell directly to consumers? Recent research undertaken by YouGov and Good Energy has shown that 62 per cent of consumers are more likely to buy from a business with good environmental credentials too.

One food manufacturer that has made sustainability a key selling point is luxury condiment company, Tracklements. The family-run business manufactures over 10,000 jars of pickles, relishes and chutneys a day at its Wiltshire factory, which is powered by 100 per cent renewable electricity.

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Energy “We sell Tracklements condiments directly, as well as via Waitrose and small delis all over the country,” explained Managing Director, Guy Tullberg. “We’ve always been so proud of our sustainable credentials and believe it’s a key USP when we sell to businesses and consumers alike.”

2. Generate renewable electricity on site The second change that food manufacturers can make to decarbonise operations is to generate their own renewable electricity on site. Installing behind-the-meter renewable generation can help businesses become more energy secure, save costs long term and reduce carbon emissions. This can be anything from a small-scale generation, like rooftop solar; to something much larger-scale like a wind turbine.

Tracklements installed its first solar panels in 2013 and added to them in 2014. They generate around 125,000kwh a year, meaning that in summer they can operate almost 100 per cent on home-grown electricity.

With standard daylight working hours in the factory, the solar panels see them through much of winter too.

“We’re proud that when the sun isn’t shining, our supply is backed up with 100 per cent renewable electricity from Good Energy – a company that shares our values and ideals,” added Guy. Another business that consumes and generates renewable energy is Wyke Farms, one of the UK’s largest independent cheese makers and milk processors. Farming produces a lot of organic waste, which normally ends up being spread on the land, releasing gases which can harm the environment.

In 2012, Wyke Farms made huge steps to minimise their impact, becoming the first UK dairy company to be 100 per cent self-sufficient in green energy – by investing £10m in five anaerobic biodigester vessels which use waste from the cheese-making process and the farm to generate 100 per cent renewable electricity. The vessels generate more than enough power for all of Wyke’s cheesemaking operations, and Good Energy buys the excess as

part of its renewable energy mix to supply other businesses and homes.

“While many businesses may say that becoming greener will cost you more, we’ve found the complete opposite. Challenging yourself to be efficient and reduce waste actually lowers costs. I am sure my ancestors would be proud of our work to continue their dedication to sustainable farming,” said Richard Clothier, Managing Director of Wyke Farms.

3. Install battery storage on site The third step available to larger food manufacturers is to install battery storage on site. Following years of development, batteries are emerging as a viable and increasingly costeffective option– helping businesses take more control over their energy use and cut costs.

There are lots of reasons why battery storage can help with factory operations: Using more electricity generated on-site: A growing number of organisations now generate their own renewable electricity. By combining generation technology with battery storage, businesses can use more of what they generate themselves – cheaper than consuming electricity via the grid.

Reinforcing vital operations: When used as an Uninterruptible Power Supply, a battery can provide constant electrical supply during periods of

power supply quality issues. This means that food manufacturers can continue with vital factory operations, without having to rely totally on high carbon diesel generators.

Reducing use of peak electricity.

Businesses with a half-hourly read meter can combine a battery with a time of day usage tariff, enabling them to save cost. The battery can be programmed to charge while prices are low and discharge to help power the site when prices are most expensive (normally between 4pm - 7pm).

Supporting the workforce to go green: With more people investing in electric cars, businesses need to consider providing charging capability.

Electric vehicle charging will increase onsite electricity demand and cost, but this can be minimised by charging the battery during off-peak hours and discharging it while cars are charging. This provision will help to reduce the carbon footprint associated with workforce travel, especially if employees charge at work with 100 per cent renewable electricity.

As shown, embracing renewable energy and clean technologies can bring many benefits to food manufacturers; including reducing costs, cutting carbon and even driving sales. Moreover, businesses can be proud that they are helping to tackle climate change and are supporting more renewable generation in the UK. D Dr Randall Bowen is Sales and Commercial Director at Good Energy, a pioneering clean energy company that powers homes and businesses with 100 per cent renewable electricity from a community of over 1400 UK generators. Having led the way in renewable energy development for over 19 years in areas including small and larger scale wind turbines, solar panels, biogen and hydro, and now in technologies like battery storage and electric vehicles, Good Energy is making it easier to make renewable energy part of their lives. www.goodenergy.co.uk

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IndustryNews New breakfast balls The brand new, ultra-healthy, bite-sized Breakfast

Chocolate Tree, Islands Chocolate

Balls from The Protein Ball Co. are ready to shake up

and Forever Cacao. All have come to

the nation’s breakfast. A perfect balance of protein

London to offer a taste of chocolate

and fibre, these tasty new Breakfast Balls give

from across the globe, alongside a

consumers a quick, healthy, on-the-go and nutrition-

series of tastings and pairings in which

packed choice.

to take part.

Available in three flavours: Apple + Blueberry,

Chocolate lovers can expect

Hazelnut + Cacao and Strawberry + Vanilla, each 45g

indulgent celebrations across the

snack pack contains six bite-sized Breakfast Balls

country, with the country’s top

are made using the highest quality sources of natural

chocolatiers and chocolate companies

protein – such as pea, rice and pumpkin. They are

all taking part, as well as hotels, bars

also vegan-friendly, high in fibre, 100 per cent natural, gluten-free and contain no added sugar.

www.theproteinballco.com

and restaurants celebrating. Leading

A week of heaven

the way in chocolate innovation, fine dining fans can look forward to a Chocolate Week

Chocolate Week, the nation’s favourite themed

collaboration menu from top UK chocolatier

week, returns for its 14th consecutive year this

Paul A Young and much-celebrated Chef Adam

year, celebrating the world of fine chocolate from

Handling at his flagship restaurant Frog by

15-21st October.

Adam Handling in Covent Garden.

Kicking off with Brighton Chocolate Festival,

Participating chocolate companies will

(13-14th October), this year’s grand finale is the

be hosting talks, tastings, demonstrations

Canopy Market takeover by Cocoa Runners (18-

and sampling, as well as creating exclusive

21st October) – a sensational gathering of over

products, new launches, chocolate meals,

20 bean-to-bar chocolate makers from around

cocktails and recipes using some of the best

the world, including Friis-Holm from Denmark,

chocolate brands from around the world.

Fu Wan from Taiwan, Krak from the Netherlands

www.brightonchocolatefestival.com

and Fruition from Woodstock, New York as well

www.cocoarunners.com/shop/

as some of the UK’s finest chocolate makers,

canopy-market-chocolate-week-

such as Duffy’s, Dormouse, Solkiki, Chocolarder,

2018-craft-chocolate-takeover/

Pretty in pink The new product range from Free Soul focuses

overall wellbeing and weight management.

a natural energy booster which helps to

on the unique nutritional needs of women

They’re also the ideal post work out protein hit

convert protein, carbohydrates and fats into

in a way no-one else does. Developed in

for building lean muscle.

energy and also enhances brain function.

partnership with scientific nutrition specialists,

A mix of natural ingredients, the Her PWR

The Free Soul Wake Tea and Free Soul Sleep

Free Soul is a unique range of protein blends,

tablets are designed to assist and support

Tea complete the range – offering a sprightly

PWR tablets and teas specifically designed for

female physical, psychological and hormonal

start to the day, and restful, natural sleep.

women of all ages and stages.

health. The main ingredient turmeric boasts

www.herfreesoul.com

The Free Soul collection consists of Free Soul

high levels of antioxidant

Protein, Her PWR Nutrition Tablets, Wake Tea,

and anti-inflammatory

Sleep Tea and a Steel Shaker. Every product

properties and black pepper

contains premium, quality and relevant nutrients

ensures effective absorption

for women, with no unnecessary nasties. The

into the body. Green tea

formulas are designed to help support female

and green coffee extracts

hormonal balance, boost mood and energy and

have concentrated levels

maintain a heathy weight. Free Soul brings a

of polyphenol, a powerful

new dimension to boosting fitness, health and

antioxidant which helps

wellness goals, helping to find the essential

reduce the formation of free

nutritional balance women need and want.

radicals and protects again

When taken as part of a healthy diet and

oxidative damage. Their

regular physical activity, Free Soul Protein

healthy metabolism benefits

Blends help to promote optimum performance,

are complemented by Niacin,

14 www.foodchainmagazine.com

IndustryNews New buzz

Mix it up

The Scottish Bee Company was set up with

Soft drinks start-up, 40 Kola, has

the aim of boosting the country’s dwindling

launched a brand-new craft drink

bee population and increasing pollination as

which is a delicious take on a classic

well as grow employment opportunities for

cola.

bee farmers and help generate a rise in the

The brainchild of two lifelong friends,

export of Scottish products.

40 Kola was inspired by the explosion

Within just over six months of the start-

of the ‘craft soda’ market in the United

up business being launched by husband

States. To create the unique drink,

and wife team, Suzie and Iain Millar, the

founders Dan Young and Kieran

company has not only created Scotland’s

Dougan stripped out anything artificial

first bee farming apprentice but already

and added in extra citrus to keep

spread its geographical reach by securing

same super powers as the highly-regarded

contracts with The House of Bruar in

and desirable New Zealand Manuka

Perthshire, IJ Mellis across Scotland, and

honey: “Manuka honey has long been

and more people are not only seeking

into Cumbria, England.

acknowledged for its health and healing

premium non-alcoholic options as

properties but recent studies by the

they change their lifestyles, but

located all over Scotland from Dumfriesshire,

University of Glasgow have discovered that

responsible alcoholic drinkers are

the Lothians and Stirlingshire to Fife and

honey from bees in the Scottish Highlands

aiming to maximise their experiences

Aberdeenshire. Initially, they produced a

is as effective in treating a number of

by pairing their favourite tipple with

premium Scottish heather honey but quickly

infections and conditions.”

quality mixers. There are an increasing

The Scottish Bee Company has beehives

went on to add blossom honey to the offering

The company has also taken on a new

things fresh.

Co-founder Dan Young said: “More

number of consumers looking to

with smaller jars of both and cut comb due

apprentice, Katie Warwick, and plans to

discover new and interesting taste

to be launched.

sponsor further bee-farming apprenticeships

experiences and we think we have

in the future.

achieved just that with 40 Kola.”

Company director, Iain, said that heather honey also has been proven to have the

www.scottishbeecompany.co.uk

40 Kola contains 40mg of caffeine, the equivalent of a double espresso and is made from just 11 all-natural ingredients. It can be enjoyed on its

Feel the beet

own or as a mixer. It goes particularly

Just in time for autumn/winter

well with a velvety, oaky bourbon or a

menu changes Zuma has

dark, fiery rum.

launched a brand-new Organic

Dan, a former marketing manager,

Beetroot powder that will add a

and Kieran, who was a chemical

striking colour and flavour to any

engineer, are both aged 26 and quit

drink. Squeezing 24g of fresh

their jobs to focus fully on growing the

beetroot into each concentrated

brand.

3g portion (needed to make a

www.40kola.co.uk

12oz drink) the new product provides a convenient, hassle-free way to add beetroot to a drinks menu. Available in 100g pouches, each pack provides 33 servings.

Believed to boost immunity, endurance and stamina as well as increase energy levels, beetroot’s health benefits only add to the charm of

organic beetroot, Zuma has dehydrated

this distinctive root vegetable. With its rich

and ground whole beetroots to achieve an

earthy flavour and vibrant hue, Zuma’s

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Weighing up the options 16 www.foodchainmagazine.com

Weighing and measuring

A

The only technology which ensures compliance with weights and measures regulations is a checkweigher

Russell Morgan considers the business benefits of investing in checkweighing technology

Right: Russell Morgan, Mettler-Toledo Product Inspection Division

key element of ensuring conformity of packaged food is that all products are as accurate in weight as possible to advertised values.

Manufacturers should not see this as a mere compliance issue; there are a number of positive business benefits that accrue from delivering accurately weighed products.

Let’s tackle the compliance aspects first. Broadly speaking, weight regulations aim to protect consumers against short weight or measures.

Regulations differ slightly around the world.

In the UK, the Weights and Measures (Packaged Goods) Regulations 2006 stipulate three main rules: 1. The actual contents of the packages should not be less, on average, than the nominal quantity.

2. The proportion of packages which are short of the stated quantity by a defined amount (the Tolerable Negative Error (TNE)) should be less than a specified level.

3. No package should be short by more than twice the TNE. In Europe, the onus to comply with the Measuring Instruments Directive (MID) rests with the supplier of the weighing equipment. The regulation covers the exact production and performance requirements of the equipment at purchase stage, plus legal verification on installation. This ensures that manufacturers only purchase high quality weighing instruments. Following installation, the manufacturer must check ongoing compliance with local Weights and Measures standards.

Arguably, North America has the most lenient legal framework regarding weights and measures. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the US has no minimum weight restriction on food packaging. However, it will

consider a product misbranded unless the label accurately reflects the content in terms of weight, measure, or numerical count.

Measuring up Modern food production takes place on an industrial scale (no pun intended) and at speed, so any compliance checks have to keep pace with this fast-moving, increasingly automated environment. The only technology which ensures compliance with weights and measures regulations is a checkweigher.

This type of product inspection system works by weighing each packaged product in real time, classifying all items by pre-defined weight parameters and rejecting any non-conforming goods for further investigation.

The checkweigher is initially calibrated during installation. To comply with regulations, such as MID, the system must be officially verified with test samples at locally predefined intervals. It is also vital that all products are stable when presented to the checkweigher, as any vibrations or movements will affect weighing accuracy. Transfer solutions, such as guide rails, sidegrip belts, starwheels or timing screws are used to stabilise products.

For full regulatory compliance, each product must be presented to the checkweigher individually. Spacing or timing conveyors are used to create a gap between packs, thereby optimising the weighing process for manufacturers with multiple products and/or numerous lanes. To complement fast production line speeds, the conveyors speed up the individual products through the checkweigher.

On balance While the primary reason for integrating a checkweigher is to comply with

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‘

weight regulations and supplier agreements, return on investment does not stop there: precision weighing brings additional business benefits as well, enabling food manufacturers to: • Deliver customer satisfaction and protect brand reputation from underfill product.

• Avoid product recalls and associated costs and repercussions.

• Enhance productivity and save costs by measuring and reporting production line efficiency. For example, an optional feedback feature on checkweighers can detect deviations away from the target content weight and automatically adjust filling machines further up the line.

• Protect bottom-line profits by reworking overfill product. For example, if a manufacturer reduced the overfilling of 450 gram packs by one gram, produced at a throughput rate of 200 packs per minute, 16

Keeping pace with food conformity requirements is always a challenge, and checkweighers are increasingly combined with other technologies – metal detection, x-ray detection or vision inspection – to meet emerging conformity requirements

hours a day, this could potentially save €28,000+ worth of product each year.

• Prove due diligence to authorities through real time monitoring and reporting of all product inspection activity: including production counts, batch tracking and weight.

• Facilitate lot quantity checking by regulators. An Action Counter software option can reject a pre-defined

number of accepted products for further scrutiny without stopping or slowing down the production process.

Combination checks Keeping pace with food conformity requirements is always a challenge, and checkweighers are increasingly combined with other technologies – metal detection, x-ray detection or vision inspection – to meet emerging conformity requirements.

For example, the growing demand for ready meals and food kits containing the right quantities of each ingredients is making weighing requirements more complex. Checkweighing uses gross mass measurement to check the overall weight of each pack and will reject any non-conforming products outside of a specified weight range. However, zoned mass measurement using x-ray detection should be applied when multiple areas need to be inspected and the mass of individual items in

In applications like ready meals, where multiple areas need to be inspected and the mass of individual items in a pack must be examined, x-ray detection should be used

18 www.foodchainmagazine.com

Weighing and measuring a pack must be examined. This is important because an underfill in one compartment (e.g. rice) could be compensated by an overfill in another compartment (e.g. curry sauce). In

this instance, the total weight of the ready meal may meet requirements and remain undetected by a checkweigher: but it would be rejected for nonconformance by the x-ray technology. D

To discover more about conformity and product inspection, read the white paper: www.mt.com/gb/en/home/library/white-papers/product-inspection/pi-conformity-of-packaged-food.html For more information about checkweighers, download: www.mt.com/gb/en/home/library/know-how/product-inspection/PI-Guides.html#ptabs_tab_custom2_li

Lamb Weston/Meijer manufacturers frozen potato products for quick-service restaurants and food services in 80 countries throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa

Russell Morgan is a product inspection specialist at METTLER TOLEDO. The Product Inspection Division of METTLER TOLEDO is a leader in the field of automated inspection technology.

The Division incorporates the Safeline Metal Detection and X-ray Inspection, Garvens and Hi-Speed Checkweighing and the CI Vision and PCE Track & Trace brands. The solutions provided by the business increase process efficiency for manufacturers while supporting compliance with industry standards and regulations. www.mt.com/pi

Checkweighers from Mettler-Toledo help Lamb Weston/ Meijer to comply with net content laws for packaged products, ensure customer satisfaction and eliminate expensive product giveaway

Chipping in Lamb Weston/Meijer is one of the largest frozen potato product manufacturers in the world. Fifteen tonnes of potatoes per hour are processed in its Dutch plant in Oosterbierum, with products supplied to quick-service restaurants and food services in 80 countries throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The company has worked with the Product Inspection division of Mettler-Toledo for 25 years to fulfil the quality and food safety standards recognised by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI).

Recently, Lamb Weston updated its production lines with five new Mettler-Toledo Checkweighers to meet the requirements of net content laws for packaged products, ensure customer satisfaction and eliminate expensive product giveaway. The automatic checkweighers are installed downstream of a multi-head weigher where Lamb Weston’s French fries are portioned before being packed in 1 kg (2.2 lbs) bags. The bags are then weighed, with ‘bad’ products being rejected by a pusher. A light barrier monitors whether the rejection of underweight or overweight products was successful.

Sjerk Zoodsma, Technical Director for Lamb Weston, says: “We are very satisfied with the retrofitting of our production lines. The new checkweighers are aligned with our production speed, ensuring higher throughput and maximum uptime.”

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Meeting expectations

Are B2B food and beverage companies at risk of taking their customers for granted?

By Michiel Schipperus

Michiel Schipperus

20 www.foodchainmagazine.com

C

ommentators have long regarded the food and beverage (F&B) industry as one of the most recession proof sectors around. People will always need food, right? Yet it’s also one of the most dynamic and diverse sectors, with a short time to market and rapid flow of products, setting it apart from other industries. For B2B organisations operating in such a fast-moving environment, ensuring that they’re able to meet customer demand accurately and in a timely fashion is key.

Yet, recent research suggests that F&B businesses may be in danger of taking their customers for granted. The research, which surveyed over 300 global organisations, found that only a low number of F&B organisations consider the customer experience to be very important to their business growth strategy – just 54 per cent. As many as 18 per cent said that customer experience was not important to their

strategy. In comparison to other sectors in the survey, (nine per cent in automotive and ten per cent in construction for example) for F&B companies this figure is nearly double the industry norm.

On top of this, 32 per cent thought e-commerce was the focal point for the customer experience and should be at the heart of digital transformation.

Only 24 per cent said that e-commerce was vitally important to their digital transformation strategy, and only 11 per cent recognised the importance of e-commerce in delivering customer insights that can help determine business priorities.

In the B2C world, competition to improve e-commerce customer experience has been heating up in recent years. Retailers are recognising that when a competitor website is only a click away, every tiny step you take to smooth the customer’s path is a step towards winning a new customer or tempting a previous one to return.

Customer relationships

Is B2B so different?

B2B customers are busy people. They generally have a choice of who to buy from. Familiar with fast, simple and friction-free B2C experiences, they want the same in the B2B environment. They don’t want to wait to talk to a sales rep; they want to know what’s available, how much it costs, when it can be delivered.

They want to be able to place orders quickly and easily 24/7, from wherever they happen to be. B2B F&B businesses who can rise effectively to the challenge of delivering a successful e-commerce system have everything to gain. Yet currently, less than half (44 per cent) of respondents have their own webstore.

The research also found that F&B organisations are employing technology to create an environment that will provide a strong competitive platform.

The results revealed that the top driver for optimising IT infrastructure is competitive pressure (from existing companies, new market entrants or

cheaper overseas suppliers). This makes it all the more surprising that a greater number of firms aren’t placing more emphasis on improving the customer experience as a way to gain a competitive edge.

Amongst firms who have not yet adopted e-commerce, the top two reasons to get started were given was to increase sales volumes (56 per cent) and to keep up with competitors (44 per cent). The customer-focused objectives of improving customer experience and sharing product and price info were much less popular, with each being chosen by only 22 per cent of respondents. 24/7 ordering was chosen by only 11 per cent.

The research highlighted a number of perceived stumbling blocks to e-commerce project progress. These include the need to upgrade IT infrastructure (80 per cent of F&B respondents), alongside integration issues such as getting the right and complete customer data into the system (82 per cent), product information not being available in a single system (76 per cent), and availability of real time inventory (72 per cent).

It’s certainly true that the starting point for any effective e-commerce system is a solid ERP system, providing a central hub for data and processes.

Once this is in place, however, it’s now possible to buy plug-and-play e-commerce platforms that integrate fully with the business’s ERP system and allow data to flow seamlessly between ERP hub and customer. This in turn allows firms to develop a truly customer-focused webstore that could prove a critical differentiator.

Encouragingly, 56 per cent of respondents who already use e-commerce are planning to upgrade their system within the next two years.

This suggests a widespread recognition that current approaches are inadequate and that it is time for change.

Equally encouragingly, 88 per cent of F&B respondents agreed that it was very or somewhat important for e-commerce to be able to personalise the customer buying experience. However, only 64 per cent thought it was important that systems should be able to connect to other marketing platforms and only 42 per cent that it was important to have an omnichannel strategy giving customers the same experience across all sales channels. This compares with 59 per cent of respondents from other sectors.

Worryingly, 19 per cent of respondents didn’t know whether their company had an omnichannel strategy or not.

A further consideration for firms making decisions about e-commerce systems is that an increasing number of F&B businesses are now selling online to both B2B and B2C. Seventy per cent of respondents agreed with the statement ‘F&B companies will eventually sell direct to the consumer, cutting out retailers and wholesalers’.

A platform that can handle both B2B and B2C sales could therefore be vital sooner rather than later.

There is little doubt that the future will continue to bring great changes to the F&B industry. As competition intensifies, the winners will be those businesses who are able to deliver the online speed and convenience customers now want and expect. D Michiel Schipperus is CEO of Sana.

Its innovative approach and strong partner network makes Sana the driving force behind over 1200 web stores worldwide. Sana has been cited in The Forrester Wave’s B2B Commerce Suites for Midsize Organisations (Q3 2017) and recognised by Inc. as one of the 5000 fastest-growing privately-held companies in Europe for 2018. www.sana-commerce.com/ gb

www.foodchainmagazine.com 21

In good

health

Rafael Rozenson, Founder of Vieve

As Will Daynes examines, changes in consumer behaviour and lifestyles, public perception and government-backed initiatives have come together to create an environment where health drinks sales have begun to overtake the traditional market leaders

I

n the year to July 15, 2017, something unique occurred that sent ripples, if not quite shockwaves, through the drinks industry. It was in those preceding 12 months that sales of bottled water

22 www.foodchainmagazine.com

exceeded those of cola for the first time, with UK consumers purchasing 1.77 billion litres of water compared to 1.72 billion litres of cola. These statistics are symbolic of a time when water, health and energy drinks have emerged as

Health drinks the profitable, and fastest growing, soft drinks industry segment in the UK, with total sales of water alone expected to reach around 4.7 billion litres by 2021.

A large number of industry watchers and experts have examined this trend in great detail, and most if not all come to same conclusions, and that is that it is a direct result of rising health concerns, changing consumer behaviour and other factors, such as the introduction of the so-called ‘sugar tax’ on sugary drinks.

