FoodChain issue 109 January 2016

FoodChain Issue 109

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JAN 2016

The business of food and drink

Making the grain Celebrating its centenary in 2015, grain specialist Meneba is able to use its nutritional knowledge, processing expertise and awareness of market trends to provide clients with successful innovations

Industry News l

Adapt to survive To appeal to modern consumers, the traditional pub might need to make a few changes

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New Costa Fresco concept store opens in London Glass bottles are chosen for craft beer in Spain Recycling waste CO2 into useable resource

Top of the crop Thanks to technology, plants can be monitored in terms of growth and physiology

FoodChain ISSUE 109

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JAN 2016

THE BUSINESS OF FOOD AND DRINK

Editor’s Welcome

Making the grain Celebrating its centenary in 2015, grain specialist Meneba is able to use its nutritional knowledge, processing expertise and awareness of market trends to provide clients with successful innovations

Industry News Adapt to survive To appeal to modern consumers, the traditional pub might need to make a few changes

L New

Costa Fresco concept store opens in London

L Glass

bottles are chosen for craft beer in Spain

L Recycling

waste CO into useable resource

Top of the crop Thanks to technology, plants can be monitored in terms of growth and physiology

Chairman Andrew Schofield

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ISSUE 107 L NOV 2015

AUGUST 2015

Art Editor Advertising Design Fleur Daniels

Stars

Profiles Manager Emma Crane

Hennig-Olsen has developed an exemplary reputation within Norway for its expertise in ice-cream development and production

Industry News Dairy tales

Industry News

L New

coffee menu at Jamie’s Italian

L Sorting

technology helps with food safety

L Innovative

popping candy ingredient launched

Cream of the crop

Family-owned fish manufacturer Gunnar Klo continues to deliver environmentally approved, high quality cod to a hungry market

The Seafood Pub Company not only gives good value for money, but also offers a wow-factor in terms of quality

Managing the risks associated with the construction of dairy plant infrastructure

THE BUSINESS OF FOOD AND DRINK

Oh my cod

from the sea

Staff Writers Jo Cooper Andrew Dann Ben Clark

ISSUE 106 L OCT 2015

THE BUSINESS OF FOOD AND DRINK

THE BUSINESS OF FOOD AND DRINK

Editor Libbie Hammond

FoodChain

FoodChain

FoodChain ISSUE 104

Waste lines

L New

Conditions for success

FoodChain The technology and processes needed to reduce food waste SUMMER should be utilised L 2015

The question for food manufacturers is ‘how much bad weather is too much?

Industry News

sweet sprouting cauliflower launched

Trace for life

THE BUSINESS OF FOOD AND DRINK

restaurant opens in Norwich

FoodChain

confused by ‘healthy’ VAT categories

L Award

wins for yogurt and dairy manufacturer

L Major

extension to food factory in Northern Ireland

Health and safety Food and beverage manufacturers face an ever-growing list of health and safety challenges

More than

premium patties Since its first restaurant opened in 1971, McDonald’s Germany has gone from strength to strength

Fruit juice manufacturer CO-RO is driven by a strong commitment to high quality and taste-leading products, a targeted and compelling brand strategy, and continuous product development

Sales Director Joe Woolsgrove

Catering equipment suppliers need to think on their feet to stay ahead of the trends

THE BUSINESS OF FOOD AND DRINK

A refreshing approach

Business Development Director David Garner

L Britons

Cooking up success

Although many companies have exceptional traceability controls, AUTUMN L 2015 L Novel food status given to Ahiflower data cannot often be easily shared L Exciting

Sales Rob Wagner Emma Kerton Operations Director Philip Monument Editorial Researcher Yasmine Sadr Manuel Lopez Office Manager Advertising Administrator Tracy Chynoweth Studio Assistant Barnaby Schofield

Industry News

Industry News Eggs-cellent service A new planning solution is helping Noble Foods streamline its distribution operation

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L Authentic

Mexican dips and sauces launched bearing solution provides major savings to manufacturer L New ready meals that cater for diverse tastes

L NSK

Get fresh How a pallet live storage system can help to alleviate logistics headaches

Keep it safe The need for robust security in the food supply chain – new technologies are adding to the burden

L High

quality sausages can be eaten with confidence

L Launch

of ‘Innovative Farmers’ network announced

L Packing

solution helps double order throughput

Not so black and white Barcodes have proved pivotal in helping businesses achieve complete traceability

ell, it hardly seems possible that we are nearly in 2016 but nevertheless – it’s true! 2015 has been a pretty exciting one at FoodChain, and I hope the same can be said at your own company.

We’ve seen the re-launch of the magazine, the monthly digital issues, the

quarterly print issue and the revamped website (which I hope you have all visited and enjoyed.)

Follow us at:

We have worked with some wonderful clients during this time and I’d like to extend my warmest thanks to everyone who has participated within our pages

@FoodChain_mag

this year and state that I am excited to work with you all again soon, as well as meet all the new companies that will appear in our pages next year.

Here’s to a successful and bountiful 2016!

Schofield Publishing Cringleford Business Centre, 10 Intwood Road, Cringleford, Norwich, NR4 6AU, U.K. Tel: +44 (0)1603 274130 Fax: +44 (0)1603 274131

libbie@schofieldpublishing.co.uk

www.foodchainmagazine.com www.schofieldpublishing.co.uk © 2015 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, 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.

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Contents 4

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16 Features Craft brewing Taste the future

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Food waste Waste: Lead, don’t follow

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Retailers can take the lead in the war on food waste, by embracing supply chain technology

A field scanalyzer is being used to monitor a selection of six wheat varieties grown at four different nitrogen levels

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In order to grow and prosper in today’s culture, traditional pubs need to make a few changes

Predictions for what 2016 will bring to the craft beer sector – including changes in packaging, design and ageing

Crop science Top of the crop

Traditional pubs Adapt to survive

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Production Health check

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How one food manufacturer used a condition monitoring programme to increase capacity by around ten per cent

Taste Test

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

News

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

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31 Profiles

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

Macdonald Hotels 19

With 25 years of growth and success behind it, the future looks positive for Macdonald Hotels

Cornerways Nursery 24

Cornerways Nursery grows and supplies a range of tomatoes for retailers across the country

Mestdagh Artisan 28

Mestagh Artisan’s range of products includes savoury items such as croquettes, gourmet foods, savoury bites and culinary aids

Middletons Steakhouse & Grill 31

A focus on serving only the finest meats has underpinned the success of Middletons Steakhouse & Grill

Starwood Hotels 34

Starwood Hotels is focused on continued expansion and growing its brand and hotel portfolio

Meneba 36

Celebrating 100 years in business in 2015, Meneba is looking to the future with plans for expansion and efficiency

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Taste the future

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Craft Beers The UK’s craft beer scene has been confidently brewing up a storm for over ten years, and 2015 saw an encouraging influx of new, agile micro-breweries eager to satisfy the thirsts of the nation’s beer-lovers.

By Matt Corden

T

hat’s not to say that craft is approaching mainstream; more a case of it reacting to an increasing demand from beer-drinkers for beers with creative identity both on the palate and on the label. The thirst for craft is gaining momentum. In the UK, the category currently represents around 2.5 per cent of total beer sales. This percentage may seem slight, however it’s without doubt craft is driving the dialogue in beer trends globally. In the US, where this trend shift first started in the 1980s, this figure is up to an impressive ten per cent.

As a food and drink movement, locally sourced, artisan-crafted products have come to the fore, and microbreweries represent another strand of this consumer-led demand.

Part of the success of the craft beer ‘revolution’ is the brewers’ adeptness in aligning craft beer drinking with food pairings. From the ultra-hopped WestCoast USA IPAs, which led the first charge, to the re-imagining of classic European beer styles such as BerlinerWeisse and Gueuze, the micro-brewing industry has an opportunity to be creative with an ever-evolving repertoire of brewing styles to experiment with.

So, what’s next for the UK craft beer scene? Gazing into our crystal ball, we can predict a number of key trends that have started and will gain further momentum in 2016.

Sustainability and environmental impact are at the forefront of this shift.

Being significantly lighter than bottles, packaging beer in cans as opposed to bottles is more cost effective in terms of transport and production costs; costs ultimately passed on to the consumer.