“The introduction of the ‘sugar tax’ in 2017 helped instigate several key developments within the food and drink industry,” states Rafael Rozenson, Founder of Vieve, a water-based protein drink that also happens to be the first sports nutrition product in the UK to be certified sugar free by Sugarwise.

“First there was the almost immediate increase in media exposure surrounding sugar and its contribution to obesity and poor health. This is turn helped to force a number of companies to reformulate their products in a very public manner.”

Natural ingredients The ‘sugar tax’ in of itself, however, represents just one of a number of events and changes that have helped shape the rapid rise of the health food and drink market. “The trends that we are seeing today reflect a greater lifestyle change that has been building over the past decade, one where consumers are striving to become healthier and more mentally balanced,” says Marina Diaz, Founder of PYPR Drinks, a brand of ‘mood enhancement’

beverages made using natural phytonutrients.

As a part of this movement, consumers are making better informed decisions about what they are putting into the bodies, something which Marina accepts presents a massive opportunity for brands. “People are very clearly choosing healthy options over unhealthy ones in increasing numbers, and this creates the chance for emerging brands to become not simply a niche product, but one that can become part of the identity of a generation, much in the same way that Coca Cola was to the 1950s and Red Bull was to the 2000s.”

As is typically the case with any emerging sector, it does not take long for it to become populated by a plethora of players, each offering their own product to try to appeal to the masses. As such the need to differentiate one’s self and to advertise the benefits of an individual brand is imperative if it wishes to capture a large share of the market.

“What we as a brand are trying to do with our products is offer an easy way for consumers to obtain their protein intake in a tastier, alternative way, while at the same time making sports nutrition more accessible,” Rafael reveals. “In the UK, it is estimated that less than a quarter of those who regularly exercise also use energy or sports nutrition products. Our task is to appeal to these consumers, many of which are also aware of the need to increase their own protein intake, and we are doing this by launching

unique and intriguing products and flavours into the market. For example, we have recently unveiled the world’s first watermelon flavour protein product, which quickly became our top-seller after its launch.”

PYPR, meanwhile, has achieved strong growth by advertising the unique benefits of its phytonutrient ingredients, namely their ability to ‘reduce stress and anxiety, and enhance an overall positive mood’.

“PYPR is also 100 per cent natural, with no artificial flavours or colour, and no added sugars,” Marina enthuses.

“It is also high in antioxidants due to being made with blackcurrants, which are rich in vitamin C.”

Increasing demand Carving out a space within a crowded environment is definitely an important battle to win, but what does a brand then have to do to become available to as many prospective consumers as possible? For Vieve, the product was initially launched online and sold through its own website and marketed at various tradeshows, and has since been carried in around 100 retail stores and chains across the UK, a figure it now wants to increase. A similar path is laid out for PYPR which, having targeted venues with the wellness sector, such as gyms and yoga studios, is now about to launch an online sales platform and is in positive discussions with several national retailers about establishing a bigger distribution platform.

What Rafael, Marina and their peers also agree upon is the fact that the demand for healthy nutritional products is here to stay. “The theme of health is not going to go away, and as people gain even more of an understanding of just how much the food and drink we consume contributes to our welfare, there will only be a greater demand for products such as ours,” Rafael highlights.

“The future prospects for the healthy drinks sector, and products such as ours are amazing,” Marina agrees. “We do not see this as being a trend or a fad, but rather a real change in lifestyle values and that is what is driving the sector forward.” D

www.foodchainmagazine.com 23

Big

changes

Mike Hardman offers his advice for food and drinks businesses that are looking to reduce how much plastic waste they create

24 www.foodchainmagazine.com

P

lastic as we know it has only existed for 60-70 years, but the BBC estimates that 8.3 billion tonnes of the material have already been produced to date.

When you consider the fact that almost all of the plastic ever created still exists in some form today, and that the amount of plastic produced each year is expected to treble by 2050, there’s no denying we’re facing a major crisis.

Thanks to some high-profile campaigns and, perhaps most notably, the Blue Planet II docuseries that aired last year, most of us are aware that the huge amount of plastic that’s ending up in our oceans is causing severe harm to our marine life. But, the negative impact plastic is having goes far beyond our seas.

While plastic doesn’t biodegrade, it fragments into increasingly smaller pieces, which leads to microscopic particles entering everything from the food chain to the water we drink. And, because it’s a

relatively new material, we have very little understanding of how our health is going to be affected as a result. But, what we do know is that minute microplastics and fibres have been found in everything from tap water to table salt. So, we all need to be paying more attention to how we’re contributing to this problem.

This is especially true for the food and drinks industries, which are responsible for a large proportion of the world’s plastic waste. For example, an investigation conducted by The Guardian found that Britain’s leading supermarkets throw away more than 800,000 tonnes of plastic packaging each year, and one million plastic drinks bottles are bought every minute (BBC).

Things must change, and businesses need to take responsibility for their own actions. We all need to look for ways in which we can improve our processes to use less plastic and work in a more environmentally friendly way.

Plastic waste Recycle as much as you can While you should be trying to reduce how much plastic you use, it’s unavoidable in certain circumstances perhaps some of your suppliers are still using plastic packaging, or you already have a lot of plastic waste that you need to dispose of. In these situations, recycling is the way to go.

It’s good practice to enlist the help of a recycling contractor who will help you to stay on top of things, and you should also implement a recycling scheme that all of your staff can get involved with. Placing recycling containers in convenient places and providing your staff with training on what can and can’t be recycled will go a long way to ensuring everything runs smoothly.

For more information about how you can ensure everyone in your business is on board with the changes you want to make, read WRAP’s guide to recycling at work. It contains plenty of practical tips that will help you on your journey to making your business’ processes more eco-friendly.

Go green with your packaging Whether you manufacture ready meals or serve takeaway food, you’ll need to think carefully about your packaging.

It’s likely you already consider factors such as what your packaging looks like and how much it costs, but it’s time to start thinking about whether it’s going to harm the environment, too.

Now is a great time to rethink your packaging because, as there’s a spotlight on the plastic waste crisis, more alternatives are becoming available. For example, there are certain brands that now specialise in compostable foodservice packaging. So, if you require catering disposables, why not invest in those that are made from renewable, lower carbon or recycled materials that can then be composted?

Businesses that manufacture ready meals and food products should also think about how they’re packaging everything. Take inspiration from the supermarket chain Iceland, which recently made the bold decision to remove plastic packaging from all of its

own label products by 2023. They’ve already launched two new meal ranges that come in cardboard trays, rather than the black plastic versions that are rarely recycled, and they plan to continue making these changes until the packaging of their own brand products is completely plastic-free.

Iceland has inspired other market leaders to make changes for the greater good in the past, and they’re hoping they’ll achieve something similar with this new initiative. So, not only will reducing the amount of plastic in your packaging improve your green credentials, but it’s also bound benefit your bottom line, as more of your customers become aware of the damage plastic is causing.

Start using plastic-free alternatives wherever possible Most businesses, from bars that offer plastic straws to companies that bottle water, can look for ways to swap singleuse plastic for alternatives that are biodegradable or easier to recycle.

For example, pubs and clubs up and down the UK have swapped their usual plastic straws for paper versions, while some have gotten rid of straws altogether, with chains such as Wetherspoons leading the charge.

Many coffee shops have started to offer discounts for customers who arrive with

their own reusable cups, while others have started to serve their drinks in cups that are compostable.

Even bottled water is getting a makeover, with water served in recyclable cans becoming increasingly popular. Plastic isn’t the only answer, and all food and drinks businesses should be looking for alternatives they could be investing in and offering to their customers.

The plastic crisis is now unavoidable and, as the food and drinks industries are responsible for a huge proportion of the plastic waste created every year, businesses need to be making some big changes. These are just some of the ways in which you could reduce how much plastic you use and throw away, but they’re a good place to start. D

Mike Hardman works at the wholesale catering supplier Alliance Online. Alliance Online is the UK’s leading online catering and kitchen equipment supplier. They offer everything from commercial kitchen appliances to wholesale food packaging. And, they’re making an effort to help the food and drinks industries to become eco-friendlier by stocking an ever-growing range of plastic-free products. www.allianceonline.co.uk

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The Brexit factor Duncan Moir advises on navigating the world of recalls post-Brexit 26 www.foodchainmagazine.com

T

he word ‘uncertainty’ has become synonymous with Brexit. As negotiations continue to hit the headlines almost daily, food manufacturers try to second guess what the future may hold.

One big unanswered question is how food safety and labelling regulations will be impacted or altered? This, coupled with the 44 per cent rise in supermarket

food recalls since 2013 reported by the Food Standards Agency, and the big five supermarkets regularly hit with high profile recalls, means that for many manufacturers compliance is now at the very top of the boardroom agenda.

Recalls can cause catastrophic damage for the brands that have to issue them, both in monetary and reputational terms. Despite this, add

Labelling into any search engine ‘food recalls’ and you will be met with a ream of small and multi-national companies who have been forced to recall large amounts of product over safety, hygiene or labelling concerns. In fact, in 2018, the Food Standards Agency has highlighted 70 incidents of food recalls in the UK, 42 of which were related to allergy alerts1. In May alone, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Lidl have been forced to recall several food products over safety concerns caused by unlisted ingredients, which included potential choking hazards and even glass.

Despite the most recent regulations regarding food labelling and allergens coming into place back in 2014, manufacturers are still falling victim.

Admitting that something has gone wrong is embarrassing and ultimately diminishes trust between consumers and brands, as well as between the brand and suppliers. The US Food Marketing Institute estimates that the average cost of a recall to food companies is $10 million2 - resulting from the recall itself and loss of sales due to broken consumer trust. These are costs that could cripple a business altogether. Manufacturers say they are doing all they can to ensure that compliance is prioritised. However, some of the UK’s largest manufacturers still continue to get it wrong. How can this happen?

Currently, regulatory and recall information is readily available for UK manufacturers in the form of shared intelligence and resources across the EU, such as the Rapid Alert System for dangerous non-food products (RAPEX) and the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF). It’s this information that supports the food safety alert systems many manufacturers have in place. But as the UK formally leaves the EU, access to this trusted resource is likely to cease. UK manufacturers will need to find a way to replicate this service, to remain adequately informed of upcoming changes in legislation, and instigate any amends accordingly.

In fact, this is a concern already highlighted in a House of Commons research report about how Brexit could impact various key policy areas.

If the UK becomes excluded from access to the RAPEX and RASFF, there will need to be a new resource and national authority in which to issue safety alerts and lead recalls in a similar way. But this is likely to cause difficulties for manufacturers with other sites based in EU-countries when it comes to co-ordinating an approach across regions. Negotiating different streams of intelligence and alerts is likely to complicate any recalls, as the UK will be seen as an additional market in which to execute and initiate a recall.

Managing uncertainty Moving forward, there needs to be national clarity surrounding approval processes, labelling requirements, and safety standards that manufacturers will need to abide by post-Brexit. This level of uncertainty makes preparing for the future difficult, and no doubt, is creating a sense of anxiety around what may need to change if and when any formal measures are announced.

Any alterations to processes and regulation will no doubt put pressure on manufacturers facing potential future recalls as they understand what needs to be done to stay compliant.

Technology strengthens the weaker links Considering that it is frequently human error and machine malfunction that causes manufacturers to become non-compliant, recalls are often unforeseeable. The key thing is having access to the data that enables them to anticipate and rectify issues quickly. If data is available in realtime then manufacturers have the insight needed to help them issue an appropriate response much faster.

For example, if a mistake regarding labelling is identified, manufacturers need to be able to quickly check how many orders could be affected. From there, they need to be able to alert retailers quickly, amend stock numbers based on the products that need to be disposed of and rectify accounts to reflect the lost sales. Without one system, such as an enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution to access this

information, the process of recovery can become even more challenging.

Whilst manufacturers await more concrete decisions about what, if anything, will change, it’s an important time to ensure they have the advanced technology in place that can provide the insight to help make better, faster business decisions should they need to adapt quickly. It’s also vital that the solution they implement can be scaled up or down to handle potential changes in compliance. For example, if the recall process requires different action in the UK compared to the rest of Europe, then manufacturers will need a system that can compartmentalise the two to ensure that the stock affected in the UK will not impact the production line in another region. Having a system that can respond to different regulations will be key to remaining compliant amidst the changes.

Despite this, it’s only once there is complete clarity from manufacturing bodies and the government that manufacturers will be able to fully comprehend how to navigate the recall world post-Brexit. Armed with real-time data and insight into processes across the whole supply chain, manufacturers can rest assured that they can tackle change with the knowledge vital to remain compliant. D

1 www.food.gov.uk/news-alerts/search/ alerts 2 www.gmaonline.org/file-manager/ images/gmapublications/Capturing_ Recall_Costs_GMA_Whitepaper_ FINAL.pdf Duncan Moir is product manager, Epicor Software. Epicor provides flexible, industry-specific software designed to fit the precise needs of its manufacturing, distribution, retail, and service industry customers. More than 45 years of experience with its customers’ unique business processes and operational requirements are built into every solution - in the cloud or on premises. www.epicor.com

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On the trail Steve Millward looks at some of the ways the latest technology is being used to fight crime in the food chain

28 www.foodchainmagazine.com

T

echnology is being deployed across the board in the food industry to fight theft and fraud – DNA testing is being used to determine what’s in our food, ‘smart packaging’ is being deployed to fight counterfeiting, facial recognition is being used to identify criminals in store and NFC and RFID chips are being used to track trucks, pallets and crates.

The potential for criminal activity is present across the whole food and drink supply chain and has been pretty much forever. Over the years, the industry has adapted new ideas and new technologies to counter crime.

Take the whole idea of packaged brands, for example. In the 19th century, some manufacturers were less than honest when it came to what was in their products. So, the introduction of pre-packaged food and drink, in secure containers, offered consumers some assurance that what they were buying was what it said on the tin.

However, as the horse meat scandal of 2013 showed, there is a possibility that even today we aren’t eating what we think we’re eating. But the events of five years ago directly drove the introduction of a range of tests based around DNA fingerprinting to reduce the likelihood of such horse play happening again.

It’s not just meat where there can be issues: fine wines and spirits companies around the world are waging a continuous war against fakes, while the virgin olive oil being sold in some shops may be rather less pure than the label suggests, some honeys can leave a bitter taste in the shopper’s mouth and many truffle-flavoured products would make a pig turn up its nose in disgust.

All of these issues explain why reputable food producers and retailers have begun to put so much emphasis on proof of provenance, including using packaging that deploys the latest digital technology to talk to consumers and

Technology reassure them that what they’re buying and using is the real thing.

Growing problem So, we now have olive oil, wine and whisky bottles that you can scan with your smartphone to find out everything you ever wanted to know about the farmer, wine grower and head distiller plus recipes for using your purchase – and also to check if someone has sneakily opened your private bottle while you weren’t around, had a dram and replaced the amber nectar with water!

Plus, there are projects underway which use advanced auditing tools, data analysis and Artificial Intelligence to churn through data on product availability and pricing to flag up instances where there’s too much of something that should be in limited supply available to buy at too low a price. Just like everything in life, if you’re offered something at a price you think is too good to be true, it probably isn’t true.

But that’s all to do with what happens on shelf: a bit like the proverbial iceberg, there’s a whole lot more going on under the surface, in the supply and logistics chain.

Take our business, for example.

Bakers Basco operates a pool of four million specially designed bread baskets which are used to convey loaves to retailers. The idea is that the baskets get returned to the bakers, who use them again and again – for up to ten years.

In the current climate, with very real and valid concerns about the volume of non-returnable and non-reusable plastics in the supply chain, there is an increasing focus on Returnable Transit Packaging (RTP) – as well as on recycling and on schemes like reusable bottles for drinks (which, of course, used to be the way we got everything from milk to lemonade to beer – you paid a deposit on the bottle which you got back when you returned the empties).

Unfortunately, like many RTP products (like pallets – most of them are supposed to get returned and reused), our baskets and dollies are just too well-designed, sturdy and all-

round useful – so they get ‘borrowed’.

Or just plain nicked…

Tracking down missing returnable packaging may not sound the sexiest of occupations, but diversion and theft of reusable delivery equipment such as pallets, food containers, bottles, drums and crates is a growing problem.

Technology helps At the end of the day, if packaging which is meant to be reused goes missing, then it means extra costs for the food producer which they have to pass on to the retailers who will then pass them on to the shoppers. Plus, of course, there are additional costs in terms of harm to the environment – people who misuse returnable packaging tend to dump surplus items at the side of the road or in canals, rather than disposing of them responsibly.

In addition to employing a team dedicated to tracking down and reclaiming our baskets and the dollies, we, too, have turned to the latest technology to reduce loss.

A few years back, we launched a range of baskets made with glitter which meant that if illegally granulated (chipped) it was of less value to the illegal recycler and it also made it possible to determine that it was our baskets that had been destroyed - even after granulation.

More recently, though, we have

embraced the Internet of Things, by putting GPS trackers in some of our equipment.

These have proved extremely useful in a number of court cases where our legal team were able to hand the judge maps showing the movement of our baskets around the defendants’ sites and further afield. This clearly demonstrated that they hadn’t simply accidentally got hold of some of our products – they were actively using them to transport something they weren’t designed to transport.

More recently, when large numbers of our baskets started going missing from customers in Birmingham, we used our trackers to follow them – and then, in partnership with the police, raided a plastic recycling firm where we recovered thousands of pounds’ worth of Bakers Basco equipment.

Tracking the criminals As technology has improved, trackers have become smaller and more reliable.

Early in May we had another huge result in Birmingham when a GPS tracker in a bread basket led us to another recycling operation where our equipment, along with that of some well-known high street supermarkets, was actively being destroyed in a plastics granulating machine and turned back into raw material for sale. Our actions have subsequently put an end to this illegal operation. Our investigation, and those of other agencies, are ongoing.

Everyone in the food chain, from the food producers, the big brands, the retailers and all the different supply and logistics firms that help keep our daily bread moving, needs to be keeping up with the latest trends in technology and looking at how they can be used to stamp out crime. D

Steve Millward is General Manager at bakery equipment company Bakers Basco, which was set up by five of the UK’s leading plant bakers in 2006 to buy, manage and police the use of a standard basket for the delivery of bread to retailers and wholesalers. www.bakersbasco.co.uk

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A new breed Personality, not points: retailers need to move away from rational loyalty schemes and engage with shoppers at an emotional level says Kees Jacobs

L

Kees Jacobs

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oyalty programs have been around for centuries. From the copper tokens given by shopkeepers to regular customers in the 18th century, to the retail apps we use today, loyalty programmes have become synonymous with shopping and with driving loyalty to brands. During this time, the core retailer objectives of encouraging higher spending and repeat purchase, haven’t changed. However, customer attitudes and behavior have evolved beyond recognition. For today’s consumers, loyalty is increasingly driven not by

monetary rewards and discounts alone, but by the emotional connection a brand is able to make with its customers.

The decline of loyalty as we know it The average European owns at least three loyalty cards, but traditional loyalty schemes are failing; over half (54 per cent) of loyalty memberships are inactive and over a quarter of shoppers (28 per cent) are abandoning loyalty programmes without even redeeming the points. These figures reflect an industry reality with dozens of loyalty schemes closing each year, including Avios and Whole Foods in the last month alone. For a population of price savvy shoppers, what’s gone wrong for traditional loyalty programmes?

Customer loyalty

Customer experience expert Colin Shaw believes that the decline of loyalty programs is linked to a misconception from brands of what actually drives loyalty. He argues in the Capgemini DTI report, ‘Loyalty Deciphered - How Emotions Drive Genuine Engagement’ that “many organisations do not consider that loyalty is an emotional attachment. The reason customers return is not just a rational perspective but an emotional perspective.” In practice, this means that organisations should be focusing on the hearts and minds of their shoppers, as well as their pockets.

The rise of the emotionally-engaged shopper To uncover the true drivers of loyalty,

Capgemini undertook a cross sector research programme targeting over 9000 consumers and 500 executives worldwide. The results revealed that, while loyalty is still important, the factors driving loyalty are changing and particularly for younger shoppers.

Emotions are now the main driver of loyalty, beating more traditional ‘rational’ factors such as price, promotions and customer service. For brands, this means that building more meaningful, deep-rooted loyalty is less about points and rewards and more about driving emotional engagement. The brands that succeed will create loyalty through propositions that are holistic and rooted in experiences, aimed at engaging consumers both rationally and emotionally.

Across all demographics, emotions that have the biggest impact on loyalty are honesty, trust and integrity.

Shoppers want to feel respected by the brands they shop with, and they want interactions to be transparent and authentic. A recent series of selfdeprecating campaigns by Domino’s Pizza, have helped the brand create a lighthearted persona that is loved by its customers. The launch of social media campaign ‘What is wrong with the Domino’s pizza?’ is one example where the company was not only able to source valuable feedback, but made its customers feel listened to and respected in the process.

How to create an emotional connection with customers Offering customers a reciprocal relationship is one of the best ways to create an authentic, emotional connection. Crisp manufacturer Lay’s is one brand that has been able to connect with a new millennial audience thanks to its ‘Do Us a Flavor’ campaign.

By inviting customers to submit ideas for new flavors, the brand was able to build a two-way engagement with a target audience that prioritises personalisation. The results were unprecedented, with Lay’s receiving over 3.8 million flavour suggestions in just 12 weeks and an 8.5 per cent rise in sales.

Companies like Lay’s and Domino’s, however, are very much the exception to the rule with the majority of brands struggling to emotionally connect with customers. According to Capgemini research, on average, only 15 per cent of shoppers feel emotionally connected to a brand, while 80 per cent of executives claim to understand the emotional needs and desires of their customers. This reveals a disconnect between brand and shopper perception and an urgent need to plug the gap.

Successful brands will boost the bottom line For brands that are able to forge emotion-based connections with their customers, there’s a huge prize to be won. Our research found that 70 per cent of emotionally engaged shoppers are willing to spend at least twice as much with brands they are loyal to. For a grocery store with annual revenue of $2.8 billion, average basket size of $41 and one million customers making 52 visits annually, this equates to a potential sales increase of $148 million, or five per cent uplift in annual revenue. This staggering boost to the bottom line is evidence of the transformative power of emotional engagement. By offering shoppers a customer experience that is founded on respect, reciprocation, recognition and rewards, brands will find themselves on the road to success. D Kees Jacobs is Consumer Goods & Retail Lead, Insights & Data Global Practice at Capgemini, a global leader in consulting, technology services and digital transformation.

Building on its strong 50-year heritage and deep industry-specific expertise, Capgemini enables organisations to realise their business ambitions through an array of services from strategy to operations. Capgemini is driven by the conviction that the business value of technology comes from and through people. www.capgemini.com www.capgemini.com/ resources/loyaltydeciphered/

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TasteTest

Feeling fruity Carabao Energy Drink has introduced a new flavour with the launch of Carabao Mandarin Orange. Available in stores nationwide, Carabao Mandarin Orange delivers a lightly sparkling burst of flavour that tastes just like a soft drink.

It is the perfect alternative for those that don’t like the traditional taste of energy drinks, yet still require a boost during their busy day. It also has low or zero sugar content, helping those watch their calories.

Mark Young, Managing Director of Intercarabao UK is confident that the drink is going to prove a hit not

just with current Carabao fans, but also with a new audience who don’t normally partake of energy drinks. www.carabaoenergy.co.uk

The Taste Test team loved the zingy, fruity flavour of the Carabao Mandarin Orange, as well as the gentle energy lift it provided. It wasn’t overly sweet, and we could easily drink the whole can without feeling too jittery! “It was really good for pre- and post-workout but I liked it best for the 3pm desk slump – it was a lovely pick-me-up and much healthier than a biscuit!”

Love the crunch Traidcraft has added a brand-new flavour to its GEOSTICKS range.

Joining the existing popular range of Sweet Chilli, Herby, and Peppery, Chive and Cheese GEOSTICKS are suitable for vegans, and are gluten free, dairy free and high in fibre.

The first Fairtrade savoury snack of its kind, GEOSTICKS pioneer a new type of chipstick – combining healthy snacking, fair trade ethics and real human stories. The snacks are made with Fairtrade rice from Thailand and Fairtrade quinoa from Peru. The quinoa is sourced from the Cabana cooperative, just north of Lake Titicaca, where there are over 500 farmers who

specialise in growing and harvesting quinoa in the harsh environmental conditions there. And, at only 91 calories a bag, they are the perfect on-the-go snack. www.traidcraftshop.co.uk

“I often reach for a bag of crisps as a snack but am aware this isn’t a healthy option, so I was keen to try the GEOSTICKS as a potential replacement. The had the crunch I needed from a crisp, and a lovely cheese and chive flavour, that wasn’t as harsh as traditional cheese and onion. The texture was also nice and light, so as a midmorning snack, they were ideal!”

A refreshing twist Swedish cider producer and fruit cider category leader, Kopparberg, is offering an addition to its popular low-calorie range, with a new Cranberry Light variant.

Rob Salvesen, Senior Marketing Manager at Kopparberg explains the reasoning behind the launch: “Our Light range provides a great alternative for drinkers looking for a lowercalorie option but still want to enjoy a Kopparberg with friends. Cranberry Light offers another convenient way to enjoy the same great-tasting fruit flavour that consumers know and expect from Kopparberg, but with a lighter twist.”

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www.kopparberg.co.uk

“The can is quite sleek and I liked the fact there was only 85 calories, as I can still have a nice refreshing cider without feeling like I am piling on the pounds! The cranberry was surprisingly sweet, which I am a fan of, as I find most cranberry variants very dry. It merged well with the cider, and over ice it was really a most refreshing drink. Just need the hot weather to come back to fully enjoy it in the garden!” Our tester also tried the new Passionfruit flavour, which he found fruity and

yet still dry - a nice long drink to unwind with or a good lunchtime option accompanying a light meal.

TasteTest

Utterly impressive

Perfectly pink Meticulously crafted by winemaker Beth Liston to guarantee the highest quality, Dark Horse Rosé is a refreshingly dry styled wine that’s bursting with flavour. This blushing wine boasts fresh strawberry, raspberry and citrus, balanced by hints of minerality and floral notes, all racing towards a bright, crisp finish – reflecting the trend for drier styled rosé.

A winemaker who balances classic technique and game-changing innovation in every single bottle, Beth carefully selected the grapes from premium vineyards throughout California, which were then harvested at

Our Tester was impressed with the look of the Dark Horse Rosé, with its simple yet sophisticated labelling and perfect pink hue. Ideal as an evening drink over ice, when it’s still warm enough to sit outside, the Dark Horse Rosé also pairs well with savoury snacks such as cheese and crackers, or seafood. “I found this a refreshing and dry rosé, with lightly floral and red fruit overtones,” said our tester.

optimum ripeness during low night-time temperatures to preserve freshness.

Blending Grenache, Barbera, Pinot Gris and Tempranillo, this rosé wine is filled with vibrant flavours and aromas. www.darkhorsewine.co.uk

Pasta perfection!

Ugo Foods has boosted its Dell’Ugo and Ugo Thrive fresh filled pasta and gnocchi range by relaunching its core products and introducing seven new premium lines. The re-launch sees a brand-new look across both ranges, and the products are being rolled out to high-end retailers across the country including Waitrose, Sainsbury’s Ocado, Booths, Wholefoods and Budgens.

The new Dell’ Ugo products include: l Parmigiano Cappelletti l Spicy Salami Tortelli l Chicken & Chorizo Tortelli l Vegan Porcini Mushroom & Spinach Ravioli l Vegan Beetroot Gnocchi l Vegan Spiced Butternut Squash Ravioli l Ugo Thrive - Pumpkin & Sage Raviolini www.dellugo.co.uk

“I am a devoted fan of Dell’Ugo and this new taste test did not let me down,” said one tester. “I tried the Dell’Ugo Vegan Porcini Mushroom & Spinach Ravioli, and it was incredibly quick and easy to create a delicious dinner. I used half a pack so it lasted two meals for one person, and I added

some steamed vegetables, balsamic glaze and parmesan (as I am not a vegan) and the combination was scrumptious and took just a few minutes to make. Another brilliant addition to the Dell’Ugo range!”

The Tortelli samples also got hearty applause, being described variously as ‘rich’ ‘delectable’ and ‘perfect’.

Finally, the Thrive option proved the point that Ugo Foods CEO Paul Ugo asserted: ‘...there should be no compromise on taste just because someone wants a vegan or gluten-free product.’ Cooked in just one minute, the Pumpkin & Sage Raviolini were extremely tasty little parcels!

Charlie Bigham’s has launched a range of new recipes, celebrating grains and featuring a variety of sumptuous world flavours. The new range is perfect for those wanting to have a more varied diet, but who don’t always have the time or desire to prepare meals from scratch.

The flavours include: l Chicken Katsu Curry - with Edamame, Shredded Vegetables, Sticky Jasmine Rice & Quinoa l Salmon Teriyaki - with Edamame, Bok Choi, Sticky Jasmine Rice & Quinoa l Goan Fish Curry - with Pollock, Sweet Potato, Kale, Turmeric & Biryani Rice l Miso Chicken - with Shredded Vegetables & Coriander & Lime Bulgur Wheat l Roasted Aubergine & Halloumi - with Butter Beans in A Tomato Sauce & Bulgur Wheat l Moroccan Chicken - with Olives, Almonds & Jewelled Bulgur Wheat l Cauliflower & Paneer Curry - with Chickpea, Spinach & Lentil Dhal www.bighams.com

What a response the new range from Charlie Bigham’s received from the team! Entirely positive on every level, each tester was bursting with praise for the product they tried, especially the Chicken Katsu Curry.

“The chicken breasts were coated in a breadcrumb and sesame seeds mix, and was so succulent it melted in mouth; with the pot of katsu sauce poured over it was truly delicious…,” said one tester, with another adding: “The sauce was full of taste and richness, and the rice was flavoursome and perfectly cooked.”

The Cauliflower & Paneer Curry also got a big round of applause, with the tester already eager to try lots more in the range. “I also loved the little wooden trays provided, which meant no washing up!” added our taster.

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We’re spilling the beans on better nutrition.

See the latest in food, health and nutrition at this year’s Food Matters Live.

Register for free entry: foodmatterslive.com New for 2018:

― Innovative Ingredients Live theatre ― Start Up Zone ― Match: Meet the Buyer and Meet the Distributor programmes ― Food Futures Live

@foodmatterslive foodmatterslive.com/linkedin foodmatterslive.com/facebook foodmatterslive.com/youtube

Food Matters Stock up on innovation and healthy eating trends at Food Matters Live 2018.

F

rom Brexit to the free-from boom and demands for more sustainable food, stay ahead of the innovations and trends disrupting the industry at Food Matters Live 2018.

Producers, buyers, innovators, scientists and nutritionists will come together to share ideas and debate the future of food, drink and sustainable nutrition, when Food Matters Live returns to London ExCeL from 20-22 November.

An unrivalled educational programme includes inspirational debate from industry leaders, renowned chefs, policy makers and health professionals on the main conference stage as they consider key challenges from the impact of Brexit to the effectiveness of calorie targets, the future for the sugar tax and the backlash against plastic pollution.

Among speakers, chef Tom Kerridge, whose pub, the Hand & Flowers, has won two Michelin stars, will talk about losing 11 stone and how the industry can help change dietary behaviour while Nicky Martin, head of nutrition at Compass Group PLC, will join a panel debating how bars and restaurants can help people cut calories while eating out.

And there will be practical insight, case studies and advice from food and drink industry experts in 80 seminars covering health and well-being themes, including the free-from market, tackling

obesity and, new for 2018, retail trends in health and wellbeing and sustainable food futures.

They will examine a huge range of subjects from the future of recyclable packaging and the latest developments in plant-based meat substitutes to creating sustainable supply chains with products as diverse as Colombian fine flavour cacao and red seaweed.

Across a curated exhibition, 800 manufacturers and ingredient suppliers from challenger brands to household names will showcase their products in

Live

themed areas reflecting key retail growth areas including healthy snacking, drink well, free-from and sports nutrition.

As demand for cereal bars, popcorn, “raw” products and more continues to boom, the Healthy Snacking Zone features the latest innovations from sugar-free Gullon Biscuits to - for the more adventurous - SENS protein bars, made with flour derived from crickets.

Meanwhile, reflecting trends including gut-health-friendly drinks, plant-based alternatives to milk and lowalcoholic beers and spirits, the Drink Well Zone hosts exhibitors including LivOn, a new antioxidant drink focused on liver health, US natural spring water brand Purh20, liquid probiotic Symprove, which targets gut health and “cacao espresso” Chokkino.

And the very latest products, ranging from clean energy drink Flyte, on show for the first time in the UK and vegan Tsampa energy bars to 100% natural cold press Luhv drinks, which target different areas of the body and Peruvian purple corn drink firm Amaize, will be on show in the Start Up Zone.

Among live attractions, cooking demonstrations and tastings by chefs, nutritionists and other industry players will bring the learning to life while a cast of international experts will showcase the emerging food technologies and innovations set to reshape the industry.

And foodservice professionals who want to meet the innovators creating best-selling healthy products can use Match, a dedicated matchmaking service connecting buyers with producers and ingredient suppliers.

Briony Mansell-Lewis, Food Matters Live Director, said: “We’re delighted to welcome so many innovative food and drink brands to Food Matters Live, showcasing new products and concepts which respond to health and wellbeing trends. Buyers from hospitality and foodservice will find a host of new ideas to help them stay on trend and keep ahead of their competitors.”

Food Matters Live is on at London’s ExCeL from 20 to 22 November 2018, is free to attend, including entry to the conference, seminars and visitor attractions. Register at www.foodmatterslive.com

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Handcrafted quality Setting out with the simple idea of making great tasting grass-fed hamburgers, Burger Lounge’s uncomplicated approach has seen it become a brand recognised for doing a common thing uncommonly well

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Burger Lounge

A

lthough the Burger Lounge brand itself was established in 2007, the idea behind it actually originated some 30 years ago, when founder J. Dean Loring opened Stars Hamburgers in Humboldt County, California. Providing its guests with a simple menu serving grass-fed hamburgers with limited high-quality sides and drinks, it delivered upon the concept of ‘Fast Casual’ dining (quality food served quickly with great service and an elevated design) before the term had even been popularised. Years later, having sold off the original brand, his desire to revisit the restaurant concept he created led to the opening of the first Burger Lounge in La Jolla.

“Burger Lounge serves only the highest quality proteins available, including single-source, grass-fed, grass-finished beef, free-range poultry for our Turkey Burger and organic quinoa, which is the primary ingredient of our Veggie Burger,” explains Adam Rinella, Vice President of Development. “These proteins are the primary differentiator on our menu and allow us to serve amazing food in a cool, comfortable environment.”

The most popular item on said menu is the company’s signature

Lounge Burger. “Featuring our singlesource grass-fed beef, organic cheese, fresh or grilled onions, lettuce, tomato, and our house 1000 island dressing, the Lounge Burger is amazingly popular and rightly so,” Adam enthuses. “Our Fresh Vegetable Salad with house lemon-basil vinaigrette is also in high demand. It can be complimented with any of our great sources of protein, from grass-fed beef and free-range turkey to our grilled chicken and line-caught Alaskan cod.”

The success of its menu has helped the Burger Lounge brand to grow to 24 stores, the majority of which are found in Southern California. With a 25th store under construction, it is now working to open locations in Northern California and also has a location in Las Vegas at the Aria Resort and Hotel. “Our strategic plan has always been to grow measurably and organically,” Adam reveals. “All of our stores, with the exception of Las Vegas, are company operated. We grow our brand in such a way that allows us to maintain the high quality of food and service we’ve come to be known for.

Best-tasting beef “When it comes to new stores, we look for neighbourhoods that we think have a high number of residents or daytime business workers who will appreciate the kind of healthy, sustainable food we serve, and approach these areas with a desire to provide better options than those that currently exist. We feel it is important to design a restaurant based on the neighbourhood in which we are building, and when we open that restaurant we become part of the community, and we want to fit in quickly and positively when we do so.”

Arguably at the very heart of the

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‘

Burger Lounge brand’s success is the appeal of its single-source grass-fed beef, but just what is it about this beef that makes for such a high-quality product? “Most importantly, the use of this type of beef allows us to oversee the entire process, from the way the cows are treated, to how the beef is transported – refrigerated and never frozen – and its eventual delivery to our stores,” Adam says. “Grass-fed beef is better for our guests as it is higher in protein, higher in Omega 3 and lower in calories, not to mention the fact that we believe it to be the best tasting beef in the world!”

Embracing technology

Behind the scenes of Burger Lounge, its Director of Supply Chain is highly focused on monitoring the quality of its proteins, produce and every single ingredient that is used in its stores.

It is his task to constantly source the best available ingredients to not only maintain the high-quality products that it serves, but to continuously improve.

“We maintain this approach year-round, as the quality of specific ingredients may change across different seasons. For example, we constantly monitor potato quality and may change the kind we use for our fries multiple times per year,” Adam adds. “Our Director of Supply

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Grass-fed beef is better for our guests as it is higher in protein, higher in Omega 3 and lower in calories, not to mention the fact that we believe it to be the best tasting beef in the world!

Chain then works with our Executive Chef and our Operations team to ensure that these high-quality ingredients are being prepped and cooked correctly to deliver the highest quality products to our guests.”

Complementing its food is Burger Lounge’s embracing of new technology, which it accepts is more important than ever. One example of this has been the retrofitting of most of its stores with a table tracking system, called HME Vuze. “Guests receive a pager when they place their order in these stores,

and when placed on their table, the pager sends a signal back to a screen mounted at the pass-through window that lets the Expeditor know which table the guest is seated,” Adam explains.

“When the food is ready, the Expeditor can instruct the Food Runner to take the order directly to that table instead of having to search for the right guest.

This improves our efficiency and ensures the food gets to the table in a timely manner while it is still piping hot.

The response to this system has been very positive, and we are now looking to supplement this by researching things like self-ordering kiosks and kitchen display systems.”

Having recently opened its first store in the Sacramento market (in the new Downtown Commons project) to a phenomenal response, the company is excited about its upcoming growth opportunities. “We are looking to open between four and six stores per year, with a potential new market outside of California being established in 2020,” Adam concludes. “We believe that we remain unique in what we do and that our guests have a high degree of appreciation for those differentiators, and that is why the future is bright for Burger Lounge.” D www.burgerlounge.com

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David Nairn Managing Director

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Burts Chips

Hand-cooked to

perfection

Hand-cooked in Devon, Burts Chips’ thick cut British potato chips, as well as its range of snacks, are gaining an ever-growing reputation for delivering real taste, proper crunch and unrivalled quality

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W

‘

hen retired delicatessen owner Thomas Burt and his wife Linda moved to Devon it was a chance conversation with a publican about the lack of quality crisps in the area that led to the creation of Burts Chips (Burts) in 1995. From their kitchen, the pair’s mission was to create the perfect hand-cooked crisp and their dedication and commitment helped to create a successful snack business now based out of Plymouth.

Ten years after it was founded, Burts was a blossoming business turning over around £1 million with plans to expand beyond its home market. It was at that time that David Nairn, after 32 years in the City, and banker to Europa Foods, took a career change and with a role reversal, Jitu Patel supported David in a ‘funded search’. After taking a small investment over the next four or five year and further cash

Today, Burts Potato Chips can be found in a number of independent café’s, delis and farm shops, as well as selected Tesco, Morrisons, Asda and Coop stores across the South West, while several of its snacks such as its Lentil Waves appear on the shelves of Waitrose stores nationwide

injections and years of steady growth, David encouraged Jitu Patel in 2014, owner of Empire Bespoke Foods, to buyout all the other shareholders in a development that allowed David to build his management team and invest for growth whilst remaining a family owned British enterprise.

“It was at this time that I dropped into my present-day role of Managing

Director as we began to accelerate our investment in capacity,” David begins.

“We recognised a growing demand within the hand-cooked crisps market and we moved to meet this through the purchase of new kit, including fryers, for our factory in order to increase capacity from 100 tonnes per week of output to 200 tonnes. At the same time, we introduced a range of ‘Better for You’ snacks and expanded our unique licensed range of products including our award-winning Guinness crisps and the recently launched Jim Beam Original BBQ Chips. This has helped us to become extremely competitive and has led to a 25 per cent increase in turnover for each of the last three years.”

Personal touch The company’s thicker cut British potato chips are hand-cooked by a dedicated team of Master Fryers and come from only the best Red Tractor Assured potatoes, before being seasoned with the best, locally sourced flavours from the South West.

Today, Burts Potato Chips can be found in a number of independent café’s, delis and farm shops, as well as selected Tesco, Morrisons, Asda and Coop stores across the South West, while several of its snacks such as its Lentil Waves appear on the shelves of Waitrose stores nationwide. In addition, all of the company’s products can be purchased via its website shop and regularly exports to over 30 countries, including the US, China and Singapore.

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Burts Chips “Burts’ products have been independently praised for their great taste, outstanding quality and innovative flavours,” David enthuses.

“In other external customer testing and blind hand-cooked taste tests, the quality of our crisps beats that of our major competition, and unlike other larger snack brands we strive to deliver a personal touch, with the name of the individual fryer who handcooked each pack displayed on its back. Our Operations Director, John Joseph, oversees production, including the manual checking of our crisps to ensure they meet our exceptional standards and conducting regular quality reassurance spot checks.

Approximately one in seven of the people employed by Burts is involved in some way in quality testing, and this emphasises the high standards that we operate to and set ourselves on a daily basis.”

Right: John Joseph Operations Director

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Recognising that crisps are, for the most part, considered an indulgence, the company has made considerable progress in developing its ‘Better for You’ range of products, which includes the aforementioned Lentil Waves and its Quinoa Crinkles. “This range has performed exceptionally well, achieving double digit growth as it meets the needs of consumers looking for a healthier option that doesn’t compromise on great taste and fits into their day-to-day lifestyles,” David explains. “We continue to invest in NPD across our client base in order to ensure that we are ahead of trends and our competitors, and we look forward to bringing several new products to market in the next six-to-12 months.”

Portfolio diversification Burts’ efforts in the field of NPD have also extended to its recent acquisition of Savoury & Sweet (S&S), one of the

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UK’s leading producers of popcorn and healthy snacks. “This acquisition will enable us to diversify our product portfolio to include a wider range of healthy snacking products, as well as popcorn,” David states. “It will also allow us to utilise the frying, baking and popping expertise of S&S to grow our ‘Better for You’ range.”

The purchase of S&S also allows taking over the entire 150,000-square foot facility in Leicester.

Twice the size of Burts Plymouthbased factory, which itself is now close to filling its capacity capabilities, it gives the company the opportunity to expand into the Midlands and has

Burts Chips already benefitted from considerable investment, having already installed compression popping and commenced a project to deliver 75 tonnes of additional potato frying capacity by the end of 2018.

Focused ambitions The above detailed investment is playing a vital role in taking Burts

towards its goal of achieving a turnover of £100 million by 2022.

“I believe that there is a clear driver for premium quality products in our marketplace, and as such we will continue to challenge ourselves and stay true to our core principles as we strive to realise our ambition of becoming the premium snack supplier/brand in the UK,” David

adds. “In order to progress towards this goal, it is important that we stay focused, continue to deliver and extend brand awareness nationally, invest in bringing more technology and expertise in-house, and, most importantly, continue to innovate and champion the premium, hand-cooked sector.” D www.burtschips.com

Whole Crop Marketing Whole Crop Marketing are proud to supply Burts Chips with fresh local produce. Committed to minimising the environmental impact, we aim to have as little miles to market as possible. In order to do this, we supply Burts with high quality produce from growers in Devon and Cornwall.

Not only does this reduce our carbon footprint but provides Burts with the freshest product available. Ensuring that we are supplying the best quality potatoes is also paramount to us so all loads are vendor assured before entering the factory. This guarantees that there is a constant supply of the high standard of potatoes that Burts require.

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Making something special The Vergeer family are selfconfessed “real lovers of cheese�, and since 1934 Vergeer Holland has used this passion to become one of the Netherlands leading cheese maturers and sellers

I

n its own words, Vergeer Holland has been making ordinary cheese special since 1934. The Vergeer family have actually been present in Reeuwijk in the western Netherlands since they owned farms there in 1642, but it wasn’t until 1934 that the company that shares its name was formed by Dirk Vergeer. At the time, Dirk sold handmade cheese produced by his parents, with the

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company later going on to buy factorymade cheese which it would mature and process prior to selling it at various distribution points.

By the 1960s, the increase in selfservice stores led to a growing demand for packaged cheese and Vergeer invested in this expanding segment by acquiring additional facilities, while also extending its selection of products

Vergeer Holland Leo Vergeer at the cheese market in Gouda

packaging companies in Europe, with customers all over the world,” Felix continues. “These customers represent a wide variety of market segments, from retail to foodservice, and are supplied with only the finest naturally ripened cheese, as well as foil cheese, in a host of varieties including favourites such as gouda, edam and maasdam.”

Craftsmanship In more recent times, 2016 to be exact, the company underwent a rebrand to better capture the essence of what Vergeer Holland is all about. “We came

to the conclusion that our previous logo didn’t quite fit this period of time, but also that it lacked elements to explain our heritage and craftsmanship,” Felix explains. “We modernised and enriched our former logo by adding elements such as a shield, which represents the passing of our craftsmanship through the generations, adding the term ‘fam’ reaffirms our pride in being a family business, and our tag line of ‘Makes ordinary cheese special again’ explains how we give regular cheese a special taste through our tradition of ripening.”

Alongside the rebranding of the

Viscon Logistics Viscon specialises in material handling and warehouse systems in a wide range of food and non-food industries, and has done so for more than 45 years. Viscon’s Matrix storage system stands out for its compactness, so that it’s normal to get up to 70 per cent more pallets stored in the same space as a traditional automated warehouse. The Matrix storage system is a fully automatic warehousing system for storage of pallets, or similar sized articles, like pallet boxes or cheese racks. Storage with this system is highly suitable for existing buildings and simply scalable for any greenfield project. It is ideal for use in a cooling and frozen storage-area as well.

through the introduction of pre-packaged sliced cheese and grated cheese. “Today we are a modern, streamlined, third generation family company with more than 550 employees working from our locations in Reeuwijk, Woerden and Bodegraven,” begins Vergeer Holland’s Commercial Director, Felix van Brussel.

“Over time, we have grown into one of the largest, most innovative cheese

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business, Vergeer Holland has continued to introduce new packaging and product options in response to consumer trends.

“Based on the increasing trend amongst people of grazing or snacking, we took the decision to improve and relaunch our portion packages,” Felix reveals.

“In February 2018, we launched our new net packages with a label around the net as a way of improving consumer communication and to better stand out on the shelves, which has been very positive to date. We have also launched new products targeting those seeking a healthy, vegetarian option in the form of 40g sticks

of Gouda Young, individually wrapped in an easy flow pack to be enjoyed as snacks on the go. We also offer 40g sticks made of Gouda Extra Old cheese.”

In the past few years, the company has also invested considerable amounts in new cutting and packaging machines. These include completely new lines, such as a fully automated fixed weight line for cheese pieces and wedges, and a new fresh pack line to cut and pack cheese slices. “Our new retail packaging line for slices yields a saving of 46 percent per kilo of packaged cheese when it comes

WIPAK The Wipak Group develops and manufactures sophisticated packaging solutions for food products, medical instruments and devices.

Wipak is a leading European supplier of multilayer films – especially high barrier films. Its extensive range of services delivered by the Innovation Center, combined with application support through training and workshops, ensure that Wipak’s products can provide significant added value to customers.

Producing premium-quality and innovative flexible packaging, Wipak is committed to the efficient use of resources by protecting food, medical and products alike.