From the brewer’s perspective, canning also eliminates the challenges of light-strike; the scourge of hoppier beer styles such as IPAs. As a result, the canned product should reach the consumer in perfect condition in both freshness and flavour.

The building of a canning line is a sizeable investment for any brewery, and so it’s encouraging to see a new nano-industry building up with ‘mobile’ canning facilities that can pop-up onsite at smaller-scale brewing units.

At the consumer end, beer cans are an accessible, newly energised, refreshed concept. Whether presented at outdoor festivals, music gigs or other events, they are practical and accessible. Aesthetically, the format

also allows greater freedom in terms of being a successful platform for branding.

Beyond just the traditional bottle label, cans are a larger canvas for craft brewers to work with in their branding and identity. Following Williams Bros, Brewdog and others, at Drygate our full ‘Fearless’ range of beers will move to canned product in the first quarter of 2016.

Creative partnerships and collaborations Craft brewers are leading the way with collaborative partnerships, both within the brewing industry itself, and looking out into the wider world, the creative industries.

Collaboration is a key theme to the Drygate brewing ethos. Ahead of the brewery’s launch in 2014, it was a logical step for us to choose to work with the world-renowned Glasgow School of Art on labelling and artwork for the beers. This is an aesthetic, creative strand we will continue to develop and nurture in years to come.

At its best, the brewing industry is a supportive one and as Drygate have benefited from those who paved the way ahead of us, we now actively support and seek collaborations with newcomers such as Glasgowbased Monolith Brewing, beer sommelier Melissa Cole and the Celtic Connections music festival.

Canning Up ‘til now, products from the newly emerging craft breweries have mostly presented their brews as draught product, or within premium glass bottles. In the UK, the most familiar of these being the 330ml and 500ml sizes.

As a trend that started in the States, canning is making inroads into smallscale UK brewing for various reasons.

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Craft Beers Studio and experiential brewing The realm of the home-brewer has seen huge improvements both in available technology with affordable equipment such as The Grainfather, and also access to a greater variety of ingredients such as yeast strains, hop varietals and malts.

More recently, this has further opened up with several craft breweries making facilities available for hire. Enthused and educated in so many more brewing styles, facilities such as Drygate’s Studio Kit allow the home brewer to develop their knowledge and produce top quality craft beer in small volumes.

For the newer recruits to craft beer, the experiential brewpub acts a ‘window’ into the industry; breaking down barriers and increasing awareness of brewing methods on a small scale.

The next phase of barrel ageing Flavour influence from Bourbon barrelageing has long been a favourite for

Drygate’s brewers: Ed Evans, Alessandra Confessore and Jake Griffin

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well over a decade in the industry. We predict the ‘next wave’ of barrel aging will soon make its way to the UK. From tequila and mezcal barrels from Mexico to spirits such as absinthe, many breweries will relish the opportunity to experiment with idiosyncratic, smallbatch brews.

The craft beer movement, in both its innovation and its creativity, shows no sign of slowing down. The connection between the brewers’ vision and the consumers’ thirst has never been stronger; the future of the brewing industry is in good hands. D Reference articles https://www.brewersassociation.org/insights/ craft-brewers-and-cans/ 19th October 2015 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/ foodanddrink/11478263/Cheers-Craft-beeris-finally-going-mainstream....html 18th March 2015

Matt Corden is Operations Director at Drygate, the UK’s first experiential craft brewery. Just ten minutes from Glasgow’s bustling city centre, the iconic seven peaks of the Drygate brewery symbolises a place where everyone - from craft beer aficionados to novices - can become immersed in craft beer culture. www.drygate.com

TasteTest Let’s get mellow The Famous Grouse, distributed by Maxxium UK, has added The Famous Grouse Mellow Gold to its core portfolio.

The Famous Grouse Mellow Gold has been carefully crafted by Master Blender Gordon Motion to enhance The Famous Grouse blend. The new liquid is aged in specially selected rare sherry casks to deliver a more premium expression with a subtly sweeter, mellow flavour profile.