As part of the family-owned Wihuri Group, Wipak has a long history of sustainable growth.

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to packaging weight compared to our old line,” Felix says, before detailing some other environmental benefits of its new lines and systems. “For another packaging line, we have also achieved a 5.5 per cent per kilo saving in the weight of our packaged cheese by reducing the amount of foil used.

“In truth, we are always searching for ways of minimising the impact our packaging has on the environment. The packages we have introduced in recent years stand as examples of how we have moved to using thinner plastic packaging, while smaller foil cuts also limit the amount of plastics used per kilo of packaged cheese. In reducing our plastic usage, we are also making significant reductions to our carbon footprint.”

Customer driven The latter achievement is also being made possible through the close relationships that the company shares

Vergeer Holland with key players within its supply chain. These players include its largest distribution partner STEF, which is tasked with ensure the safe, on-time arrival of Vergeer Holland’s products to its customers in the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Spain. “With STEF, we are continuously looking at new opportunities to adapt to the rapid changes affecting the supply chain,” Felix adds. “At the end of the day, the distribution cost per kilo of cheese is a very important number for us and by conducting detailed analysis we have been able to find improvements to reduce the average transportation distance per kilo of cheese, which again helps to cut the amount of carbon being produced.”

Looking ahead to what the coming three-to-five years may hold for Vergeer Holland, Felix is suitably bullish about its prospects. “We remain a leading, customer-driven family owned company, one which is flexible, dynamic and

focused on continuous improvement, and on providing every market segment we serve with socially responsible, highquality products,” he concludes. “When it comes to our long-term outlook, we are always looking for the next innovation in terms of machinery, we are very open to new acquisitions,

both nationally and internationally, and we will continue to seek out strong, strategic partnerships with suppliers.

Together, this strategy will ensure that many more consumers, inside and outside of our home market, will go on to enjoy our special ripened cheese.” D www.vergeerholland.com

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W

hen David Mook saw a need in the market for a butchery knife-edge rental service after seeing a similar food service concept in the United States, his answer was

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to create a business of his own, which would go on to become Cutting Edge Services (CES). With the knife service becoming an almost immediate success, other exclusive products and services were added to create

Cutting Edge

A cut above

For over 25 years, Cutting Edge has been providing its customers in the food industry with the quality products, expert advice and innovation services needed to obtain the competitive edge

a portfolio of world leading butchery equipment brands, consumable lines and food industry PPE to sit alongside its sharp edge services.

“It has long been our vision here at Cutting Edge to be the natural partner

to the food processing, production and preparation industries across the UK and Ireland,” begins Managing Director, Sam Tinsley. “What began life within a specialist knife sharpening service facility, which to this day sits

at the heart of our premises in Chorley, has since grown into a pioneering business serving customers from across the food industry landscape. We take the machines and equipment of these customers and provide them with the

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of the company from CES to Cutting Edge Services, giving it the strapline of ‘Sharp, Innovative and Reliable’, the appointment of a new Board of Directors and the launch of a full ecommerce site,” she explains.

Real revolution

services needed to keep them working to the highest possible spec, achieve the best yield and reduce their labour costs.”

Sam joined the business in January 2017 and one of her first major tasks was to spearhead what she describes

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as a ‘real value proposition reflection’ to properly identify what it stood for and how to ensure that the customer remains at the heart of everything it does. “Among the big outcomes of this exercise was the official rebranding

For Sam, the industry she is now a part of shares a number of similarities to that of the automotive sector some 20to-25 years ago, in that she believes it is on cusp of change, and the rebrand of Cutting Edge is certainly a reflection of this. “From an internal point of view, the rebrand has helped to bring the whole of the business together and to align everyone involved in understanding just what Cutting Edge is all about, which has had a massive impact on our customer base,” she continues. “From their perspective, they can see a real revolution taking place within our business and one that is wholly designed around giving these customers the edge they need to win their own business going forward.”

The cornerstone of Cutting Edge is undoubtedly its knife and machinery blade sharpening services, with its facilities hosting a skilled team of men and women who process over 5000 knives and blades each day. It is they who are responsible for helping their customers to improve production line efficiency, product yield, meet legislation requirements and provide full traceability back to source. While the importance of said activities is not in dispute, Cutting Edge has also been increasingly turning its hand to delivering innovative new solutions and products.

“When it comes to innovation we are putting our money where our mouth is, so to speak, by making it a key objective to have 20 per cent of our future turnover generated from new product sales,” Sam states. “It is for our NPD team to identify gaps in the industry and working with our global supply base, respond with innovative, unprecedented solutions to our customers’ problems. To date we have made excellent strides in various diverse fields, from creating solutions such as our new Guardian Bandsaw

Cutting Edge system, to products such as UVC Disinfection systems to help eradicate bacterial contamination in food and a pioneering new electric stunning system, which is a really dependable alternative to existing CO2 products, offering great reliability without compromising on animal welfare standards.”

Increasing automation One particular development that Sam is extremely excited about is the company’s recently established partnership with ABB Robotics, one of the leading suppliers of industrial robots and robot software, which has so far installed more than 400,000 robots in 53 countries. “At present, this industry is very labour intensive and is one that in our opinion is screaming out for robotics and automation,” she reveals. “Together with ABB’s vast experience, we are using our own niche specialisms to identify the opportunities on offer to our customers

to devise bespoke robotic solutions to solve their challenges.

“The UK is currently only placed 22nd in the global rankings when it comes to robot density, with only 71 robots to every 10,000 workers, and that is in large part due to a resistance towards automation. We want to address this matter head on, not only be working with ABB, which has been a fantastic partnership to date, but also by encouraging greater technological investment across our industry by offering things like flexible financing options.”

Embracing automation does not, however, mean the abandonment of human capital, and for that reason Cutting Edge has also been investing heavily in internal training and development. This has included the introduction of its own virtual learning environment and the continued growth of its apprenticeship programme.

“Hopefully it is clear that we are an ambitious company with substantial objectives for the next five years, and we know that to achieve our goals we need to have the best people in our team,” Sam says.

Over the course of the next five years it is the belief of Sam and the rest of the Cutting Edge team that they can at least double the company’s turnover.

“We are literally just scratching at the surface of what is possible, and we will be spending the next several years developing a range of new solutions that will help to move the UK food industry as a whole forward in the right direction,” she enthuses.

“Underpinning this is a desire to ensure that we retain the right culture here, making sure that our staff lead from the front and remain as passionate about what we do as our customers do about their own businesses.” D www.cuttingedgeservices.co.uk

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Blessed with success

Photo credit: Michael D. Tedesco - Farm Flavor Media

Advocating a noble and humble approach to doing business, Braswell Family Farms is aiming to become the leading egg and feed provider on the East Coast of the USA

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trong faith has guided Braswell Family Farms in the 75 years since its foundation, first as a corn grinder, and later as an egg and feed provider. The business was established by the great-grandfather and the great-great-uncle of current President, Trey Braswell, who is now the fourth-generation leader of Braswell.

“Our overarching core value is our firm belief that the company is the Lord’s and we are here to take care of it, be its responsible stewards, and run it in a way that glorifies Him,” he begins.

Adhering to its Christian values has allowed Braswell to not only grow in business terms, but do it with grace, acting ethically towards its customers, partners, and employees alike. “Our core principles encompass Family, Accountability, Integrity, Teamwork, and Humility – FAITH. All of these are rather self-explanatory, but they truly permeate every activity we get engaged with. To give you an example, from the standpoint of humility, we treat the business as a gift.

We regard our job as an opportunity to take care of each other, while serving our customers well,” Trey maintains, referring to Psalm 24:1, which teaches us that all that we have, belongs to God. Braswell’s profile as a genuine ‘people’s company’ is most clearly enhanced by the fact that it does

everything in its power to ensure its employees’ wellbeing, even outside of work. Trey explains: “The reason we go the extra mile and spend the extra dollar, is to take care of the families that work with us. For instance, we care about their marriages, by offering free counselling. We also have a corporate chaplain who provides crisis care and is at our employees’ disposal at all times during the day. Naturally, we also pay competitive wages and grant lucrative earnings opportunities.

“Just recently, we have formed what we call our ‘caring team’. It is a group of people who are in non-executive roles, but have been empowered with a budget they can use to support colleagues in need. We are setting up a crisis caring fund now to help employees who come across unexpected hard times, to ensure that the company has money aside to pull from and step in for them.”

This honourable mentality is similarly applied to Braswell’s business relationships. Ever since the late 1980s, the company has been one of the most trusted (and currently the second largest) Eggland’s Best franchisees in the USA – one of the most successful specialist egg brands in the country. Furthermore, since its very beginning, the business has partnered with other family farms who produce eggs for Braswell. “About half of

Braswell Family Farms our egg production comes from our own facilities, and the other half is generated by other small family farms we work with.

They are integral to our operations and, besides, we love to involve as many new people in the business as possible.”

From a customer perspective, it is beyond any doubt that Braswell aims to provide the safest and highest quality eggs and feed, because, as Trey points out, “the consumers are rightfully interested in the provenance of the food they and their families consume.”

To bring the company closer to the customers, Braswell’s management took a decision to rebrand the business in 2017, giving it its current name – Braswell Family Farms, in an attempt to more accurately capture its identity and ways of operation.

“The more practical side of the rebranding is that we really thought our several operating companies should be trading under one name. Some customers used to know us as Braswell

Foods, while others referred to the business using the names of some of our smaller companies, so I felt it was important to establish a solid and clear brand identity, which emphasises the fact that we are a family farm that can be trusted,” Trey reasons.

In 1998, Braswell built its first egg packaging facility in its home town of Nashville, NC, and over the last couple of years has invested substantially in the plant. “We have installed upgraded technology to make the packaging process more efficient, which has given us more traceability from a food safety point of view. As we would like to expand our presence across both the Southeast and Northeast, our long-term ambition is to open a second distribution and packaging facility,” Trey reveals, adding that the biggest decision for the company in the next few years will concern the exact location of the plant.

“On top of this, we have noticed some great potential in the pasture-raised eggs

marketplace, hence the construction of our first pasture-raised farm, which we built after contracting with a small family farm in Virginia. All in all, we are constantly examining the market to understand how we can best serve our customers’ needs. A year and a half ago, we took a look at our business model and realised we needed to be more of a strategic partner to our retailers, which has led to a more forward-thinking process of better understanding category trends and consumer requirements,” he analyses.

To sum up, Trey reiterates Braswell’s philosophy that the manner in which goals are pursued carries more weight than the strive to realise them at all costs. “Our desire is to be the premier egg and feed provider on the East Coast and we try to focus on how we behave while trying to get there. More than everything, we want to be very considerate and honour the Lord as we seek to achieve our goals.” D www.braswellfamilyfarms.com

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Baked to

perfection

The acquisition of a new Hull bakery doubled BBF Limited’s turnover and staff, as the cakes and pastries manufacturer enjoyed healthy growth in sales over the last 12 months 56 www.foodchainmagazine.com

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hirteen years after opening its Blackburn bakery and head office – the fourth facility for BBF Limited at the time, the leading manufacturer of retailer own-brand and licensed brand

cakes and pastries in the FMCG sector expanded its capabilities again in 2018, with the acquisition of Greencore’s ambient cake and chilled dessert facility in Hull. “As a result of the purchase, we were able to double our annual

BBF Limited

‘

Thanks to the very well-invested assets and the exceptional team we have both in the UK and Europe, we are looking to grow profitable sales on both sides of the Channel

turnover, which is now in the region of £150 million, and also grow the size of our workforce to 2000 staff,” notes Chief Executive Officer, Jonathan Lill.

With four bakeries in the UK (in Lancashire and Yorkshire) and one

in the Polish city of Szczecin, the company specialises in making mouth-watering treats of any kind.

Be it celebration cakes, Christmas cakes, fruit pies, Swiss rolls, cake bars, slab and loaf cakes, chocolate enrobed cakes, or sponge puddings and crumbles, BBF has the versatility to produce a variety of delights that pamper the customer and last long in their memory.

Owing to the acquisition of its 25,000-square metre Hull facility, BBF has now gained a presence in the chilled desserts category, diversifying its customer base further. “We have also been given more scale to compete more effectively in the ambient cake market, as we are now the largest own-label supplier of packaged ambient cakes in the UK. It was a strategically important acquisition that will potentially provide some Brexit contingency, too, if necessary.

“I am pleased that the integration of the Hull bakery has gone exceptionally well, even if there were some tough decisions we had to make. The turnaround programme is well ahead of schedule, as we have already made some visible improvements in labour

efficiency and waste and cost reduction.

Moreover, for me, personally, the turnaround provides a massive sense of achievement and pride, because it enabled the protection of 1000 jobs in my home county,” Jonathan glows.

Efficient investments In the wake of the Brexit referendum and the uncertainty around the future relationship between the UK and the EU, markets have become more volatile, making it hard to predict the business conditions companies will need to adapt to in order to continue their normal operations and allow themselves the opportunity to grow.

Jonathan discusses the effects of Brexit on the industry: “Since the referendum, the weakness of sterling has materially impacted the business, but thanks to the efficiency of our investment programme, we have been able to ensure that our financial strength has not been undermined. Despite the very tough market conditions, BBF has continued to deliver great service and manufacture award-winning products for our customers. As a consequence, sales have grown by more than 15 per cent in the past 12 months.

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has also received acknowledgement for its work from some of the major supermarket chains it supplies, including Tesco, Asda, and M&S. In January, both the Blackburn and Shadsworth bakeries were accredited with M&S Plan A Silver, in recognition of how they execute their activities across the two sites, in the best interest of colleagues and the environment, as well as with a view to create a sustainable business for the future.

To prepare for the audit, the BBF staff worked tirelessly over a period of six months, truly impressing the team of auditors with their efforts.

“Our success has been the result of our employees’ dedication, whose consistency and attention to detail have been instrumental in producing fantastic tasting cakes for the consumers,” he praises the work of his staff. “We have seen strong growth

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in demand for our premium mince pies and boxed Swiss rolls. On-trend celebration cakes, particularly our unicorn and flamingo cakes, have proven especially sought-after by the customers, too.”

Since the beginning of 2018, BBF

Performance recognition Just a month later, BBF won the Tesco Bakery Supplier of the Year award for its excellent service, quality, and innovation; and June saw the company receive Asda’s Most Improved Supplier award at the chain’s very first Own Brand Conference, when it was singled out for its improved ways of working and the tight management of critical paths, including hitting all timelines and milestones, and, on occasion, even completing them earlier than expected. “All BBF employees are very proud of the awards received earlier this year, as well as of the recognition that we manufactured four of the top five mince pies for Christmas 2017,” Jonathan comments.

“Moving with the trends, while aiming to maintain the excellent business relationships we have established with retailers and our supplier partners, we are now working collaboratively with them to jointly deliver the health agenda of the day, by reducing sugar, calories, and bad fats in our products. At the same time, we need to ensure that these remain an indulgent treat, which, we believe, our customers richly deserve.

“I am confident that we are wellpositioned to continue to grow, even in the really tough trading environment we find ourselves in,” he opines.

“Thanks to the very well-invested assets and the exceptional team we have both in the UK and Europe, we are looking to grow profitable sales on both sides of the Channel.”

BBF Limited The story of BBF’s last 18 months has been one of skilful navigation through a rough business field full of pitfalls, caused by the lack of longterm clarity over where Britain will be in the post-Brexit world. Despite the difficulties, however, the company has managed to post a double-digit sales growth and expand its capacity after the acquisition of its new Hull bakery, which is a clear sign of its ambition to upscale its operations and supply the market with a greater number of delicious cakes. Last but not least, picking up several accolades from retailers such as Tesco and Asda has strengthened BBF’s partnership with these brands, guaranteeing its status of a credible provider, whose robustness should cater for the company’s strong performance in the coming years. Expectations remain high! D www.bbflimited.com

Charpak Ltd With more than 99 per cent of packaging manufactured from recycled plastics the business says it is, “leading the way for far larger organisations to follow”. The market-leading designers and manufacturers of innovative thermoformed rigid plastic packaging have been shortlisted in The UK Packaging Awards for ‘SME of the Year’.

Specialising in supplying food and drink manufacturers, FMCG brands and own-label retailers, Charpak provides protective packaging for national and international markets. The business’ investment programme includes four new production machines commissioned in 2018. UK-based, they are at the forefront of driving sustainability within the packaging industry, and are quality assured to BRC AA Global Packaging and ISO 9001:2015.

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The delights of dairy

Made from pure Finnish milk sourced from some of the healthiest cows found anywhere in Europe, Valio dairy products are enjoyed by customers and consumers the world over 60 www.foodchainmagazine.com

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n 1905, a group of Finnish family farmers who had become known locally for making what their consumers considered to be the ‘best butter in the world’ came to the collective decision that they wanted to start selling their product outside of the country. In order to do so they, along with their dairy co-operatives, founded Valio and before long the company was successfully exporting high-quality butter by boat to England.

“To this day, Valio remains owned by a collective of 5500 Finnish family farmers,” begins Valio’s Senior Vice President, Annamari Lammi. “During

the course of more than 100 years, we have grown into a major player in the international dairy ingredients market as well, exporting products to more than 60 countries. We are also unique in the sense that all of the profits made by the business are paid back to the farmers that own Valio, which is a business model that we are very proud of.”

The ‘crown jewel’ of the business, as Annamari refers to it, is of course its butter, which as recently as March 2018 was the recipient of the ‘Best in Class’ award at the World Championship Cheese Contest 2018 in Wisconsin, USA. “Our customers and consumers the world over appreciate not only the outstanding taste of Valio butter, but also the fact that it is made from pure, high-quality Finnish milk,” Annamari continues. “All Valio butter is made by the professionals at the Seinäjoki dairy and is used by everyone from bakeries, to the processed food industry and ice cream makers. For example, our butter can be tasted in croissants baked by some of the leading bakeries in France.

Our French customers truly value the premium quality of our butter, which is why they often refer to it as the ‘RollsRoyce of butter’.”

Valio has also been at the forefront of innovation within the dairy industry for a number of years, and was responsible for introducing the world’s first lactosefree milk, based on its patented Eila® lactose-free technology, in 2001. In 2017 alone, Valio introduced 109 new products to both the Finnish and international markets. These include its completely plant-based Valio Oddlygood® family of products, which tap into decades of product and technological development, and its Valio MiFU® meat substitute.

The latter product, which can be used in recipes that call for the inclusion of meat or chicken, taps into the growing enthusiasm for meat substitute products, and in June 2018 the company’s Valio MiFU®strips won the ‘Best New Brand/ Business category at the World Dairy Innovation Awards.

“Valio MiFU® is a great example of how milk can be turned into many forms and uses,” Annamari states. “The story of these products began when our internal innovation team was assigned

Valio the task of coming up with a new way to use the casein protein found in milk to find alternative protein sources to meat. Among the most important jobs was developing a texture that could be pan-fried and ensuring that the product remained the same when heated, and easy to use in food preparation.

“Developing a new product, however, requires more than just a product development desk and a laboratory. Perfecting creations such as our Valio MiFU® strips takes time and is only possible thanks to the collaborative efforts of our product developers, researchers and production professionals. It is always an especially exciting moment when a new product idea is taken to a grander scale, but naturally we always test the products with our consumers. After all, they provide the most important feedback.”

Cattle and calf welfare is at the foundation of Valio’s successful operations, with healthy cows known to produce the high-quality, clean milk that is at the heart of its products. “It is for this reason that we implemented the most extensive quality and production reform in our history, with the aim of achieving continuously improving animal welfare standards,” Annamari states.

“An important recent milestone for this reform package was the introduction of a responsibility bonus that we started to pay our farmers at the start of 2018 to promote animal welfare.

“Linked to this bonus are Valio’s new production guidelines, which call for dairy farmers to commit to things like

regular planned animal healthcare, and hoof check-ups and treatment.

Additionally, every new barn must be a free-stall barn to give the cows the ability to move around freely, and all animal feed used should be soy-free and GMOfree. At present, 93 per cent of the milk produced by Valio’s farms are covered by these guidelines, with the aim being to achieve the 100 per cent mark by 2020.”

Launches and investments In July 2018, Valio also invited farmers to join its manure ecosystem. Finnish farms and agricultural sector players have worked for several decades to make better, more efficient use of phosphorus and nitrogen fertilisers, while also preventing potential eutrophication caused by runoff into waterways. With the new manure process patented by Valio, nutrients could be recirculated more effectively, while the ecosystem it is trying to create would bring different players together to pursue local and centralised solutions for manure processing. Such a network could result in significant positive effects on the environment.

As well as new product launches, Valio has also initiated several important investments and internal procedures in recent years that are helping to further its

legacy. In 2017, the company celebrated the opening of its new snack plant in Riihimäki. With an annual production capacity of 120 million kilos, the plant represents the largest single investment in Valio’s history. “We consider this plant to be the most modern facility of its kind, particularly in terms of sustainability,” Annamari explains. “The dairy’s energy, logistics and water consumption solutions reduce losses and conserve natural resources, and over three-quarters of the thermal energy used at the plant is produced from renewable fuels.”

With subsidiaries in Sweden, Russia, Estonia and the United States, Valio added to its international presence in May 2018 with the establishing of a new head office in Shanghai for its Valio China business.

Focused on serving the needs of this key market, Valio China has also opened new retail and food service business units to accompany its existing ingredients units. “As a global company, all of the markets we operate in are important to us,” Annamari concludes. “Also, as with any company, we are constantly seeking new business opportunities and profitable growth through all of our categories, and look forward to what the future holds for Valio.” D www.valio.com

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Always close to coffee

Adorned with a new brand identity, DRWakefield continued to grow both in size and in turnover in the past year, expanding its capacity and concentrating on ensuring its sustainability

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oday’s world can justifiably be defined as one in which everyone has become obsessed with information.

This claim is particularly pertinent to the food and beverages industry, where consumers are increasingly showing an interest in the provenance of certain products and their characteristics.

Unsurprisingly, coffee lovers are not an exception. Simon Wakefield, Chairman of DRWakefield, observes: “Buyers continually ask for more information about where their coffee has been grown, who has grown it, and the general stories behind the coffee.”

Fortunately, DRWakefield has in its DNA this very same infatuation with coffee origin and properties that has driven the merchant for almost 50 years in its attempts to provide every individual client with the right coffee.

Boasting extensive knowledge and, more importantly, invaluable first-hand

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experience gained by visiting, and sometimes having lived in producing countries, the company’s team rightfully regard themselves as real coffee people.

Closely related to the heightened interest in the technical details of a product, is the hot topic of sustainability, as businesses are beginning to pay more attention to maximising efficiency in their operations. “We use a lot of coffee grinds in our quality department and recycle them with bio-bean who manufacture a range of biofuels from waste coffee grounds. We also source many of our own materials from sustainable sources as we can. For example, our business cards are made from 100 per cent recycled t-shirts, our notebooks are printed on paper from sustainable forests, and the pens we use are bio-degradable.

“Over the years, we have also

DRWakefield established long-standing relationships with farmers all over the world.

Working with the same people for years makes it much easier for both parties to collaborate in producing the best quality cup of coffee, and it is more sustainable for the producer to have a reliable regular income. The mutual trust we have built facilitates the open communication we hold and enables us to clearly mediate what a customer wants, thus helping the producer understand what exactly is expected of them,” Simon discusses.

Growth trajectory Earlier in 2018, DRWakefield underwent a rebrand, changing its logo to better reflect the company’s philosophy. “Our logo is primarily based on the coffee flavour wheel, the characters in the industry, the people, the climate, the range of coffees and so forth. Additionally, it also looks a bit

like a cog, which signifies the link we provide between the producers and customers, making the mechanism tick,” he analyses.

Firmly on a growth trajectory in the past few years, the business has grown again in size, in the past 12 months,

recruiting new people to its marketing, logistics, and accounts departments as well as hiring Nick Thompson as Managing Director. Appointing Nick Thompson as Managing Director to take care of daily business, strategy and people, gives time for Simon to get more involved with customers and the coffee. It has always been a source of pride for DRWakefield that its profile is shaped by young and dynamic individuals, capable of energising the atmosphere and contributing fresh ideas that take advantage of the technological advancements of the day. Simon comments: “We have taken to strengthening our marketing department, as we intend to focus on expanding our social media presence and developing digital marketing strategies that will help us move closer to current and potential customers and enhance our brand identity.”

One of the benefits of working with

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‘

DRWakefield In addition, we are now an SCA Premier Training Campus, having received the certification last month. This is a fantastic confirmation that our activities are all performed ‘by the book’, and that we undertake our work within a set of measurable, reliable standards

young people is their insatiable desire to learn and build an expertise in their chosen field. This being said, it seems all too clear that DRWakefield has assembled a conscientious team of motivated professionals, hungry to develop their knowledge. How would we otherwise explain the remarkable milestone two of its employees – Priscilla and Phil, achieved in late June, when they became two of the first people in Europe to pass the SCA Q Processing course? Focusing on standardising vocabulary around coffee processing and describing the scientific fundamentals behind good quality processing practices, this level also analyses and interprets certain myths about processing. Both Priscilla

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and Phil agreed that what they learned will be of use in their everyday work and is a great addition to the Q grading qualifications they and three other members of the team already have.

Ideas exchange “In addition, we are now an SCA Premier Training Campus, having received the certification last month.

This is a fantastic confirmation that our activities are all performed ‘by the book’, and that we undertake our work within a set of measurable, reliable standards. It also means that we can rent our space out to people who want to do training courses in sensory skills development, green coffee and Q grading. Furthermore, we plan to run our own courses here, too,” Simon adds. This year, DRWakefield also hosted its first Full Circle event, which brought producers together along with roasters for them to exchange ideas, learn innovative farming techniques from each other, and gain insights into coffee production. The gathering proved an immense success and the company is now looking to establish it as an annual event. Export accounts for a respectable portion of DRWakefield’s turnover and the continued growth in overseas sales achieved by the business has been impressive enough for it to be included on the Sunday Times International Track 200 list for a second year in a row in the 2018 edition of the table.

Currently, the company supplies 32 countries, including the USA, Australia, and Scandinavia, with its international revenue growth amounting to 41 per cent over the last two years.

“We are on track to register even better results this year and growing in Europe is certainly one of the top priorities for DRWakefield. We have a European warehouse and are planning to expand this offering, as well as opening a European office and attending a number of events on the continent where we can showcase our capabilities. It is an exciting period for us and we just need to continue doing what has made us so successful,” Simon concludes. D www.drwakefield.com

Radstock Co-op

Community spirit Celebrating 150 years of business in 2018, Radstock Co-op is a member owned co-operative retailer that is very much at the heart of the communities it serves in and around Somerset

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f you were to go exploring the Somerset town of Radstock there is a chance that you may come across the Workingman’s Hall.

It is within this building, back in 1868 that a preliminary meeting was held to establish Radstock Co-operative and Industrial Society. Now, 150 years on and still existing at the heart of the communities that it serves, the business remains one of only a few truly independent co-operative retailers, comprising of 19 convenience stores, a large supermarket and a 1000-acre dairy farm. “Radstock Co-op was formed by the community in order to serve the community and it is that ethos that continues to persevere within its

Don Morris

DNA in 2018,” begins Chief Executive Officer, Don Morris.

In the decades that followed its inauguration, the co-operative steadily grew to incorporate several stores located in the surrounding area, for example in Peasedown St. John and Chew Magna, before the opening of the Radstock Superstore in 1959. At the same time, the offerings of the business began to diversify with the opening of a bakery and its dairy farm to deliver goods to not only its own stores, but those belonging to other societies. It was then not until 2008 that a period of rapid growth occurred for the co-operative, beginning with the opening of its first store in almost 40 years, in Shepton

Mallet, and culminating with the opening of three new stores, in Warminster, Weston-super Mare and Bridgwater in the last 18 months.

Within said stores, the co-operative has been introducing its customers to an ever-widening range of products and services, bringing things like ATM’s, Costa Coffee Express units, and an increased offering on hot and cold produce to take away. “We have made small, but significant changes to the way we do things, such as baking little and often in our in-store bakeries to ensure that fresh goods are available throughout the day. We have also introduced a process we call ‘Fit For Four’, led by our Head of Retail Alan Jackson, which calls

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for all of our stores to be adequately stocked and ready for the evening trade,” Don explains.

These various efforts have certainly had a telling impact on Radstock Co-op, as Don goes on to detail. “Over the last ten years we have experienced remarkable growth for what is a relatively small business, doubling our turnover in that time and achieving at least ten per cent growth year-on-year as we have successfully reenergised the business by taking a 21st Century approach while still retaining some good, old-fashioned principles and values,” he enthuses.

“In doing so we have almost tripled the number of stores we operate, including entering some unique environments such as a site that used to house a Little Chef restaurant, expanded our geographic range and introduced new technology such as our Loyalty Card Scheme.

The result of these efforts has been an increase in membership from 5000 to 17,000 members in the last three years!”

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to once again recognise and thank its employees for going the extra mile for it and its customers, while at the same time raising money for a variety of good causes.

Developing talent

While the business is very much geared for the future, it is clear that it has not lost touch with its heritage, something that has been celebrated in style in its 150th year. Among the many festivities to mark the occasion, the cooperative held a lavish, black-tie event at the Pavilion in Bath for its annual Gala Awards. In the company of Board Directors, local dignitaries, key suppliers and long-standing society members, Radstock Co-op took the opportunity

Other ways that the society has marked the occasion include the release of a commemorative hardback book, which provides an honest, detailed assessment of Radstock Co-op’s history.

The book was launched at an event at Radstock Museum, where there is also currently an exhibition of the society’s history running where various items of memorabilia can be seen on display.

“Coinciding with our anniversary, Radstock Museum also played host to the annual Co-operative Consumer Council Meeting, meaning that, for 24 hours at least, Radstock and the local area was centre of the co-operative universe in the UK, which was a wonderful experience,” Don adds.

Radstock Co-op As the society now looks towards the future, its focus turns to both the nurturing of its talented people and the prospects for further expansion. In the case of the former, such has been the commitment of Radstock Co-op to its employees that it has recently been awarded with Silver Accreditation by the Investors in People group. “We believe this accreditation reflects the efforts we have made with a number of strategy streams to develop talent within our business,” Don states. “This has included the implementation of several trainee programmes and partnering with different colleges in the surrounding region to offer apprenticeships. We are also big believers in recognising existing talent within our organisation, which is why we actively encourage our colleagues to put themselves forward if they want to take on extra responsibilities or roles, and we will provide the necessary training and development to support them.”

Turning to the topic of what the immediate future holds for the society, Don is keen to go over both its plans for its flagship Superstore and its longerterm strategy. “We have gone public with our plans to redevelop the Radstock Superstore to create a purpose-built store fit for the 21st Century, with the site also incorporating office, retail and residential space. We have launched the Public Consultation locally and hope to be able to approach Bath and North East Somerset Council in the coming months with a firm planning application for this exciting development.

“Our growth strategy is what I would consider to be a sensible one, one that sees the co-operative looking to reinvest in its existing estate, while also looking for the best opportunities to add to our portfolio of stores which we want to ensure remain at the heart of the communities they operate within,” he concludes. “We try not to hold ourselves hostage to particular numbers when it comes to growing our estate, but as far as milestones go, reaching 30 stores is one I think we can confidently achieve and will go a long way to reaffirming Radstock Co-op’s place as a regional player in the industry.” D www.radstockcoop.co.uk

Thatchers Thatchers is a family-run cidermaker with its home at Myrtle Farm in Sandford, Somerset. Its range of great tasting, premium ciders, including Thatchers Gold, Haze, Katy and Vintage, are all full of natural apple character and are made with hands-on experience that’s been passed down over four generations. With 500 acres of orchard in and around Myrtle Farm, Thatchers knowledge and passion for apples is unrivalled, resulting in Somerset ciders that are authentic, full of flavour and with a distinct character that reflects cidermaking at its best.

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The perfect

partner Europe’s leading manufacturer of private label premium dry pet food, GA Pet Food Partners is responsible for creating 500 different types of extruded pet food and has amassed a portfolio of over 1600 partners across the world

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GA Pet Food Partners

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GA Pet Food Partners

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hen Thomas Bracewell purchased Plocks Farm in Lancashire over 50 years ago it was a mixed arable and livestock farm. It wasn’t until Tom’s son, Roger, began working on the farm that the family decided that the only way to continue to grow cereal profitably was to secure an effective market. In 1992, Roger would go on to purchase a tractor driver extruder to turn the family’s wheat into a simple extruded dog food, and from that GA Pet Food Partners (GA) was born.

To this day, GA remains a private, family-owned business, working with pet food brands of all sizes throughout the world. GA offers these brands

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‘

what it calls ‘the total solution’ in private label pet food, from concept to launch, and storage to despatch, while also encompassing specialist services such nutritional advice, R&D, design and brand marketing. In doing so, the company partners with more private label pet food brands than any other pet food manufacturer. Not only manufacturing food for what could be called ‘traditional’ pets, such as dogs, cats, rabbits and birds, GA also creates pond and koi foods, angling baits and is able to develop dry foods for more unusual small pets such as ferrets.

“Partnership is what we are all about, and is what has been at the heart of our story since GA began processing wheat

We deliver quality across the board, from the raw materials we use through to production and logistics activities; our innovative approach allows us to stay at the forefront of the industry, and the integrity we possess means that our partners retain the utmost level of confidence in what we do, from the start of their journey through to the delivery of their finished product

New: IQI Turkey Meat Powder, high on proteins

At IQI we stop at nothing to serve the finest quality. Take our latest innovation: Turkey Premium Meat Powder. We set up a complete new production process to deliver turkey at it’s best. Also, we offer chicken in power powder form.

Real tasty meat with all the proteins pets need. Find out more at IQI-petfood.com

for pet food in 1992,” explains John

JRS JRS offers a unique new lab service to the pet food market in the form of its ‘Technical Competence Center’ at its headquarter in Rosenberg, Germany.

This new pilot scale plant was recently put into operation and today it supports pet care product development in direct collaboration with customers, and sets new standards for JRS fibre applications in pet food.

“The new technical center allows JRS to systematically develop and test solutions for specific customer requirements. Our partners can expect a close working relationship and the development of tailor-made solutions,” says development manager Torsten Trampe.

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Hewitt, Head of Technical Services.

“Our success has always been linked to that of our partners, of which we today boast more than 1600 across the globe, and has been delivered on the back of the core values of quality, innovation and integrity. We deliver quality across the board, from the raw materials we use through to production and logistics activities; our innovative approach allows us to stay at the forefront of the industry, and the integrity we possess means that our partners retain the utmost level of confidence in what we do, from the start of their journey through to the delivery of their finished product.”

Tailored approach GA offers its partners three ‘routes to success’, individually tailored for pet food brands of different sizes. Route one, or the My Label route as it is

GA Pet Food Partners called, starts with a commitment to a minimum order of just a single bag, but provides access to over 80 different recipes, packaging, a selection of label templates, and a lead time of as little as five working days. The next step up is the My Brand option, which has a minimum order quantity of one pallet per SKU. Similarly, users of this path have access to over 80 recipes, but in this instance, they can choose their own packaging and design their own branded label or fully printed bag. Lastly, the My Bespoke route comes with a minimum order of five tonnes, and gives the partner access to GA’s team of nutritionists to design their recipe, and allows for the creation of bespoke packaging and labelling. “These different entry points provide an ideal in-road for partners of all shapes and sizes. Whether they are an online distributor that never has to actually physically touch the pet food or

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a more hands-on bespoke partner that wants to be intricately involved from day one in developing a recipe and designing packaging, we provide a true concept-to-launch approach to meet their individual needs,” John enthuses.

As John goes on to point out, correctly, the health and happiness of the pet being fed is the ultimate consideration when it comes to creating pet food. “Ensuring that the end product our partners receive is wholesome, nutritious and tasty for the pet in question has to be our highest priority,” he details. “This begins with the ingredients we source from farms,

Inovitec Ltd Working closely with pet food company’s product development and formulations teams, Inovitec has developed a unique range of speciality raw materials that have multifunctional applications in the finished food; providing improved nutritional and marketing benefits. We offer a bespoke service, often sourcing a particular specification to meet the goals of our customers, from specific functional ingredients, to claim materials and more, we will go the extra mile to supply. We have been working with GA Pet Food Partners for many years and are proud to be associated with their continuing success.

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growers and other human grade food suppliers, and collect using our own refrigerated transport. Brand owners can have full traceability and provenance of their ingredients, all of which is handled through a humanquality food chain before arriving at our ingredients kitchen.”

The importance of ingredients, and the happiness of the pet in question are perfectly illustrated by a very successful project GA undertook with a pet owner who was not happy with the food they were feeding their own mature dog.

They had noticed that it suffered from a skin condition that improved when fed wholesome homemade food. They wanted to develop their own pet food that would produce the same results, and then offer it to a wider market.

Prioritising pet health With the help of GA’s pet nutritionists, three super premium dog food diets

GA Pet Food Partners were developed and trialled. The GA team also helped to develop the text and content for the packaging, which was supplied by an external packaging supplier. The first small batches were packed into two different pack sizes and stored at GA’s Distribution Centre (DC) for distribution. This brand is now sold in both pet shops and a grocery multiple, with some product being sold via mailorder, being fulfilled directly by the DC.

Focus on fresh It is clear that GA welcomes new approaches and is keen to explore innovation in order to stay at the forefront of the pet food market, and its latest investment in this area is named Freshtrusion™. This technology enables the creation of dry pet foods with up to 100 per cent fresh ingredients, improved palatability and better digestibility. Freshtrusion™ allows more fresh ingredients to be

Thomas Mawer Ltd Many congratulations to GA Pet Food Partners on their ongoing growth and development. Thomas Mawer Ltd, are privileged to have worked with GA as a highly valued commercial partner for over 20 years. Our dedicated team of specialist professionals relish the constant challenge in sourcing the best available raw materials at competitive prices to meet the ever-stringent quality controls operated at Plock’s Farm. In supplying the global demands for premium pet foods, Thomas Mawer Ltd have met the ever more rigorous quality, provenance and traceability criteria that GA’s customers quite rightly demand.

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used than any other extrusion system in the world, including fresh meat, vegetables, herbs and botanicals (over 700 ingredients are available for clients to choose from – or they are able to source their own). Such is the flexibility of Freshtrusion™ that customers can choose the levels of each fresh ingredient, to optimise nutrition, and target the best marketing positions and commercial price points. It also gives brand owners the opportunity to make powerful on-pack marketing claims to help differentiate themselves, and this is an area where GA is happy to share its 20 years of knowledge and experience, while its clients decide the pace and level of involvement with their brand development.

Freshtrusion™ as the perfect opportunity to change this and to meet the growing demand from our partners for freshly prepared meat and other products,” John continues.

“To date our primary focus has been targeted towards the meat element, but from here we are now pushing

“Traditionally, pet food has not always had the best perception when it comes to the use of fresh ingredients and we saw

towards our ultimate aim, which is to deliver 100 per cent freshness in our products, something which we believe is very achievable.”

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The pursuit of self-improvement has led to GA making a significant investment, totally £55 million, across its production and manufacturing activities. This investment has not only resulted in the aforementioned state-of-the-art ingredients kitchen, factory extensions and new warehouse space, but also the adoption of the most technically advanced extrusion plant, making some of the finest super

KST Ingredients A supplier of all things ‘dried’, KST Ingredients have been supplying GA Pet Foods with a range of dehydrated vegetables, fruits, powders and botanicals since its conception almost a decade ago.

Our ever-growing inventory of dried produce, from the basic to the exotic, is sourced from certified and approved suppliers from all corners of the world.

Our approved factories are all of BRC or ISO status and have a proven track record of supplying us with quality ingredients that can be traced back to the farm.

Core products include apple and carrot, but in general if you want it we can find it.

GA Pet Food Partners premium dry pet foods available. GA’s adoption of the world’s first thermal twin extruder allows it to include high levels of fresh meat in its products, and with four extruders GA now has a production capacity of 100,000 tonnes of super premium pet food.

Plocks Farm in Lancashire

“Going forward, our strategy revolves around consolidating our relationships with our existing partners by maintaining the same high level of quality and meeting their changing needs,” John concludes. “As we continue to grow, we will aid our partners own growth by continuing to offer them new recipes, increased innovation and greater opportunities to add to their product ranges. Of course, at the same time, we always welcome new partners with open arms and we are very excited about the opportunities we foresee to grow internationally in the years to come.” D www.ga-petfoodpartners.co.uk

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Redefining hospitality Expanding its portfolio at a rapid pace, Providence Hospitality leans on its seasoned staff to provide worldclass hotel management in boutique and niche properties in South Africa and the UK

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hen Providence Hospitality was launched four years ago, the hospitality management company had identified a gap in the market for hotel operators, whose area of expertise covers smaller, boutique-type properties. Backed by Fairtree Capital, who, approximately at the same time established an investment fund that would focus specifically on hospitality real estate, Providence Hospitality occupied that niche. Today, it manages a total of 16 properties – six in South Africa and ten in the UK, promising that this is just the beginning.

In fact, eight of the ten hotels located on British territory have been added to the company’s portfolio in the last year with staff quadrupling in just six months; a growth that is described by co-founder Joe Bester, as both “exciting and unbelievable”.

What is more, Providence Hospitality is currently in discussions with the owners of another two hotels, which it hopes to take the management of, by the end of 2018 or early next year.

A growth of such proportions may well turn into a burden for a lot of businesses, but not even a shade of doubt is cast on Joe’s confidence, as he stresses his belief in the vast experience, intelligence, and versatility of his team. “It is our colleagues’ diverse background that makes us unique. Some of our people have managed bigger hotels, while others have been involved in smaller properties, and we try to make the most of the various strengths they possess.

“We have from chartered accountants working in our Finance team, to people who have been managing some of the biggest hotels in South Africa for nearly 50 years. Mixing these experienced individuals with a group of young, technologically-savvy

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Providence Hospitality

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colleagues, who really understand how technology works and have the ability to stay on top of the constant developments in the digital sphere, has determined our success,” he elaborates on the importance of working with bright professionals who know their way around. “We need to be very agile and multidimensional in our approach, because for every hotel we manage, we have to develop a specific development strategy, as these properties are so different from one another.”

Market opportunities Having proven its capabilities for more than three years, Fairtree, in 2017, was able to secure a £19 million investment from NatWest that helped the investment fund purchase six hotels in just over a year, now managed by Providence Hospitality. “Fairtree has been building a good relationship with NatWest over a number of years and, after seeing what

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we are doing and how we are doing it, the bank was happy to provide us with a funding package. I believe they trusted us, because they were convinced by the robustness and the potential of the assets we buy, and of having a strong team and partner in Providence looking after the businesses. Fairtree looks for hotels with a good track record, and, naturally, a good location, to develop further and take to a higher level and creating value for its investors,” he maintains.

Electing to operate within the niche and boutique-style segments of the hospitality market has brought sensational success for Providence Hospitality, and to Joe, the conditions remain favourable for the business to extend its market share in the years to come. “The UK has an enormously fragmented hotel market. There are hundreds of independent hotels, either family-owned or owned by small groups

Providence Hospitality of individuals, that will at some point need to have management of the kind we can provide. We can see that new buyers are trying to enter the market, willing to acquire hotels and have them managed by a company like ours. I would admit, we are proud of the amount of interest we continue to generate as a hotel manager, from investors who want to make their first steps in the sector and from seasoned owners wanting to take a step back.”

The economic situation in the UK also favours the prospects ahead of the hospitality business. “The uncertainties around Brexit have weakened the pound, making it harder for travellers to go abroad, instead shifting their focus to more local travelling, and this is a positive trend for us, and for the tourism industry, as a whole,” Joe explains.

Encouraged by the strong opportunities the market presents, he sets the bar high for the company, not

Forest Produce Having spent ten years working as a chef, Tony Quick set up Forest Produce with his wife Caroline. Fifteen years on, with a large new unit space in Devon, a fleet of refrigerated vans and a committed team including a sales team with years of combined experience working in the kitchen themselves - they can inspire and guide you in the right direction to getting what you need.

Forest Produce has grown to become the preferred choice for South West chefs, building a reputation for supplying top class ingredients, from fresh truffles and caviar, to fresh salad leaves and herbs.

shying away from chasing an even faster and more ambitious development for Providence Hospitality in the next five years. “We aim to be very well-represented countrywide and establish a reputation of one of the top hotel managers in the UK and Europe. As a result of our growth, we will also get the exciting opportunity to expand our team, making ourselves more competitive, because, the bigger the team gets, the more services we will be able to introduce and offer to our clients on a more cost-effective basis. We want to be seen as a dynamic company, who brings a level of integrity that is beyond reproach, and who can be trusted to manage a wide range of assets. Our vision is to combine forward thinking in the use of technology with proper hospitality service, and a strong financial discipline to make our hotels look and feel fantastic, while achieving strong financial results for their investors.” D www.providencehospitality.co.uk

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Fresh thinking The UK’s longest established fresh pasta and noodle company, Ugo Foods Group is now embarking on the next phase of its development with a new Chief Executive Officer appointed and exciting product innovations on the horizon

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Ugo Foods Group

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hen Sophia Cooke, newly appointed Chief Executive Officer of Ugo Foods Group, describes the heritage of the business as ‘incredible’ she is certainly not lying. If anything, that word may even downplay the near 90-year history of the Ugo family and its involvement in the food industry. A story that began with a 14-year-old teenager by the name of Luigi Ugo leaving his home in Tortona, Italy, in 1921 to travel to London where he opened one of the few Italian Deli’s in the UK, based in Gerrard Street, Soho, London. He started out by making fresh pasta by hand, selling to local hotels and restaurants, and ultimately led to the group being recognised today as the longest established fresh pasta and noodle company in the UK. Sophia’s own journey has seen her build up a wealth of knowledge and experience within the retail sector, formerly holding the position of Tesco’s Head of Customer Strategy for its convenience foods division. “Throughout my career I have always found myself being drawn to interesting, unique and challenging opportunities, especially those in the food industry as it’s a passion of mine,” she states.

Sophia Cooke Chief Executive Officer Ugo Foods Group

team this is an exciting, innovative and fast-paced entity, one that does not have barriers to new concepts and ideas and is not afraid to take chances. What’s more is that we are a company that employs genuine foodies, people with a passion for creating exceptional food of the highest quality.”

Now firmly installed in her role as Chief Executive Officer, Sophia’s attention is on how to take Ugo Foods Group forward, and that work begins with some exciting new products to come in the next few months. “For one thing,” she explains, “we have our Ugo Thrive ‘free-from’ brand, which continues to win a number of major awards, and we will continue to leverage the success of this range to create products that are not just free-from the top 14 allergens, but have positive health benefits and, above all, taste delicious.

“We have had fantastic success with our vegan friendly products, including

the launch of the first free-from pasta suitable for vegans within the Ugo Thrive range and the first premium filled naturally vegan pasta within our Dell’Ugo range. Meanwhile, within our Dell’Ugo gourmet range, we plan to launch several new high-end products, along the lines of our bestselling Crab and Crayfish Raviolo, and we want to further enhance the popularity of our pesto and bread products to help customers find superb quality, incredibly convenient meal solutions and brand experience.”

Brand development The company also continues to prosper from favourable consumer trends towards Asian foods, both through their Asian brand and its unique noodle recipe which they supply globally to the Wagamama chain of restaurants. “The Asian food side of the business is a real opportunity for us, and one with great potential to create products that are bang on trend.”