The launch of The Famous Grouse Mellow Gold is part of an ambitious redevelopment plan that will bring significant changes to the extended family range, including the new pack of the parent brand The Famous Grouse,

which features a new label design that echoes the brands roots but with a more contemporary twist. www.thefamousgrouse.com

Our tester very much enjoyed the new Famous Grouse variant, and said it definitely lived up to its Mellow name. “It’s more subtle than the blended whiskies I’ve had before, and with Christmas approaching, I think this will make a great addition to the drinks cabinet. I can already picture myself indulging in a wee dram in front of the fire!”

A warming treat Spiced Ginger Punch is the latest addition to Belvoir’s range of drinks designed to be enjoyed warm to keep out the winter chill. With Christmas just around the corner, the new Punch makes a delicious non-alcoholic alternative to traditional mulled wine (and of course you an always add your favourite boozy tipple if you want to up the ante!)

The punch is made with cooked fresh ginger for a satisfyingly fiery bite, mingled enticingly with the sharpness of orange and lemon juices, plus real exotic spices for a finishing warmth on the tongue.

As with all their drinks the new Spiced Ginger Punch is hand made at Belvoir giving it a genuine homemade taste.

Belvoir doesn’t use any preservatives, flavours, artificial colours or sweeteners in its drinks, just lashings of real pressed fruit juices, flowers and spices. www.belvoirfruitfarms.co.uk

“I haven’t had a ginger punch before, and I am really quite taken with it,” said the tester. “I love the idea of warming it up and serving to guests arriving for a party, but also it’s quite comforting, so I think it would be lovely to have on hand for cold weather, as it makes a very sophisticated alternative to a cup of tea.”

“This was so smooth, it was just lovely,” added another.

“It had none of the usual harsh bite I associate with ginger drinks, it was a pleasure to drink!”

Crackling good The Snaffling Pig Co., makers of flavoured pork crackling are on a mission to take the humble (but awesome) pork crackling to places it’s never been before. Fuelled by a desire to show the versatility of an old favourite, the young independent company, set up in November 2014, takes good, honest produce and adds bold flavours that give these unique snacks real bite. Their meaty treats celebrate the noble porker in its purest form and include a selection of nine delicious flavours to choose from, including tangy Salt & Vinegar, fiery Ghost Chilli and their all new ‘Funkin Fennel’ and ‘Maple’.

The Snaffling Pig Co.’s crackling is double cooked to produce a softer product that keeps its bite without the teeth breaking qualities of a traditional scratching. The products are available in handy 50g foil bags, or 350g jars, which are designed to be the perfect gift for the porky connoisseur. www.snafflingpig.co.uk

The jar of salt and vinegar crackling that arrived in the FoodChain office looked pretty large to start with, but as soon as that lid was off it was clear that this was one product that wouldn’t last long. “Got any more of that crackling,” was a phrase the team heard on a daily basis, as sales and accounts colleagues found reasons to ‘drop in’! “Now I’ve tried this I would be very pleased to find a jar in my Christmas stocking!” said one reviewer. “A jar of this in the kitchen over the holidays would be a very welcome addition, and makes such a change from the usual snacks that come out this time of year. I would also add a few bits to a ploughman’s or left over turkey salad – they’re more versatile than I would have given crackling credit for.”

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Waste: Lead,

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n’t f ollo w

I As food waste climbs up the national agenda, Mikko Kärkkäinen, says it’s both an opportunity for retailers to show just how much they’re already doing, to do more, and to seize the high ground by taking the lead

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t’s hard to quantify precisely how much food is wasted but a recent UN report put the amount thrown away in the developed world at around 30-40 per cent of all that produced. With growing concerns about the impact of a rising population and climate change, food waste and security is becoming an increasingly potent issue.

It’s hardly surprising. After all nothing leads to social and political upheaval faster than food shortages. So where does this leave food wholesalers and retailers? Simple: right in the firing line.

There’s an irony there. The UK’s waste-advisory charity WRAP estimates that out of 41 million tonnes of food bought in Britain in 2013 15 million went to waste. And yet, based on businesses’ own declarations, only 0.25 million was generated by retail – less than two per cent. Though other estimates put it higher, it’s clear that the major supermarkets have become increasingly good at reducing waste and spoilage. Indeed with the next generation of demand forecasting and inventory planning systems there is no excuse not to. These days even the most problematic items, such as bread and loose fresh vegetables that account for the bulk of avoidable food waste can be managed optimally.