Moving forward Such an opportunity arose when Sophia met Paul Ugo, whose own vision, passion and determination transformed Ugo Foods from a £300,000 business into a £20 million operation during his 25 years at the helm. Sophia first took on the role of Ugo Food Group’s Commercial Director, and in the space of 18 months Sophia, Paul and the team made huge strides, all whilst Paul was mentoring and preparing her for the time she would step into the leadership role of this near century old family business.

Today, the business produces both private label and branded products, and encompasses its flagship pasta brand, Dell’Ugo, its wellness free-from brand Ugo Thrive, and Pan Asian brand soon about to launch. “Ugo Foods Group, and its respective brands, represents a completely unique offering in the chilled food arena,” Sophia continues. “Thanks to the efforts of Paul and his dedicated

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Ugo Foods Group Whilst Ugo Foods Group has celebrated fantastic success over the years, Sophia is convinced that there is even greater potential for further development. “To me, pasta remains something of an underutilised category, which has in part become very own label focused and commoditised,” she says.

“As such, we feel that there is still the opportunity to create a step change in the marketplace and we want to achieve this by focusing on our values, ethics and the quality of our pasta products as well as the huge benefits that come from our products being made in the UK. “Supported by a wonderful set of family values, we create superb quality pasta, noodles and dumpling products, all made in our factory in the UK. We are constantly pushing the boundaries when it comes to our products, packaging and the way we do business, which has consistently been responsible and sustainable, and it is important for us to get our message out

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there as much as possible. There will be a big focus on driving the brands forward in the months ahead, constantly innovating along the way in the same way that has proven so successful for Paul and the rest of the Ugo family to date.”

Paul Ugo added: “I am delighted that Sophia has taken on the role of CEO, to implement our strategy and vision for the company, which aims to cement us as a key player within the Chilled Foods industry. We are utilising the experience we’ve built up over the past 90 years and the state-of-the-art facilities that we have today to execute our ambitious growth plans and continue to consistently deliver quality. My son, Charlie, recently stepped into the role of Head of Operations, which is leading us into the Ugo family’s 4th generation behind this incredible business. I will continue to have a strong presence, particularly around new product development and quality assurance.” D www.ugogroup.co.uk

Wadworth

Brewing tradition

Originally founded in 1875 by Henry Alfred Wadworth, and subsequently passed to his founding partner John Smith Bartholomew, family brewer and regional pub operator Wadworth still remains in the hands of the Bartholomew family today

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adworth’s Victorian brewery has become a landmark in the town of Devizes, in Wiltshire, attracting visitors from across the world.

While its skills in brewing craft beer may be based on years of experience accrued from history, its state-of-theart Steinecker brew house illustrates how the traditional can be combined with modern production techniques and systems. This partnership results in the highest quality and greatest consistency in a beer and ale range that includes 6X, a classic crafted amber ale and Swordfish, a unique blend of Wadworth beer and Pusser’s Navy

Rum. The range also includes Horizon, Henry’s IPA, Bishop’s Tipple, and Corvus stout. This range of ‘core’ beers is complemented by a comprehensive selection of seasonal beers, with recent offerings including Dirty Rucker, a rich ruby beer; and Game of Stones, a golden ale, among many others.

It is worth turning the spotlight onto Wadworth’s 6X product, which is described by the company as the jewel in its crown. It has been in production for nearly 100 years and is still made using the original recipe. Pronounced as the winner of the United Kingdom’s Gold at 2017’s World Beer Awards, 6X is full bodied and distinctive, mid-brown

in colour, malty and fruity on the nose with a balancing hoppy note.

While 6X may reflect the traditional side of Wadworth’s brewing proficiency, 6X Gold, a gluten-free beer, proves not only the company’s modern side, but also its willingness to adapt products to attract a new audience, or meet the need of a new subsection of consumers.

This position has been further enhanced by 6X Gold’s recent upgrade in July 2018 to not just gluten-free but also vegan. Speaking about its vegan credentials, CEO for Wadworth, Chris Welham explained that the change was made due to customer feedback: “6X Gold is extremely popular with

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drinkers who like beer and also those that need to choose a gluten-free diet.

What became very apparent in our discussions with customers is that there is a real demand for vegan products too. We set about changing the brewing process so that this award-winning beer is vegan also.” To make the beer vegan, the isinglass finings (obtained from fish) were replaced by a silicate and polysaccharide finings agent in the brewing process. The beer takes six weeks to create and is specially bottled to retain its gluten-free and vegan status.

Alongside the brewing of this extensive range of beers, ales and stout, Wadworth also operates in excess of 200 pubs - some award winning - across South West of England and London. This estate is split between tenanted and managed pubs, but what unites them is a warm and welcoming atmosphere, and excellent quality food and drink.

Maintaining its pub assets is a priority

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Outside areas in pubs are of equal importance to their internal trading spaces and that is why our continuous investment in these are reaping rewards. Customers want comfort outside as well as in. Our programme of developing these external areas to a high level so customers can really make the most of the weather with the same quality they would get inside is paramount to making their days

at Wadworth, and again, highlighting the company’s willingness to respond to the needs of its customers, in June 2018 it announced a £500,000 investment in the outside spaces of five different locations. As temperatures soared, Wadworth completed a large external decoration and spruced up the garden at the Bush Inn in Ovington for £75,000 and carried out a full external refurbishment and new patio dining area at the Beehive in Carterton for £70,000. Alongside these the courtyard at the Goat & Tricycle in Bournemouth has been enhanced, the Bear in Devizes has received a major facelift and a new outside bar and covered external trading area was unveiled at the Crown in Devizes

Décor refresh Commenting about the al fresco investment programme, operations director for the Wadworth managed business, Rupert Bagnall said: “Outside areas in pubs are of equal importance to their internal trading spaces and that is why our continuous investment in these are reaping rewards. Customers want comfort outside as well as in. Our programme of developing these external areas to a high level so customers can really make the most of the weather with the same quality they would get inside is paramount to making their days.”

This investment plan also applies inside pubs too – with Wadworth having already refreshed accommodation and facilities in many of its locations in 2018. In fact, The Kings Arms in Melksham has received its second revamp in quick succession, with its ten original bedrooms now having received a full makeover in a £365,000 investment, after building three brand new rooms in outbuildings last year.

The ten bedrooms have been fully refurbished with updated bathrooms, soft furnishings and décor and brand new furniture throughout. They have retained many of their original features, to ensure that a stay at the market town hotel is still unique, and to retain its individual personality.

Clearly making bold and significant investments is part of the Wadworth

Wadworth approach, and the £650,000 spent at Barton’s Mill Pub in Old Basing, Hampshire can be used as an example of how its vision to offer more to customers is being realised. Twelve premium rooms have been created at the 17th century pub and restaurant, using a barn that had sat on the site unused for many years. Each room retains the traditional character of the building whilst offering all the home comforts guests now expect and there are dog friendly rooms also available, reflecting the area’s popularity with dog walkers.

Speaking about the investment, business development manager for

Caternet Caternet develops eProcurement, stock management and MIS/back-office solutions for the hospitality industry. By moving to Live Pricing and Live Purchasing, and a choice of over 2000 suppliers, clients frequently achieve annual cost savings of five-to-15 per cent on goods and services. It has built an outstanding reputation through powerful, easy-to-use features. From fully-costed recipes in the kitchen to HMRC accredited online invoices and real-time stock visibility at head office, businesses can save an average of 40 hours per month in financial administration. Caternet’s unified platform was designed by industry insiders to strengthen your competitive edge and protect margins.

Wadworth, Michael Phillips said: “I’m very confident that the Barton’s Mill will provide business and leisure travellers a great B&B venue for local people and businesses alike, making it an even more popular destination.”

When looking at the Wadworth business, it could be described as the perfect marriage between traditional and modern. While it remains one of the few family brewers still delivering to its local area using shire horses, and hand painting its pub signs, it also willingly embraces and responds to contemporary trends, showing its flexibility - the cornerstone of new and fresh businesses. This potent mix of experience and agility, knowledge and innovation has created an ambitious, successful and dynamic organisation with big plans – based on its history, Wadworth still has many more chapters to write in the story of its success. D www.wadworth.co.uk

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Whisky

pleasures

Broxburn Bottlers is currently retrofitting its facilities to meet the increased demands for its services, as the Scottish provider of bottling for high-end alcoholic beverages is living through the busiest period of its history

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Broxburn Bottlers

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Broxburn Bottlers

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cotland, few would argue, is the Mecca of whisky.

Renowned for the production of world-class brands of scotch, the northernmost country in the UK attracts hundreds of thousands of aficionados every year that take to the Highlands to degust some of the finest spirits Scotland has to offer. The first years of the 21st century have cultivated a trend of in-depth knowledge of quality alcoholic drinks, which has led to a rise in the popularity of whisky, in particular, as a greater number of members of the general public is discovering the experience of learning about, tasting, and cherishing the delicate beverage.

Based at the heart of Scotland, Broxburn Bottlers is responsible for the aesthetically pleasing look of any bottle of exquisite whisky that comes out of the bottling provider’s manufacturing facility. The company was formed in 1984, operating from a facility, which had previously been a property of another business that had also been offering bottling services, thus giving Broxburn Bottlers a head start in its own operations.

“During the first ten years of its existence, the company was focused on

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We have a storage for about 2000 casks, as well as a capacity of two million litres.

Furthermore, we have a wide variety of vats – from enormous vats that can hold up to 110,000 litres to smaller ones with a capacity of 5000 litres

its own production, but upon entering its second decade, it gradually started venturing a bit more in contract bottling, especially for the whisky industry,” Managing Director, David Harris begins. “The business had reached a production rate of 1.4 million cases by 2004, when I joined it, and today, we have increased that figure to just over 40 million bottles per year, serving the whole industry.

“We have about 50 customers – from the biggest companies to some smaller businesses. Our capabilities allow us to bottle a variety of products and our specialism is high-end, low-volume spirits. We are well-versed in developing fancy packaging and gift boxes for the premium end. Recently, we bottled a

60-year-old Glenfarclas, which is selling at about £18,000-£20,000 per bottle, so we have been dealing with some spectacular whiskies. Naturally, though, we cover the whole range, going down to the cheapest on-display type of products. Our bottle size ranges from 50 millilitres to six litres of very expensive whisky,” David explains.

Versatile operation Entrusted with the bottling of such a whopping number of spirits, Broxburn Bottlers invariably needed to set up some exceptional processes at its manufacturing facility in West Lothian.

The plant features eight production lines and mixes manual production with fully-automated manufacturing, synchronised to perfection. “We are incredibly versatile, which is one of our core strengths. We invest a lot of time and money to train our staff, so they can reach the level of versatility that will allow them to perform the tasks we require from them. Besides, it is a quite enjoyable job for them, because of the variety of products that pass through their hands, and they are proud to be involved in their bottling,” David praises his team. He also hastens to clarify that all of the materials for the bottling are supplied by the customers. “We do not make the bottles ourselves and do not own any of the materials or the spirits. However, in odd cases, we would buy the glass for some of our smaller customers, because it is more costefficient for both parties.”

In addition to its manufacturing facility, Broxburn Bottlers operates a warehousing centre with a number of units, where it stores its goods. “We have a storage for about 2000 casks, as well as a capacity of two million litres.

Furthermore, we have a wide variety of vats – from enormous vats that can hold up to 110,000 litres to smaller ones with a capacity of 5000 litres. However, we have not got too many of the latter. The majority of our vats are larger – between 50,000 and 110,000 litres. Additionally, we operate a couple of units for the dry materials we receive, including all the glass, cardboard, and labels. We also currently hold over 400,000 cases of finished goods,” David details.

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Broxburn Bottlers we are building a new welfare block that will include new toilets, shower rooms and locker rooms, which will be finished in a couple of weeks,” he discusses.

As Broxburn Bottlers serves the high-end whisky industry, the company is advancing its offering further by building a new luxury products hall to handle the deluxe items it works with.

David elaborates: “It will allow us to improve in finishing off the high-value production, so this specialist hall will be an essential part of our future activities. On top of all of that, we have just broken ground on three new warehousing facilities for dry material

Significant upgrades

Identification Technologies (Scotland) Ltd.

With the amount of workload having reached unprecedented levels for

ITS are distributors for the Advanced Labelling Systems range of premium self-adhesive labelling systems, this range is used extensively within Broxburn Bottlers and the wider bottling industry due to their accuracy and labelling speed. The two companies have a long history of collaborating on specialist projects, from designing semi-automatic systems for high value products to retro-fitting labelling heads within existing rotary labelling systems. So, from stand-alone labelling heads and printer applicators, to complete turnkey projects and ink jet systems, we can supply and support.

Broxburn Bottlers, the company has had to think about the expansion of its infrastructure, and the business is presently showing signs of intensified investment activity. David outlines the principal upgrades the plant is undergoing. “We have just agreed to buy a new bottling line, which will be our ninth and will cost approximately £1.5 million. It is currently being built in Italy and we will have it sent to us in stages. The final piece of kit is scheduled to be delivered right on December 24th, and we are aiming to have the line installed over the Christmas period, so it could be fully operational from the first days of the new year.

“The building of a new cask storage facility is also coming to a completion, representing another investment of over £1 million. It will be able to hold 20,000 casks and will feature a bulk processing area for bringing in bulk whisky and preparing it for bottling. Simultaneously,

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market conditions in the business of

storage. Truth being told, we could do with all the facilities up and running. It normally takes a year or so to plan an expansion and find the investment for it and by the time it has been completed, you start wondering whether that would

be enough to manage all the workload,” he points out.

Thanks to Broxburn Bottlers having earned a leading position in the industry, we are able to gain some precious insight from David on the dominant

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spirits. “The gin market and the top-end whisky market are both going strong, at the moment,” he remarks. “The trend of alcopops has given way to what might be called ‘the affordable luxuries’.

People are prepared to pay a little bit more for high-quality products. Instead of buying a lot of lower-quality spirits, they are more inclined to buy a bit less but of a higher standard.

“Perhaps, the popularity of gin and whisky is down to the availability of more information about them. The Internet has played a role, because the consumers have started to discover the opportunities to make some lovely cocktails with gin as a base. Besides, people like drinking cocktails, they enjoy the ritual of preparing one, so that is how one might explain the gin phenomenon in the past three or four years. It is a bubble that might burst sooner or later, but in fact, these gins

Broxburn Bottlers are a genuinely good product and good products tend to last.”

Positive growth David maintains that the picture in the whisky market does not differ much.

“Again, it is an affordable luxury. With whisky, you are guaranteed a very high standard. It is a unique and wellcherished product by the industry and the latter’s efforts in the last 30-40 years to reach this particular quality have been laudable. If you buy a bottle of whisky, you know you are buying a very good product. It is not like buying a watch for £1000. Instead, it is about paying £50 or

£60 for a bottle of a high-quality scotch, which you can share with your friends and talk about. What is more, when you get into whisky, you can explore it for years, because there are so many different types. People like trying various styles and comparing them. Drinking whisky has become an event of a sort,” he smiles.

“At the moment, people are talking a lot about rum, but it is showing only early signs of turning into a major trend,” David continues. “It is an interesting product and we have seen some growth already, but nothing spectacular as of yet. These things tend to take time. It

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is true what they say that behind every overnight success there is ten years of hard work. Rum has been bubbling along for the last five years, so it might require another year or two to kick in like gin, or maybe even longer. It is another product with a lot of variation in styles and areas of production, so it could be explored by consumers. I expect it to come to the fore in the years to come.”

He concludes on a positive note, expressing his confidence that Broxburn Bottlers will stay on the growth trajectory in the long run. “We have to keep investing and getting stronger. People are enjoying the products we are offering, because they are guaranteed a standard. With the world population growing and more and more people being able to afford these spirits around the world, lots of different markets open up for us all the time, so I am hoping for a continued, steady growth.” D www.broxburnbottlers.co.uk

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Captivated

by coffee

Striving to always remain streets ahead of the competition, UCC Coffee UK & Ireland has perfected its total coffee solution model, placing continuous investment in the development of its workforce and technologies 96 www.foodchainmagazine.com

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assion has been the defining trait of UCC Coffee UK & Ireland ever since the business began more than two decades ago. Combining real love for providing total coffee solutions with genuine eagerness to develop its staff, UCC Coffee UK & Ireland continues to prove its outstanding capabilities that has turned the company into a trusted partner of some of the largest

multinational brands known to every self-respected shopper.

The UK and Ireland division of the Japan-based holdings company UCC Coffee has been part of the group since 2012. “It is a very large business that ranks at number seven in the world, when we talk about independent coffee volume businesses. At the time of the acquisition, the group had already positioned itself as a leader in the

UCC Coffee UK & Ireland our transformation into a total coffee solutions provider began.”

Total coffee solution does indeed mean total and nothing less, as Elaine explains. “We focus on literally every aspect of the coffee business – from sourcing and roasting the coffee, to providing the best coffee machines to our customers; giving them advice and providing category management based on data and actionable insights we collect all the time. We also take care of delivering exhaustive training to help our clients create an unforgettable experience for the consumers.

“As a business, we have three channels we operate within. First, it is retail. Then, we have out of home food service customers, such as Greggs, Compass Group, McDonald’s, Hotel Chocolat, and the like. Finally, we serve independent customers, mainly regionally, regardless of the size or the quantity of the outlets. Within these

three channels, we have four revenue streams – equipment, coffee, service, and side products – everything that the customer needs to create a total coffee solution,” she reviews her business’ scope of action.

Strategic partners Today, UCC employs nearly 8000 staff worldwide, 560 of which are based in the UK and Ireland, and runs 28 manufacturing plants. “One of these is our roasting plant in Dartford, for which we have got significant financial support from UCC that allowed us to invest in a roaster at the end of 2016,” Elaine notes. “This year, we are planning to increase our roasting capacity further, making sure that we have the latest in coffee roasting technology and can create points of difference via the investment we make.

“We work really close with our strategic partners on the equipment

Asia-Pacific region, but it wanted to have more reach and become a global force,” UCC Coffee UK & Ireland’s Managing Director, Elaine Swift begins.

“Prior to the acquisition by UCC Coffee, we were first bought by a private equity company around 2006, which also owned Gala Coffee at the time. In 2010, another private equity investor stepped in, having decided to join the two businesses, which was how

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UCC Coffee UK & Ireland side including Thermoplan, Swiss manufacturer for automatic coffee machines, Nuova Simonelli, Italian manufacturer for traditional coffee machines and Brita for water solutions,” she continues. “For example, we have been the exclusive distributor for Thermoplan since 1996 and with their support, we have been able to make our equipment a market leader in the UK. About 18 months ago, we started using Thermoplan’s new compact machine, Black&White 4c, and later this year, we will receive the latest version of the coffee machine, which is going to be a transformational force in the market, in terms of coffee quality, consistency, and intelligence. As a market leader in operating professional bean to cup machines, we are very excited about the next generation Black&White.”

UCC Coffee UK & Ireland’s Dartford facility handles around 10,000 tonnes of roasted coffee every year and can rightfully be described as the business’ manufacturing powerhouse. To make the business tick as a perfectly-oiled

machine, however, the company runs technical workshops from its other two facilities – in Milton Keynes and Ireland.

“Since we operate over 40,000 installed machines all over the UK and Ireland, we have set up a team of dedicated technicians that deliver preventative, predictive, and reactive maintenance to these machines,” Elaine discusses.

“In addition to 170 field engineers, a team of 60 engineers work in our technical workshops, supporting the field by conducting operations such as pre-delivery inspections and pressurevessel inspections. Recently, we have invested heavily in expanding and improving the technical workshop. For example, we introduced automation and new sonic washers to drive efficiencies and continuous improvement.”

New chapter The upgrade Elaine refers to, is part of a £1.3 million investment the company has made in its headquarters in Milton Keynes. She clarifies the reasons for UCC Coffee UK & Ireland’s investment

activity in this area. “We have been here since 2004 and the business has changed a lot in that time. In the first place, we really wanted to create a better working environment for our team to function. Secondly, we had the ambition to open a Coffee Works Centre of Excellence for training and education, which now is a reality and a SCA Premier Training Campus. We invested in new technology that allows us to push the live training we provide. We have created a whole video series of training and support materials for our customers to watch them over and over again. It has undoubtedly been an instrumental investment in bringing the Coffee Works programme alive,” Elaine enthuses.

Determined to keep abreast of the competition by making the most of the technological advancements that are presented to us literally every day, UCC Coffee UK & Ireland has also left space for a designated telemetry hub to obtain intelligence for the performance of the coffee machines. “We have to invest in data and insights, in order to monitor the standard of coffee quality and observe the way the customers look after the machines on-site. Naturally, we spend a lot of time analysing ongoing trends and consumer behaviour, too, so that we can give our clients the best advice that will allow them to keep their competitors at bay.

“All in all, it took us nine months to complete the refurbishment and during all that time, the team has been amazing. We were still operating from the site, while it was being under construction, and once it had been finished, we could see that it was very well-received by the staff, and also by our customers who regularly come to visit us. It is going to open a new chapter of our story,” Elaine trusts.

She energetically emphasises that taking good care of its people, is a

Thermoplan AG Originally dedicated to the development and production of milk foaming and cream whipping machines for the food service and catering industry, the family owned and operated Swiss company Thermoplan AG had its crucial breakthrough with the Black&White coffee machine in the mid-1990s. The result is an innovative, sophisticated and fully automatic coffee machine, which is unique due to its modular construction. This principle ensures maximum service friendliness and combines ease of use with the highest product quality. The advantages of this construction, as well as its high reliability are well known far beyond the Swiss borders. As another innovative world premiere, Thermoplan developed in 2007 a revolutionary milk system which prepares both hot milk foam for cappuccino and latte macchiato, and cold milk foam at the touch of a bottom. This innovative system continues to lead the way today. To date, Thermoplan AG has developed its fourth generation Black&White coffee machine, which features its own state-of-the-art technology and pioneering innovations.

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In the UK market and throughout the world our latest innovation, the Black&White4 compact, convinces with functionality on a minimal footprint.

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principal task for the company and key to its success. “We have a very high employee engagement, about 90 per cent, when the industry average is less than 40 per cent. We rely on our employees to execute all the key everyday operations that keep the business running, apart from product distribution. This means that our task is to keep them happy. We believe that if our team members are motivated and feel valued, this will translate into good customer experience for our customers.

“I believe that we have already started to see the benefits of the learning and development initiatives

Simonelli Group Simonelli Group is an Italian company that never stop researching new coffee technologies. Our Nuova Simonelli and Victoria Arduino coffee machines and grinder are exported to 121 countries around the world, and we boast the most important chains and roasting companies worldwide among our customers. Simonelli Group is one of the global top five coffee machine manufacturers and currently holds a ten per cent global market share. Our innovative orientation is witnessed by the ownership of over twenty worldwide patents and by the coordination of a strategic network that includes key players in the sector.

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we introduced last year. We have even appointed a Learning & Development Manager, which was a new role in our business. On average, we devote at least one week per year per employee to train our staff. We have a real desire to continue to strengthen the company and create blue sky between us and the competition through our people and business culture,” Elaine elaborates.

UCC Coffee UK & Ireland is part of UCC Europe, which also has operating companies in Spain, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and France, and Elaine is certain that with the impending establishment of a closer collaboration between the entities under the wing of the wider group, more international opportunities will reveal themselves for the business in the future.

“Looking at the way the companies are changing and how the supply chains are becoming more joined-up geographically, I think that businesses

UCC Coffee UK & Ireland that are structured in a way that enables them to add real value from a multi-country partnership perspective, will be the ones that will be the most successful.

“In our case, if we think about some of the customers we deal with in the UK, we will see that they are predominantly European or even global businesses, so serving these customers naturally takes us into other markets,” she reasons, singling out McDonald’s as a lucid example, stating that UCC Coffee UK & Ireland is the chain’s coffee supplier in a number of markets.