By breaking down data by product/ day/week/store/sell-by dates/weather and telling the system what is needed to maintain displays, sustain promotions and so forth, it’s possible to keep stock and thus spoilage to the necessary minimum. Indeed, some supermarkets and wholesalers have routinely cut spoilage by 20 per cent and reduced waste by as much as a third.

Optimised supply chains deliver other benefits, most of which save money and safeguard the environment; for instance cutting overstocking of chilled and frozen products can reduce the amount of temperature controlled storage needed and cut electricity usage. The next generation of supply chain systems also allow retailers to analyse their data better and find the ideal combination of display options, price-reductions, stock levels and so on that can help both cut waste and improve profitability.

So why, when most are doing so much, and doing it increasingly well, are food retailers and wholesalers in danger of taking the flack for food waste?

Fundamentally, food retailers are seen as having the biggest stake, the most control and the lion’s share of the profits.

The UK’s four largest retail companies are the big four supermarkets. They’re therefore also best placed to take a lead.

Food Waste Good supply chain data and a good supply chain management system allows retailers to help producers, manufacturers, wholesalers – and consumers. We’ve seen it on both big and small scales. Booths, leading supermarket in England’s North West, liaises closely with farmers, growers and bakers so they get as much advance warning as possible of likely demand.

A ballpark figure can be given well in advance based on historic data. That can be honed as other factors in play, such as weather, become clearer. Then, the day before a definitive order can be placed that is both accurate and quite close to the advanced estimates.

In addition, campaign forecasts and year round sales data can be shared to help manufacturers and producers plan better. It all helps to cut waste.

Collaboration over what to do with such waste as it arises also helps. Reusable, recyclable or biodegradable packaging all conserves resources, saves on raw material usage and minimises landfill use. Likewise, schemes, such as that recently introduced in France, that encourage supermarkets to give food away rather than throw it away or to compost it where that isn’t possible.

But the largest group of contributors to food waste is also the toughest to help; consumers. They account for more than 40 per cent of waste in the UK. The key here is engagement and this means retailers showing what they’re doing, helping customers to waste less and constantly communicating and educating. It’s a great opportunity, for instance, to show that the retailer is ensuring that fruit, vegetables, baked and dairy products all reach the customer as fresh as possible, maximising their opportunity to enjoy them.

In-store some retailers have gone the extra mile to show how serious they are about cutting waste. Having previously introduced a ‘buy one get one later’ option for some products retail giant Tesco has now also stopped two-for-one deals on salad.

So, rather than structure deals to encourage people to buy more perishable products, retailers could pair bread, vegetables or dairy with other items to make a meal – baby corn with

rice, potatoes with fish, salad with wine.

Of course it helps if you explain to customers why you’re doing this.

Likewise, displays - availability and display requirements still cause food retailers a lot of headaches with spoilage.

Customers expect shelves to be full of bread even at 9pm. Can display frontages be reduced during the day?

Could a display carousel be brought in at 8pm so that the entire remaining store baked bread can be brought together in a more attractive fashion?

Can fruit and veg displays be reengineered so that smaller quantities look better? Obviously staff may spend more time re-stocking but if the spoilage savings justify their time, it benefits the bottom line.

Another problem is caused by sell-by dates. Most of us rifle through bags of vegetables, especially salad, looking for the most recent. You have to bring out a box with bagged salad dated October 10th before all the salad dated October 9th has sold. Once that happens who is going to want to buy the October 9th dated salad. So why not immediately discount the older bags, even if it’s only by 10p? The incentive may be marginal but at least it differentiates the two. Otherwise no one who is paying attention has any reason to buy the older bags.

Above all the public needs to be brought into the process so they understand the reasons for the changes, because it’s customer expectations, such as expecting to find items both constantly in stock and displayed attractively, that partly drive waste in retail.

You might say that it’s counterintuitive for supermarkets to help cut consumer waste. After all that bag of salad turning to brown sludge in someone’s fridge is still a bag of salad sold, and retailers are above all businesses and are answerable, first and foremost, to shareholders.

True. But supermarkets are also part of a culture that has promoted cheap food over good or sustainable food. It leads people to under-appreciate the things food retailers sell.

Why do I say that? Because, according to the UN, food waste in

the poorest countries amounts to six to 15 per cent against that 30 to 40 per cent in the developed world. Poorer countries don’t have the same access to sophisticated supply chains, logistics, refrigeration and technology that we do.

Climates are often warmer and that can increase spoilage risks. And yet they waste less. Why? The most obvious answer is that they treat food as fundamentally more precious than we do. They don’t allow it to be wasted if it can be helped. People know what it’s like not to have enough.

Better a knobbly yam that’s the last yam in the shop than that yam gets thrown away because it’s not cosmetically perfect, or has been buried at the bottom of a display.

So yes, food retailers can and must lead. They can lead by showing how much they’re doing to cut waste and they can lead by getting yet more out of their supply chain management systems to inform predictive analytics, identify trends and make sure that those bags of salad are discounted at exactly the right time and by the right amount to help change consumer purchasing behaviour.

And perhaps one day that supply chain technology will face the other way and retailers will be sending customers a reminder that the mozzarella they bought two weeks ago needs using up. Who knows? But every which way retailers manage to help cut waste, they’ll be doing a favour, for us, themselves and, ultimately, the planet. It’s one of those almost perfectly virtuous circles where no one loses. All it needs is courage (and, of course, good supply chain technology). D Mikko Kärkkäinen is Group CEO at RELEX Solutions. RELEX Solutions is the first supply chain solution provider to offer retailers, wholesalers and manufacturers the power of In-Memory Computing. Customers in 15 countries use RELEX demand forecasting, inventory optimisation, replenishment automation solutions to cut spoilage by 40 per cent, inventory by 30 per cent, boost on-shelf availability to 98 per cent +, and become more profitable in the process.

www.relexsolutions.com

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Top

of the

crop

Deep field phenotyping becomes reality at Rothamsted Research

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Crop Science

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othamsted Research, based in Harpenden UK, is one of the oldest agricultural research centres in the world. Over its 172-year history, it has built an enviable international reputation as a centre of excellence for scientific research and innovation in support of agricultural productivity, crop protection and soil science.

In partnership with Lemnatec, the global plant phenotyping specialist, scientists at Rothamsted Research have implemented a Field Scanalyzer capable of continuously monitoring the development of crops under field conditions.

The facility will be used initially to understand the development of numerous pre-breeding wheat lines that have been generated through the Wheat Genetic Improvement Network (WGIN) programme supported by Defra and the Wheat Initiative Strategic Programme (WISP), funded by the BBSRC and led by the John Innes Centre in collaboration with Rothamsted Research and other university partners.

To feed our growing population, statistics suggest we need to increase world food production significantly in the near future. Wheat provides one fifth of human calories but since 1980 the rate of increase in wheat yields has plateaued. Rothamsted Research is currently working on a programme to increase the potential of wheat production to 20 tonnes per hectare within 20 years, known as 20:20 Wheat.

Key area Dr Malcolm Hawkesford, Head of Plant Biology and Crop Science at Rothamsted, also heads up the 20:20 Wheat programme. Commenting on the research, he says: “In order to get relevant responses to treatments or experimental conditions, we need to monitor crops in the field, not in greenhouses. For some years now, we’ve been increasing the amount of work we do in this area, particularly increasing the number of varieties of wheat and different genetic stocks we look at. So instead of just a few types, we are now looking at thousands of types, but we

also want to look at these types in more detail across the lifetime of the crop in the field.”

Translation from greenhouse to field can be problematic because field conditions are often so different to those in the greenhouse. For this reason, field phenotyping is considered to be a key area of development In the Agro industry.

The issue has always been how to extract the data. Around the world, many different techniques have been trialled including walking with sensors, mounting equipment on bicycles or motorised vehicles and even imaging with unmanned drones. However, none of these methods is able to measure with enough accuracy to provide reliable deep phenotyping data.