2017 ended as a milestone year for UCC Coffee UK & Ireland, as the business exceeded £100 million in net sales for the first time in its history. Having spoken with Elaine who vigorously provided us with a comprehensive overview of the way the company operates and treats its own staff and customers, it is plain to see

why it has become a valued provider across the full spectrum of the coffee business. UCC Coffee UK & Ireland

which it is flying to conquer even higher peaks. Given that the coffee market is hopefully guaranteed to remain buoyant

struck us as an attractive firm to be part of with the attention it demonstrates to the professional development of its employees and the enthusiasm with

for ever and ever (everybody loves coffee!), good times are on the horizon for UCC Coffee UK & Ireland. D www.ucc-coffee.co.uk

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Making technology king

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McDonald’s UK McDonald’s UK is closing in on completing what it calls its ‘Experience of the Future’– a multimillion transformation programme to refurbish its restaurants.

The major restaurant chain is looking to incorporate modern technologies to significantly enhance its customer service and invest in its people, whilst also proving its sustainability credentials by announcing plans to remove plastic straws

R

emember that recent period when your nearest McDonald’s was being refurbished and you had to get to another restaurant of the chain to treat yourself to a Big Mac, Chicken McNuggets, French fries, or whatever on the rich McDonald’s menu you were keen to feast on? Well, the wait is nearly over and we can tell you, it has been well worth it. “Over 80 per cent of our 1270 restaurants have been transformed as part of our multimillionpound refurbishment programme called ‘Experience of the Future’, with our entire estate to be complete this year,” Jason Clark – Senior Vice President and Chief Operations Officer of McDonald’s UK, announces.

“Experience of the Future is the bedrock that enables us to roll out innovations like table service and click-and-collect ordering via our app, complementing over 40 years of experience in convenience with concepts like drive-thru and 24hour restaurants. We have upgraded our kitchens and introduced new technology, such as self-order screens, which have given us the foundations to disrupt the market with innovations like the table service. The latter puts our people front and centre of the restaurant experience, giving them the opportunity to put their soft skills to the test in a hospitality environment,” Jason explains.

He goes on to analyse the benefits of the Experience of the Future initiative in greater detail. “Restaurant and kitchen upgrades have enabled us to innovate across our menu – introducing our gourmet Signature Collection burger range, which is now

available in over 1000 restaurant and proved very popular in 2017; as well as expanding our McCafé offer with the launch of the Flat White in February this year. Coffee drinkers are now our most frequent customers, so we have also launched a trial of barista-made coffee in our St Paul’s restaurant, providing a great opportunity for our people to broaden their skills.

“Since December, we have been using our self-order screens to showcase our ‘Meals Under’ bundles – under 400 and under 600-calorie meal options made up of a main item, a side, and a drink. Just by displaying the range of our menu, we have seen people make slightly different decisions. For example, more than two million customers have switched from a Classic Coke to a Coca Cola Zero Sugar since the start of the year.

This is exactly where Experience of the Future has really come into its own – we can use technology to help people see the breadth of our menu and make even more informed choices,” Jason reasons.

Customer feedback Regarded as another remarkable recent improvement of McDonald’s services, is the launch of McDelivery in partnership with UberEATS, in June 2017. “It has already been used by over one million unique customers across only 270 trial restaurants, and we are looking to expand the service to 440 locations in the coming weeks,” he notes.

“Most businesses would say they are customer-focused or customer-led. At McDonald’s, we are utterly obsessed with understanding what our customers want from us – from head offices to

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franchisees, to restaurant kitchens,” says Jason, stressing the importance of listening to what the customers have to say. “I know from talking to our franchisees that they empower our people to talk to customers in the restaurant, find out what they think of the experience, and then feed it back. This is hugely powerful. The key message that we hear is that people do not want a different McDonald’s, they want a better McDonald’s, meaning great-tasting food served by great people in great new restaurant surroundings.”

Menu changes

To demonstrate how customer feedback is taken on board and acted upon, Jason gives an example of the new food items added to the menu, inspired by customer demands. “Visitors tell us they want choice and while we are still serving much-loved classics like the Big Mac and Chicken McNuggets, we are investing in new food, too. For instance, our range of Big Flavour Wraps is going down well with the customers, who are

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We are passionate about doing the right thing as a business. For example, this year we celebrated a decade of powering our delivery fleet with recycled biodiesel from cooking oil – a move that saves nearly 7000 tonnes of CO2 emissions every year. We are also one of the biggest customers of the only plant in Britain that manufactures recyclable coffee cups

Jason Clark, Senior Vice President and Chief Operations Officer of McDonald’s UK

enjoying the variety of grilled and crispy chicken.

“We have also launched a new Mini McFlurry, as well as a Reduced Size McFlurry in 30 restaurants. The former came about because we saw an opportunity to offer customers a smaller sweet treat. It is also important to me that we continue to offer value for money, so the Reduced Size McFlurry is also reduced in price,” he discusses.

Firmly believing that it is staff that make the McDonald’s experience, the company has continued to invest in its people in recent times to ensure customer satisfaction remains high.

“Although the industry is going through a period of uncertainty, we have made three significant pay moves since September 2015, which have seen wages for our hourly-paid restaurant employees rise by 25 per cent,” Jason points out. “Moreover, we always give the biggest pay rise to our youngest people. Alongside this, we have offered each and every member of our team the choice between a fixed-hour and a flexible contract. I am proud that these

McDonald’s UK changes have not come at the expense of other benefits or our training budget of £43 million a year that gives our people the chance to gain nationally recognised qualifications. It is also worth mentioning that over the next six months, we will need another 1000 restaurant managers, many of whom will progress from within the business, as hospitality becomes increasingly important in our restaurants.”

Green philosophy Perhaps the most important developments triggered by McDonald’s, however, have occurred on the green side. The restaurant chain has a proven track record of starting programmes aimed at the reduction of plastic waste, and it recently announced its plans to phase out plastic straws from its restaurants in the near future. “We have been on a journey, moving from foam packaging to fully recyclable packaging.

Plastic lids and straws are the last pieces of the jigsaw we need to work on,” Jason claims. “In March, we began a trial of biodegradable paper straws in a number of restaurants and at the same time moved plastic straws behind the counter. We have since found two UK suppliers to meet our needs and so from September will begin rolling paper

straws out to our entire estate.

“We are passionate about doing the right thing as a business. For example, this year we celebrated a decade of powering our delivery fleet with recycled biodiesel from cooking oil – a move that saves nearly 7000 tonnes of CO2 emissions every year. We are also one of the biggest customers of the only plant in Britain that manufactures recyclable coffee cups. In addition to this, our restaurant teams carry out regular litter patrols in their local areas to stop the spread of litter. Complementing this, we support

several national anti-littering initiatives, too,” Jason outlines.

“Following an excellent start to 2018 that saw us achieve 48 consecutive quarters, or 12 years, of sales and guest count growth in the UK, we are entering the summer with considerable momentum. We have a strong business and we know that if we continue to innovate the customer experience and invest in our people and supply chain, we will be in the best possible shape to continue the success we have achieved in recent years,” he wraps up. D www.mcdonalds.com

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In the

genes For almost 40 years, Bowland Foods has been owned by the Wood family, with two generations today working to ensure its many customers receive a personal and efficient service all year round

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Bowland Foods

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or the Wood family, British beef, lamb and pork has been the source of their livelihood since 1979, when the company Bowland Foods was founded. Based on the outskirts of Preston in Lancashire, this hands-on family wholesale meat business serves its customers with a complete range of cuts and carcasses, the majority of which is locally sourced. The running of the company is very much a family affair, with Jimmy Wood its Managing Director, wife Vikki the Company Secretary and son Harry who is following in his father’s footsteps. Michael Joy is Operations Manager and Peter Briggs Pork Manager. This, complete with a longstanding and loyal team, has ensured the success of the company.

“We came into this business with one key aim, and that was to give our customers what they want, when they want,” Jimmy begins. “To achieve this, we work tirelessly and it has helped to make Bowland Foods a successful company.” Said customers comprise individual butcher shops, clients across the food service industry and secondary wholesales, with products distributed from Scotland down to Dorset, and everywhere in between. These customers are served by the company’s fleet of temperature controlled vehicles.

“Providing great customer service is what we are all about, and together with our commitment towards providing a quality product every time we have

built up a collection of long-standing customers that we have looked after for many years,” Vikki adds. “Our customers demand attention to detail from their suppliers, which we definitely provide, and we have found that if they have the confidence that they will receive what they want, when they want it, they have no problems staying loyal to a company like Bowland Foods. I honestly believe that if you speak to any of our customers they will fully endorse the fact that we have a strong work ethic and a dedication to doing things properly.”

Quality and welfare The journey taken by the products supplied by Bowland Foods, from farm to fork as it were, begins at the procurement stage. Customers are increasingly keen to reduce food miles and the stress experienced by animals during transportation, and therefore the company looks to procure locally reared livestock wherever possible. Main livestock buyer Geoff Nutter is on the road everyday to ensure this supply ably assisted by Harry and other buyers keeping the supply chain going. It is Bowland Foods’ policy to purchase the majority of the livestock that it processes from local livestock auctions, however its buyers also regularly visit farms to assess stock for sale. “When it comes to the animals that we procure there are a number of key factors we focus on, most important of all being the quality and welfare of the animal itself and that its source is Red Tractor Assured,” Jimmy explains.

“With the farms that we source animals from, we go in looking to secure continued supply as we are always keen to build long-lasting relationships with reliable sources,” Vikki continues. “The local auctions, meanwhile, give our buyers the opportunity to go out and very carefully select the best possible animals to service our needs. Unlike the supermarkets, which typically look to source an ‘across the board’ product in the form of large groups of cattle that they pay a block price for, we require a healthy cross-section of grades, whether that be U Grade cattle that will go to our top-grade butchery customers or R Grade animals that will be used to supply our commercial, packed meat

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Bowland Foods Family values

clientele, for example. That makes it all the more important that local auctions and markets are available to us so that we are able to pick and choose the highest quality livestock around.”

Following procurement, the next stage is the slaughterhouse, which is overseen by a subcontracted abattoir that the company’s staff visit routinely to confirm for themselves that welfare, hygiene and quality standards are maintained to the highest level. The carcasses are then delivered to Bowland Foods modern cutting plant, which was re-built in 2003 and boasts all of the required accreditation, including Red Tractor Assurance and BRC AA standards.

New acquisition “Within our cutting plant, meat products go through various different quality controlled stages before heading out to the customers themselves,” Vikki details. “Sometimes meat will go out as a carcass, on the bone and in quarters to meet individual requirements , while other times we will cut the meat down into smaller parts as desired, for which we have our own inhouse boning operation. From there we can cryovac and chill the meat, pack it into its own dated boxes, before distributing it via palletised, temperature controlled transport.

From start to finish, we make sure that every action taken is done so the right way, and that is one of the reasons why we are still going strong today!”

The strength of the business over the years has also allowed it the opportunity to seek out acquisitions that have added to its capacity and capabilities.

A recent example, which took place during the first half of 2018, was the purchase of a local pork business. By taking on this business’ operations and a new sales person the company has already seen benefits appearing in the form of an increase in turnover. “The possible acquisition of other businesses is something that we always consider as a means of growing ourselves,” Vikki states. “So long as a business fits in with what we do, and is like minded in how we operate, we stand ready to bring them on board.”

An additional, but equally interesting facet of the business is that the Wood family continues to pursue its farming

interests. They do so through the ownership of its well-known Popes Simmentals, one of the UK’s top, awardwinning pedigree Simmental cattle herds that it runs across 400 acres of land, and Harry’s flock of pedigree Beltex, which supply some of the lamb for the business.

While his passion for his work is clearly undiminished, with Jimmy now in his 60’s his thoughts do sometimes turn to the succession plans of Bowland Foods.

Thankfully these appear well in hand, with Harry taking on an ever-more prominent role in the business and daughter Hannah now in her last year of studying business and marketing at Harper Adams University. This is also important because it will help to safeguard the future of the company’s greatest asset, its people.

“Many of our employees we have here have been with us for more than 20 or even 30 years,” Jimmy concludes. “They make up what we consider to be our extended family. We look after them, they look after us, and are integral to what we have achieved, and will continue to achieve, over the years!” D www.bowlandfoods.co.uk

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The power of the pasty There are few companies out there that you will find more passionate about pasties than Proper Cornish, which has spent the last three decades making only the finest pastry products that Cornwall has to offer

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n July 2011, following a nineyear campaign led by the Cornish Pasty Association, an organisation made up of around 50 pasty makers, the name ‘Cornish pasty’ was officially awarded Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status by

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the European Commission. According to this status; ‘a Cornish pasty should be shaped like a ‘D’ and crimped on one side, not on the top. Its ingredients should include beef, swede, potato and onion, with a light seasoning of salt and pepper, keeping a chunky texture. The

Proper Cornish parts of my premises and it was through this that I met a pasty maker who was making excellent products,” he begins.

“His business took off and eventually he had taken over the whole of my unit. Roughly a year later he asked me whether I fancied selling his pasties, so I bought a van, bought products from him and away I went about Cornwall selling pasties.”

Success story Phil’s decision wasn’t simply a spur of the moment one made on a whim, however. A born and bred Cornishman he, like countless others had grown up with the Cornish pasty being a part of daily life, he had a strong familiarity with the local area and had a background in sales, all of which proved incredibly

pastry should be golden and retain its shape when cooked and cooled.’ The PGI status also means that Cornish pasties must be prepared in Cornwall.

One of those individuals that was instrumental in bringing PGI status to the Cornish pasty was Phil Ugalde,

Group Chairman of Proper Cornish, the UK’s leading handmade Cornish pasty manufacturer. Phil’s own introduction to the business of selling pasties was somewhat unique and came at a time when he was in fact working as a motor engineer. “At the time, I was letting out

useful. “The most important thing for me, when starting out on this journey, was that I pitched my business activities in a particular way that was different to how the wider pasty market was operating at the time,” he continues.

“While there were several amazing bakers making great pasties in isolated areas, the commercial distribution of pasties had fallen into the trap of price verses quality, with the latter spiraling downwards. What I did was to immediately put the quality right back to where it should always be and set the price to reflect this quality. This done, such was demand for this premium Cornish product that within a year I had a £250k business.”

In 1990, Phil would come into contact with brothers Dave and Chris Pauling and taking the Pauling family recipe and working with local farmers the three set about hand-crafting exceptional quality traditional Cornish pasties. The result of their passion for producing quality products has led to a thriving national business with an estimated annual turnover of £16 million for this year. A true success story for Cornwall.

Proper Cornish today employs some 250 people, it supplies products to all the major wholesalers and can be found on the stands on train station platforms, airports food halls, educational institutes and healthcare establishments.

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Phil and Chris remain firmly at the helm, being the two major shareholders in the business, with Chris holding the position of Group Managing Director.

The third shareholder is Gerald Allen, the Group’s Operations Director. Gerald (fondly known as Billy – but that’s anouther story) joined the business in the early nineties in the Veg Prep area.

His passion and enthusiasm for the business was clear from day one, and through his hard work and dedication he has worked his way up to become not only the Group’s Operations Director but also a Shareholder.

Proper Cornish embraces the ethos of nurturing internal talent, and Gerald’s story is fantastic evidence of this.

This year Proper Cornish celebrates its 30th anniversary Proper Cornish’s celebration of three decades within the food industry has been marked with several noteworthy events. One has been the rebranding of its products with the adoption of a new, striking, rustic look to its branding and

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We have anywhere between 150 and 200 recipes on our system at any one time, as well as having a dedicated inhouse product development team who work with our flavour houses, suppliers and customers

packaging with a focus on the handmade elements of its creations. This year has also marked the establishing, renewing and celebration of a number of key partnerships which the company enjoys, for example, its association with Bristol Rovers Football Club and Merlin Entertainment, operator of attractions such as Legoland and Thorp Park.

2018 is also the year that Proper Cornish was crowned the winner of the 2018 World Pasty Champion, Company category award for its handcrimped Cornish pasties, adding to the

host of other awards and accolades, which the company has received in recent years, including a Gold Healthy Workplace Award from Cornwall Council. “This award was a fantastic birthday present for the company and we believe it speaks volumes as to what Proper Cornish stands for and for the authenticity of what we do and create,” Phil enthuses. “We have never cut corners when it comes to quality, as we know that, to do so would compromise the integrity of the products which we sell. We have also made it a central mission for the brand and company to consistently deliver fantastic customer service.”

While the Cornish pasty is obviously the centerpiece of the company, and makes up around 40 per cent of its sales, Proper Cornish has also built up a strong resume of other products which its customers are equally fond of. These include sausage rolls, savory pasties, parcels, slices and turnovers.

“We have anywhere between 150 and 200 recipes on our system at any one time, as well as having a dedicated

Proper Cornish in-house product development team who work with our flavour houses, suppliers and customers,” Phil states.

“This allows us to not only regularly introduce exciting new products, such as our foot-long sausage roll, broccoli and cauliflower cheese pasty and pulled pork pasty, but also allows us to introduce unique seasonal offerings which suits all tastes and trends.”

Company expansion This extensive product range also helps to cater to the company’s growing private label customers, who make up an integral part of the business and its ability to scale up and bring down prices. “We work with a lot of key players, each of which has a very clear idea of the high-quality products it wants to stock, and we work very closely with our customers to service their needs,” Phil says.

At present, the company has the enviable capacity to make close to 60,000 handmade pasties, plus an even greater number of automated products such as sausage rolls, turnovers, slices and parcels, per day at its Bodmin facility. However, as Phil goes on to detail, such is the demand for its award-winning goods that the company is currently in the midst of a programme of investment and expansion. “We have been working on a programme of investment for around three years and counting, with the aim of completing this process by Easter of 2019. By this time, we expect to be in a position where we will have the potential to quadruple our capacity, should the need arise. This will place Proper Cornish in an enviable position to scale up or down as necessary, which creates a level of flexibility that will be hugely beneficial in the future.”

needs to follow closely. However, on speaking with Phil, it is clear that Proper Cornish by its passion, remains undimmed: “We love Cornwall, Cornish pasties and the job that we do. We have

been doing it for 30 years now, and if anything, we love it more with each day that passes.” Proper Cornish - Made Proper to Taste Proper. D www.propercornish.co.uk

Product passion As we enter the second half of 2018, so begins what is traditionally the busiest six months of the year for Proper Cornish, one that sees its business driven by the summer tourism trade, the return of school and university students in the autumn, and then the Christmas season. This has become a yearly business pattern which the company

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Sausage County Enjoying positive business relationships with some of the UK’s biggest retailers, The Taste of Suffolk continues to gratify its loyal customers with an exquisite selection of locally-produced sausages, hams, and bacon

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he Taste of Suffolk has been a solid fixture in local East Anglian culture ever since the sausages, bacon, and ham wholesaler was established over 40 years ago. Today, the business is now in the hands of the Simons’ family with Roger being the Manager. Based in close proximity to the historic market town of Bury St Edmunds, The Taste of Suffolk prides itself on the quality of the multiple brands it has created over the years, which, today, can be seen on the shelves of some of the largest food retailers in the UK, such as Tesco, Asda, and East of England Co-op.

A long-standing relationship with the latter has been a key business partnership for the company, as it provides bespoke ranges for East of England Co-op’s retail stores, including its Craske special recipe sausages, as well as its ‘Sourced locally’ range.

With the retailer celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, The Taste of Suffolk rebranded its Craske sausage offering to commemorate the event and further

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increase brand awareness of its product.

The Craske sausages have earned a legendary status down the years due to them being made to a secret recipe, which originates from Craske Butchers, its shop once located in the city centre of Norwich. Although a lot of water has passed under the bridge since Craske Butchers first wowed East Anglia with its thick pork sausages, East of England Co-op has preserved the recipe for the Taste of Suffolk to continue producing the much-loved treat.

“We have seen the initiative of relabelling the Craske sausages brand being very well-received by customers,” Roger points out with satisfaction. “I would also single out the pork and apple, as well as the pork and honey sausages we provide East of England Co-op with, as another two brands that have been performing successfully for us in recent times. The customers are coming back again and again to buy them, which is a clear indicator that they taste good and are being enjoyed by consumers.”

Supplying major retailers is by no means the only remit of activity for The Taste of Suffolk. The company is also a preferred provider of sausages and cured and cooked meats for a number of schools in Suffolk and Hertfordshire, as well as for local independent shops

The Taste of Suffolk and delicatessens. Considering the universal excitement created by trends that promote a healthier and more balanced diet, it is far from shocking that The Taste of Suffolk has been engaged in supplying local schools with glutenfree sausages. “Children love sausages and we are content with this side of the business, at the moment, as we serve a lot of schools,” comments Roger, adding that the business also provides gammon stocks to Hertfordshire schools.

New flavour launch While The Taste of Suffolk has not undergone substantial infrastructure development in the past couple of years, the company has still made improvements to its equipment by purchasing two new temperaturecontrolled vans to improve the efficiency of goods transportation, and this year, it is investing in a bacon packaging machine to scale this part of the business up. “It will probably take a bit

of a lead time – around between 14 and 16 weeks, because it is not the type of a machine you can simply pick off the shelf. We are currently working with two providers to select the best option for us,” Roger explains.

“We want to make a better job of packaging the bacon, because at the moment, we are using an old technique, so we need this new machine to move the bacon business forward.” Also indicative of The Taste of Suffolk’s ambition to develop in this area is the fact that the wholesaler is planning to

launch a new product in the foreseeable future. Currently in its development phase is a maple syrup bacon range that will freshen up the company’s proposition with a new and exotic taste, and hopes are that it will appeal to the ever-adventurous customer, who is always on the lookout for new flavours in a food market that has never before been so varied.

Roger has invariably got the competitiveness of the market under his radar, hence the continuous product development to keep customers excited.

“We tend to concentrate on perfecting an existing range, before we move on to launching new products,” he clarifies.

“It is a bit of a challenging time for the business, as a lot of companies are fighting for a leading position in the same market, which has led to overproduction, but we believe, we can successfully address the issues we are facing,” Roger sums up. D www.thetasteofsuffolk.co.uk

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Naturally nutritious

Tree of Life has undergone a complete makeover in less than ten years, as daring management decisions have turned the Staffordshirebased business into the country’s strongest wholesale distributor of natural and organic products

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t has been an age of renaissance for Tree of Life since 2011. This was the year when the UK’s largest wholesale distributor of healthy, natural, and organic products was bought by its current owners, who have taken the business to unprecedented success in the last seven years.

“We have enjoyed year-on-year growth in that period and we have even had many years that have seen us hit double-digit growth figures,” Tree of Life’s CEO, John Weaver reveals.

“I would attribute our success to the fundamental turnaround and change in the business, first and foremost.

In 2011, we refinanced the company and replaced its supply chain entirely.

We have invested heavily in new staff and technology. An ERP system is now in place and on the employee side, we have appointed new staff with key functions, also qualifying and training our new workforce properly.

Furthermore, we have recruited professionals at a more senior level, too, and all of these changes have allowed us to double our productivity, as we

became a better-managed business.

“The second significant change that has taken place across the business, is that we redefined the market that we operate in, making it much broader.

It was essential for us that we moved to new sales channels and new sales geographies, as well,” John explains.

“Today, we specialise in a wide range of categories, such as organic; gluten free and free from; superfoods; healthy drinks; vitamins, minerals, and supplements; natural beauty and personal care; baby; pet; and household.

All of these have experienced dynamic growth and it is hard to single out one category performing considerably better than the others.”

Acquisition has been a powerful tool to achieve growth for Health Made Easy – the holding company Tree of Life is part of, and the past 12 months have proven busy in this regard with key moves made to expand the group.

“Health Made Easy is an investor in the health and wellness sector and at the end of 2017, it acquired a very high-quality supplements brand, called Higher Nature,” John announces. “Our plans are now to inject an investment and a management team into that business, because we see a significant upside potential in it.”

Business growth

John Weaver

Health Made Easy has also just made an offer to acquire The Health Store, aiming to increase its reach in the market. “We hope that the 300 plus shareholders in The Health Store will agree that our offer makes good sense. We are planning to broaden the company’s range and also facilitate management decisions, when it comes to investment in staff and technology, the way we did with Tree of Life. For a business to make serious investments, one has to have the capital and our group can provide The Health Store with the financial support needed,” John reasons.