“The combination of a lot of plants and a lot of detail makes manual phenotyping slow, inefficient and, to be honest, inadequate,” continues Dr Hawkesford. “To speed things up, we can use UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) to monitor large areas of crops but they are not able to deliver the level of detail that we really need, hence the need for some sort of ground based system.”

The Field Scanalyzer incorporates a moving gantry that supports a motorised measuring platform carrying multiple sensors. Crops within a 10m x 110m area can be monitored throughout the season with a high degree of resolution and reproducibility.

The facility is fully automated and can operate 24 hours per day throughout the year. On board illumination facilitates the data collection and sensors include multi-wavelength imaging systems, an imaging sensor

to measure chlorophyll fluorescence decay kinetics and a laser system for 3D visualisation and crop height determination.

Revolutionary research The Field Scanalyzer was commissioned in 2014 after Dr Hawkesford saw a prototype system in New Dehli at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute.

Following a robust European tender process to evaluate a number of proposed solutions, the Field Scanalyzer from Lemnatec was selected based on criteria including quality, experience, technical know-how and business risk.

“I was looking for a completely automated solution that could operate 24/7 for the whole season. We wanted hyperspectral cameras, 3D information and to look at chlorophyll fluorescence.

And that was the basis of the specification for the Field Scanalyzer we purchased from Lemnatec.”

The Scanalyzer is now being used to monitor a selection of six wheat varieties grown at four different nitrogen levels. The process is fully automated, running a series of pre-programmed routines to capture deep phenotyping data about how crops behave in a reallife environment.

“Advances in other technologies have provided a wealth of information about the genetic composition of crop plants.

Now, for the first time, we can monitor plants in terms of growth and their physiology throughout their lifetime, in real time under field conditions.

This will revolutionise the way that agricultural research is conducted,” Dr Hawkesford concludes. D LemnaTec www.lemnatec.com

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IndustryNews

Bound for Basqueland Three Americans at the forefront of the craft brewing movement in Spain have chosen Beatson Clark bottles for the innovative beers they are brewing in San Sebastián.

Kevin Patricio, Ben Matz and Benjamin Rozzi founded the Basqueland Brewing Project (BPP) to supply high quality, flavoursome beers to the growing craft beer market in northern Spain.

Their new brewery opened earlier this year and the beers they produce have been bottled in Beatson Clark’s standard 330ml amber beer bottles with a standard crown neck finish.

“We chose Beatson Clark’s bottle because of its quality,” said Benjamin Rozzi. “It was an easy decision because there is a night and day difference in the quality of Beatson Clark’s bottles and those of its competitors. At BBP we strive to make the freshest and highest quality beers available in our marketplace, and these bottles will help us to achieve that.”

The idea for BBP was born when Kevin Patricio, a chef who runs La Madame restaurant in San Sebastián, commented to his wine supplier Benjamin Rozzi on the lack of high-quality beer available to his customers.

When he added a craft beer list to the menu sales took off, so Patricio and Rozzi invited brewer Ben Matz to Spain to help them create a new brewery. Matz had been Senior Brewer at Stone Brewing in San Diego and Wendlandt Cerveceria in Mexico, and he is now Head Brewer and Co-owner at BBP.

First for UK “The craft brewing sector is a big growth area for us, not just in the UK but all over the world,” said Charlotte Taylor, Marketing Manager at Beatson Clark. “We now supply our beer bottles across Europe and to the United States – wherever the craft beer revolution is taking hold. Now that our new amber furnace is in full production we have additional capacity to meet the demand from this rapidly growing sector.

“We’re known in the industry for combining quality products and service with the flexibility that small breweries need,” Charlotte added.

“The craft beer sector is a perfect fit for our small production runs and flexible approach.” www.beatsonclark.co.uk

BOC is to build its first UK carbon dioxide (CO2) purification plant, following the signing of an agreement with leading food company Cargill for the provision of raw CO2 feedstock.

The plant will be built on Cargill’s Trafford Park site in Greater Manchester and will capture and purify waste CO2 and convert it into food and beverage grade liquid CO2. The waste CO2 is a by-product of Cargill’s wheat fermentation process, which produces potable alcohol for consumer products such as perfumes, mouthwash and beverages.