Speaking of Tree of Life’s latest accomplishments as an individual entity, he points out the growth the business has achieved at times of insecure financial situation caused by the Brexit vote. “We surmounted the challenges posed by the currency variance and

Tree of Life is going to change very soon, as we are planning to start selling our products into these markets in the next couple of months,” John clarifies.

managed to grow in a year that saw many others struggle. It is a real testament to the business’ robustness and sound management.”

John has set the bar high for his business and he is confident that the next three to five years could bring about a growth that will skyrocket Tree of Life into three-digit turnover figures. “If the acquisition of The Health Store proceeds, we will be turning over £100 million per annum. We feel that within five years, we can double that growth organically and through further acquisition.”

Increasing exports To meet its bold objectives with success, Tree of Life will also centre upon developing its international trade further.

The company has been tireless in its export efforts for many years and there are few geographical zones left for it to conquer. “In fact, the only place we don’t export to is the Americas, but this

Clearspring The Clearspring brand promises premium quality Japanese specialities, Organic Fine Foods and Free From staples that are authentic, versatile and support good health. Made to traditional recipes by artisan producers using the finest wholesome ingredients, they bring you full, authentic flavours with optimum nutrition. Each product is carefully evaluated for its purity of ingredients, nutritional content and flavour, while at the same time meeting all of Clearspring’s uncompromising brand standards. Clearspring always works directly with its producers to build long term partnerships of ethical trade that support sustainable organic farming and benefit local communities.

There is no denying that consumers’ perception of food has changed dramatically in modern times, and Tree of Life has certainly capitalised on the new ways in which people approach their diets. John details: “Clearly, what is happening in the US, Europe, and the UK, is that people now endeavour to lead healthier lifestyles and that has been reflected by their selection of food.

I see that consumers aged 18-35 are more willing to spend a little more to eat more healthily and reduce their intake of salts, sugars, and fats. They are looking for healthier alternatives to provide them with higher nutrition and with our 10,000 products, we are very well-equipped to consolidate a fantastic offer for them,” he summarises. D www.treeoflife.co.uk

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Family values

By staying true to its values, and by ensuring that it is able to offer the right products, at the right price and at the right time, Harvest Fine Foods has emerged as one of the UK’s premier food service enterprises

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alues and ethics have been at the heart of virtually every business decision taken by second generation family business Harvest Fine Foods, since it was established in 1995. With a motto that proudly states, ‘Quality and service are remembered long after the price has been forgotten’, Harvest Fine Foods strives to operate with honesty and integrity at all times. “The values of the business reflect my own, and that of my father before me, and help to influence the choices I make in who I choose to work with, be it members of staff, my fellow directors, business partners, suppliers or customers,” states Managing Director, Richard Strongman.

As well as being an ethical business, Harvest Fine Foods looks to source the best quality ingredients as locally as possible, in the first instance, and where it is not possible to do so, it has proven itself to be experts in cultivating longstanding partnerships with suppliers.

“We know that trust is not something that develops in a short space of time, and we spend as long as is necessary to build respectful, mutually beneficial relationships between Harvest Fine

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Foods and our suppliers,” Richard adds.

“We take a lot of care in finding the type of people and businesses that we want to work with, and we are never shy of walking away from those that we don’t feel match our own values. Those that do, invariably stay and thrive with us for the long haul, some for 17 or 18 years and counting.”

One of the organisations that shares the same views as Richard and his team is the Country Range Group, of which Harvest Fine Foods is a proud part.

Working in close collaboration with the Group not only gives Harvest Fine Foods access to over 800 own-brand products, but also the expert market research that it possesses and shares through its ‘Stir It Up’ publication. The latter is a particularly important tool when it comes to responding to emerging consumer trends and feeding these trends through its supply chain.

In April 2016, the company took a huge step in its own development when it relocated its primary activities to a new 56,000 square foot premises in Southampton. The origins of this move, ironically enough, actually go back to 2008 at the time of the UK’s financial

Harvest Fine Foods crisis. While Richard and the rest of the industry tightened their belts for what it expected to be tough times ahead, the company actually went on to experience a year-on-year growth rate of around 30 per cent. “We reached a point where each time we invested in new fridges, freezers and depot space, within a matter of months we had again reached our capacity,” he explains. “With no further space to expand at our existing facilities, we spent some time looking for the right premises to move into that would facilitate our growth, and we found this in September 2015.”

What followed was a significant period of refurbishment, estimated to have cost around £1.25 million, to create a depot with double the company’s previous capacity. “I would estimate that at present we are trading at about 40 per cent of the potential of the business in terms of the infrastructure that we now have at our facility. With our location on the junction of the M3 and M27 motorways we have now opened up a much bigger catchment area for our activities. Both of these factors put us in a great position to expand going forward,” Richard enthuses.

The company is constantly looking to diversify its customer base, while looking for new and exciting ways to engage with it, and for new product ranges to up-sell. “While we boast a good range of products, including frozen, chilled, ambient and fresh produce, as well as cleaning materials and non-food items, we know that there are still a few gaps that we want to plug,” Richard adds.

“There is still a great deal we can do to make the best of our relationship with the Country Range Group, for example, and we want to focus our efforts more on taking advantage of their extensive range of frozen, chilled and ambient goods. At the same time, we will continue to highlight some of the qualities that set us apart. This includes our ability to backhaul daily from local producers, placing orders in the morning and having them back with us at our depot and ready to ship that same day. This service allows us to deliver produce as close from field to fork as we believe you can get.”

Every decision that Richard and the Harvest Fine Foods team take is with the

end goal of making the company the firstchoice independent food service business in the South of England. “One of my own personal values is that I want anyone who comes into contact with myself or my business to receive a positive impact on their personal, professional or business life,” Richard points out. “This extends

from our employees, some of whom have been with us for over ten years, to our customers and to the supply chain as a whole. All that we do is ultimately about establishing a great, well-respected business that truly helps to make a difference.” D www.harvestfinefoods.co.uk

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On the road

to success

With plans to grow its service station network significantly and continue to work with interesting partners, Shell South Africa’s retail operation is going from strength-tostrength 120 www.foodchainmagazine.com

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ultinational oil and gas company Shell has been active in South Africa since 1902, and while its main business activities include the traditional oil products you would associate with the company, such as commercial fuels, another major aspect of its operation is the provision of retail services via its service stations.

Run under the name of Shell Select Stores, these retail outlets provide 24/7 shopping convenience, offering a wide variety of food and beverage products, including the traditional service station staples of confectionery and cold drinks.

Deliberately designed to be bright and safe environments, Shell Select stores also offer an array of freshly made sandwiches, salads and specialty breads filled with top-quality meats and other ingredients. They also carry a range of standard grocery items, which include the leading brands so that customers can be confident they are able to purchase fresh, quality products.

To complement the grocery side, a large number of Select Store locations also include bakeries on site, where all of its products are fresh-baked every day. Furthermore, customers can access café style coffee and snacks via a specially created concept, which was co-developed by Vida e and Shell. The resulting outlets come under the new Torrador by Vida e caffè brand, which specifically works within Shell sites. The European-styled Torrador brand offers a more adaptable menu, catering to a wider customer base. This enables Vida e to offer customers the same quality coffee at different price points across varying locations, tastes and affordability levels. This partnership has proven extremely successful and in February 2016 the 100th caffé opened inside a Shell petrol station in Dorp Street, Stellenbosch, Johannesburg.

For those customers seeking a heartier meal, many Shell Ultra Cities service stations feature a Steers Restaurant – in fact, there are currently 31 Shell Ultra City sites in South Africa with 29 of them having a Steers Diner Restaurant on site. These locations are allocated strategically along the main routes around the country, from the Northern Region to the Southern Tip in the Western Cape Region, and Shell prides itself on offering motorists who visit a Steers an experience to remember.

Every meal requirement is catered for, starting with breakfast. The extended Steers Diner menu includes a wide variety of options for the morning meal - ranging from healthy muesli, yoghurt and fruit salad to grills or flapjacks.

For lunch or dinner, there is an extensive selection of Steers’ famous burger meals served with their awardwinning, ‘made from fresh’ chips. The Steers flame-grilled classic (the Hero

Shell South Africa Steak roll) has been joined by a new selection of flame grilled specialities including lamb chops, ribs, mixed grills, and an ultra rump steak. Those in search of a light meal can feast on a wide variety of toasted sandwiches and salads.

Great service The dessert menu includes fruit salad, ice cream, flapjacks, sundaes and milkshakes. Those in need of a caffeine fix can enjoy the very best coffee made with state-of-the-art coffee machines and top of the range coffee beans.

Children’s meals are also available, and customers are able to sit inside or take away if they prefer.

Alongside great food, Shell is particularly focused on the service that is provided at Steers. The restaurants stated aim is to create an experience from when a customer first enters until they leave - the environment at Steers is about smiles and making people happy.

This approach is echoed at all of its retail and service locations, where Shell South Africa claims to ‘put the service back into service-station’. By focusing on always providing both good quality products, served by pleasant helpful staff, Shell is able to make its service stations more than just a quick stop for fuel, and the organisation is continually developing this in order to encourage even more clients onto its forecourts.

One of the latest innovations introduced is through a partnership between Pharmashop24 and Shell South Africa. They have come together to offer a unique 24/7 pharmaceutical vending solution at more than half of the Select stores around the country.

Open 24/7 for those emergency situations, over-the-counter products can be obtained safely, conveniently and discreetly. With over 90 products available, the vending machine can dispense items ranging from

baby products to headache tablets immediately.

The machine is designed in line with pharmaceutical regulations utilising the latest push and pull technology ensuring that the product is always available.

The machines are tamper-proof and temperature controlled ensuring quality products are dispensed every time.

Shell has been a presence in South Africa for over a century, and throughout its long association with the nation it has played an important role not only as a premier oil company but also as a corporate citizen and change agent. Its approach to service stations illustrates how it sets itself apart from the competition, by offering a standard of service and product that is well above the ordinary. The company is proud to be part of South Africa’s heritage, and looks forward to being a continuing part of its future. D www.shell.co.za

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earlier. It was a fantastic effort from everybody that we were up and running again only a couple of weeks after it, at about 80 per cent of our production capacity, before we got our new bakery and head office opened in 2003,” says Vale of Mowbray’s Head of Operations, Mark Gatenby.

“We are very flexible in dealing with customers, and in return they have been very loyal, which is one of the chief reasons for the growth we have enjoyed.

We do our very best to ensure that they receive just what they have ordered, and, owing to the conscientiousness of our workforce, we know that we can work overtime, if necessary. Listening to what customers want and giving it to them has been key to our successful trade,” Mark continues.

The pie life Vale of Mowbray bakes top-quality pork pies, which fuse traditional Yorkshire taste with exotic flavours to enthral a customer base that has never been more demanding

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f there was a list of the foods that define Britain, you would be guaranteed to find the mouthwatering pork pie high in the rankings. Thriving on local pride, there are different variations across the country of the much-loved dish. For example, there are traditional grey pies that are produced in and around Melton Mowbray, making it a staple of local culture across the Midlands. This is the same for Cornish pasties in Cornwall, but up north, however, it is the cured meat pie (pork with a little salt added) that retains a regular presence on Yorkshiremen’s tables, being a symbol of Northern taste.

Vale of Mowbray has been producing delightful pork pies for nearly a century now, having started in 1928 in the North Yorkshire town of Bedale, near Northallerton, and these days, it standardly makes between 1.5 million and two million pork pies every week.

“The first time we reached one million pie sales per week, was in early 2004, which was especially impressive, bearing in mind that a fire had destroyed our main site and head office two years

Dedication to innovation In the past couple of years, Vale of Mowbray has seen a considerable increase in production that has inextricably been linked with the substantial investment that was made to extend the company’s manufacturing capacity. Mark clarifies that the business spent nearly £10 million to add to its capabilities. “Half of this investment went into the plant, and the other half – into the actual building. Part of the expansion involved closing an older site just a few yards away and bringing it here, so that we could have everything under one roof, and thus make our operations much more efficient. We invested heavily in improving our refrigeration, too. The final installation of the new equipment took place in the end of 2016, we are running it all the time and are really pleased with the results we are getting, as they bring better products and in turn, by adding some automation to our production process, we can make more pies with a similar number of people. It is crucial to always look at how you can do things more efficiently.

The completion of the expansion left us with some extra room to grow, so our immediate goal in the next two years will be to fill that spare capacity.”

That the competition in the food marketplace is fiercer than ever, is nothing new, and if a product wants to win the customers’ attention, it needs not just to taste excellent, but

Vale of Mowbray also to thrill consumers with the bold selection of its contents. “Innovation is extremely important these days,” Mark insists. “In this business, it is all about being flexible and being able to give customers something new and interesting. The shoppers are much more discerning nowadays, always looking to try something they have not had before, which keeps us on our toes at all times.

We are continuously trying to create and release new flavours, such as cheese and pickle, pork and pickle, and caramelised onion, for instance. Sometimes, we launch new flavours depending on the time of the year, or if there is an event going on. We did a Queen pie for the Queen’s Jubilee couple of years ago, which was a great success and we will present some new products this summer, now that the World Cup is just around the corner,” he upholds.

“On top of that, we perform a comprehensive quality check on every product that goes out of the factory. I have a maxim that I always say to my team, which goes: ‘If you would not eat it, do not send it. Always look at the product as something you would eat. If you would enjoy it, I am happy for you to send it’, but of course it must conform to spec. Thankfully, all of our pies are real treats.

“When you think about it, the pork pie is a very traditional product. The typical customer is a male in his mid-40s or upwards, but our desire is to entice younger customers, and this is why we need to continue developing new flavours, and marketing the many benefits that pork pies give consumers. They are convenient, portable and packed full of nutrients and calories. Anyone with a love of the outdoors; old or young, men and women alike can enjoy these benefits. In fact, we sponsor cycling Sportives in Yorkshire and recently provided an Ultra Marathon runner with some of our pies to help fuel her next run!”

smaller items. So, instead of buying one large pie, they now get multiple smaller pies to give themselves choice. It is a very dynamic marketplace with a few challenges, posed by rising material costs, energy costs, and labour costs,

so our priority for the future will be to accurately meet customers’ demands by bringing new products and continue effectively addressing the ever-increasing costs,” he concludes. D www.valeofmowbray.co.uk

Dynamic marketplace Mark returns to unravelling ongoing market trends. “There is a wider change in customers’ shopping habits. For example, people tend to shop little and often, instead of doing the traditional big shopping. They are also looking for

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Top of the pops Ziegenfelder never fails to excite consumers with its colourful and juicy frozen pops that offer unimagined combinations of flavours, which have taken the business to a respectable position in the US confectionary industry Lisa & Barry Allen

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ver a century and a half separate the day when Ziegenfelder was first set up as a company and the moment you are reading this, in which the West Virginia business has established itself as one of the most successful frozen twin pops producers in the USA. Founded in 1861, Ziegenfelder would also make ice-creams for a while, before finally settling as a twin pops manufacturer. It is a closely held family owned business operated by CEO Lisa Allen and her husband Barry Allen, Chief Customer Officer. Lisa Allen continues the family tradition started by her grandfather, adhering to the family principles that have defined Ziegenfelder for so long.

FoodChain spoke with Barry Allen – who provided us with a more detailed overview of the business. “We produce about 2.5 million frozen twin pops a day. They are our best-known product, which we call ‘The Rainbow Array’. We have produced more than 1.5 billion pops over the last two years.” The Assorted Twin Pops range represents

18 colourfully frozen twin pops in a variety of flavours, such as cherry, grape, banana, blue raspberry, orange, and lime. Historically, the cherry twin pop has been the most loved flavour, with banana following closely. The latter trend has also encouraged Ziegenfelder, trading under the name of Budget Saver, to release a bagful of banana-flavoured twin pops only, in order to address popular demand.

Tasty flavours Before we continue, it is well worth providing a very brief historical background to the concept of the twin pop. The delicious treat was invented during the Great Depression, so that two children could split one for a nickel. Not many years ago before that, the ice pops were popularised after Frank Epperson patented the concept of ‘frozen ice on a stick’ in 1923, thus giving a kickstart to an industry that would go on to produce some of the all-time favourite frozen snacks to American children.

“One of the most recent highlights for us was the introduction of our

Ziegenfelder Monster Pops range,” Barry continues.

“Our cherry mango and cherry pineapple flavours are extremely popular at the moment and in addition, we have enriched the range with the so called ‘sours’ that come in blue raspberry lemonade and pink lemonade tastes. Furthermore, we established a partnership with a fast-food restaurant chain, called Sonic that saw us launch three new flavours – cherry limeade, ocean water (coconut, lemon, and lime), and strawberry lemonade.”

Introducing automation Completing Ziegenfelder’s product categories are the Sugar Free Pops, whose name is rather self-explanatory about their specifications, as well as the Red, White and Berry Blast pop that stands out. Created in an all-American image, the product combines cherry, lemon, and blue raspberry flavours that guarantee consumers’ taste buds a second-to-none experience.

The extended product assortment has also been instrumental in Ziegenfelder strengthening its presence on the Walmart shelves, since the hypermarket chain is the company’s largest customer. “We have probably grown our offerings there by 50 per cent, thanks to the new items we introduced. Now, we are going to concentrate on developing these further this year and probably throughout 2019,” Barry states.

A distinguished aspect of Ziegenfelder’s operations is that the entire manufacturing process is currently being executed by hand. “In fact, my wife’s father came up with the unique technique we are still using to date. Nevertheless, we have planned to invest in automation in 2019. We are not going to switch to complete automation, of course, because we have never done it before, but we will see how it works and we hope that partial automation will improve our efficiency,” Barry advances.

Perhaps, it is the family values, which are an inherent part of Ziegenfelder’s DNA that have propelled the company to participate actively in community enhancement initiatives. The business was recently awarded the Director’s

Community Leadership Award by the FBI Director, Christopher A. Wray for hiring ex-convicts and people who might have battled drug or alcoholic addictions. “We want to help people get back on the right path,” Barry comments humbly. “Sometimes, when a person gets out of prison and does not get a job, they just go back to prison, which does not make sense. We believe that there are good people who can help us in our business. We do not hire everybody, of course, but we see who might fit in our culture and try to give them an opportunity. We have had cases of employees who have stayed with us for years, have started a family, and a new life, essentially.”

the size of the business – an ambition that is reflected in Ziegenfelder’s strategy for the next three to five years. “There are a lot of opportunities coming our way and we certainly have plenty of room to grow.

We have overseen a period of controlled growth in the last ten years, when we would expand when necessary, but our next goal is to move to the next level more quickly. We are also keeping an eye on our potential expansion into non-US markets. We have not had the capacity to do that, but we hope that by investing in new production lines we will be able to open up opportunities that will allow us to start trading internationally.”

Future strategy

With a flair to make frozen pops in a characteristically unique manner and backed by a long tradition of instilling family values throughout all of its activities,

Turning his attention to the future of the company, Barry reiterates the team’s intentions to first take care of the development of recently launched products, and then focus on doubling

Ziegenfelder is now at the threshold of a new and exciting period in its history that is expected to bring a colourful mix of possibilities in the years to come. D www.budgetsaver.com

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In the heart of the community As an independent regional cooperative, Southern Co-op plays its part in boosting the sense of local community in South England through various initiatives, while maintaining sustainability practices across all of its operations 126 www.foodchainmagazine.com

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ebranding, new store openings, and the introduction and development of new sustainability measures have been the order of the day for Southern Co-op in most recent times, all while the Society was experiencing another strong growth in income in 2017. Indeed, the company reported a nine per cent rise to over £430 million, chiefly due to investment in new food stores and funeral homes.

Trading across 11 counties in the south of England, Southern Co-op opened 16 new food stores in 2017, bringing the total to 216. “We are pleased to have grown our presence in a lot of our target areas, which has extended our customer

and member bases in these locations and enhanced our offer to the local communities,” begins CEO, Mark Smith.

Convinced that it needs to make the visual impact of its communications stronger, Southern Co-op decided to refresh its brand. “The new image has helped us make the story of who we are, what we stand for, and what makes us different, clearer to explain and understand,” Mark points out, going on to talk about how the Society continued to support local producers throughout 2017. “Last year, we marked the tenth anniversary of our Local Flavours range, which was also subject to a brand refresh that is now gradually being rolled out to all of our stores. It is a

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Southern Co-op

At store level, we are constantly looking at ways to balance availability with wastage - we don’t want to throw away products that could still be sold. For example, we are currently trialling new processes for in-store bakery, which, we hope, will drive a significant reduction in wastage for this category 4000 of its members and colleagues.

Through this initiative, local charities and community groups can apply for support in a variety of ways including funding, goods in kind donations, to become a local fundraising partner and local volunteering. In 2017, Southern Co-op contributed £1.26m to its local communities through fundraising events, campaigns and donations.

Around £500,000 of this came from proceeds from the five-pence carrier

bag charge. Since the charge was introduced, Southern Co-op has also seen a difference in the amount of bags customers use. “We have managed to reduce carrier bag usage by 69 per cent since 2015 and we continue to ask customers if they need a bag and to make Bags for Life available as an alternative option. In 2017 alone, we sold more than one million Bags for Life. This is just a small part of the work we have been carrying out to promote

really valuable part of our retail stores and we now showcase nearly 200 producers. The Local Flavours range, which had a record turnover in 2017, includes seasonal fruit and vegetables, fish and meat, cheeses, chutney, bakery goods, and beers.”

Waste reduction 2017 was also the first full year of operation for Southern Co-op’s community engagement strategy ‘Love Your Neighbourhood’, which gives local stores and funeral homes the chance to contribute to the creation of safer, greener, healthier, and more inclusive neighbourhoods - four themes which were identified through a survey of over

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Southern Co-op sustainability and reduce waste,” says Mark.

“Our members have told us that sustainability means a lot to them and we want to have a positive impact on our communities – today, tomorrow, and in the future. We have set ourselves some ambitious targets with regards to saving energy, helping to protect our local wild spaces and wildlife, implementing our Fairtrade commitments, creating sustainable supply chains, and reducing waste,” he outlines. “We are also committed to playing our part in supporting the global sustainability agenda. Therefore, we are publishing our new ‘Our Plan 2018-2023’ in the autumn, which will discuss our business priorities over the next five years and beyond, and will provide details about our future sustainability commitments.

This includes reporting against the UN Sustainable Development Goals within our Sustainability Plan. I am firmly convinced that by continuing to act responsibly and encouraging others to do the same, we can support communities and environments, giving society and the planet a chance to sustain themselves and thrive locally, nationally, and globally.”

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Food waste has been identified as one of the target areas for Southern Co-op. The business has already succeeded in having 100 per cent of its food waste directed away from landfill and it remains focused on searching for ways to avoid and reduce the amount of waste it produces. “We ‘backhaul’ all waste from our retail stores to a central depot where dry mixed recyclables are sent for recycling, food waste is processed through anaerobic digestion, and customer and general waste goes to a refuse-derived fuel facility.

“At store level, we are constantly looking at ways to balance availability with wastage - we don’t want to throw away products that could still be sold.

For example, we are currently trialling new processes for in-store bakery, which, we hope, will drive a significant reduction in wastage for this category,” Mark reveals. “We have also been running food donation trials with a number of stores and charity partners, including local charity Foodcycle in Portsmouth, and we are pleased to say that we have seen success with some of these arrangements with safe, edible surplus food being sent to a charity each week.”

With a trading history of nearly 150 years, Southern Co-op has had to learn to adapt to new conditions and challenges to its business. But its overall purpose remains the same - to work together for the benefit of its local community. This can be demonstrated in its dedication to addressing local and global sustainability issues.

As it continues to identify future opportunities, this regional independent co-operative should continue to remain relevant in the long run. D www.thesouthernco-operative. co.uk

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