The facility will include 1200 tonnes of bulk liquid storage, enabling better stock management during plant maintenance periods and shortages in the wider supply network.

Julie Elders, BOC Product Manager Bulk CO2 & Hydrogen, commented: “The majority of the UK’s CO2 feedstock comes from aging and increasingly unreliable ammonia plant. This means frequent product shortages, with alternative supplies having to be brought by road tanker from mainland Europe, adding cost and complexity to the supply chain. Our investment in this purification plant will strengthen and grow the UK supply network for this essential product.”

Paul Kingston, General Manager Cargill Starches & Sweeteners, commented: “We are delighted to be part of this innovative project. Recycling our CO2 waste stream means that 100 per cent of Cargill’s by-products are now re-used, thus contributing to the environmental sustainability of our site.” www.boconline.co.uk

Thirst quenchers The Berry Company’s Special Tea Range is packed with antioxidants, with each flavour free from artificial flavours, colourings, preservatives and sweeteners, offering a natural kick for both your skin and soul.

They are great for busy people on the go and perfect to have after a morning run pick-me-up!

A great alternative to traditional British iced tea and best served chilled, the Special Tea collection is bursting with an aromatic fusion of floral notes, berries, tropical fruits and carefully selected extracts from black, green, red, white and now yellow tea.

The complimentary flavours of these exotic

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ingredients make Special Teas the perfect thirst-quencher to be enjoyed straight from the re-sealable carton whilst out and about,

or served in a chilled glass with ice-cubes and a slice of fresh lemon. www.theberrycompany.co.uk

IndustryNews

Costa concept opens The nation’s favourite coffee shop, Costa, opened its first food-led concept store, Costa Fresco, in London. The specially designed store environment, exclusive to Costa, features designated zones for relaxing and a new way of presenting freshly baked food. Specially trained staff will be on hand to advise, bake and serve the new menu of oven-fresh food, along with Costa’s barista made coffee.

The brand new menu features handcrafted ciabattas and pastries, warm melt in the mouth cookies and fresh fruit juices, all using quality ingredients. Whether it is for breakfast, lunch or a light snack, menu options include a Rustico Dry Cured Ham and Mature Cheddar Flatbread, Roasted Pork Belly with Caramelised Braeburn Apple and Onion Ciabatta and Citrus Chelsea Buns.

The Costa Fresco concept is inspired by the Costa brother’s Italian passion and

Food for thought respect for tasty handcrafted food. When Sergio and Bruno opened their first store in London, over 40 years ago, they used to offer their customers freshly baked pastries each morning with their famous Mocha Italia blend, which Costa still serve today.

Carol Welch, Costa’s Global Brand and Innovation Director, describes the new store as “a fusion of London’s handcrafted bakeries brought to life by our heritage, Italian passion and gusto for vibrant ingredients and genuinely good food.” www.costa.co.uk

The outside catering company Purple Grape has come up with a solution for companies who lack a canteen by offering a bespoke canteen service.

Premises rarely come with an in-house canteen these days and installing one is a mammoth task involving specialised equipment and a team of trained staff with experience that is outside an inhouse HR’s scope. Purple Grape provides everything: a tailor made menu designed specifically for the type of company, its culture and the hours they keep plus all the staff and servicing. Says Emily Gillan, MD of Purple Grape: “As caterers established since the beginning of 2009, we have become very adept at organising feasts in fields and other difficult environments.

Overcoming obstacles is our second nature. Fifty percent of our expertise is in providing lip smacking food and perfect service; the other half is logistics.”

Reducing waste REO UK has developed a Profinet I/O module designed for food production machines that can be easily integrated into Industry 4.0 networks.

The module returns operational metrics to a supervisory system, allowing for easy monitoring of all production processes. This results in increased operational efficiency and reduced waste by providing accurate feedback on the position of actuators.

Actuators often play essential roles in food processing applications, allowing for increased productivity and a higher degree of quality assurance. However, they are also prone to problems with positioning, caused by a range of reasons from overheating to mechanical fault.

This module provides manufacturers with additional functionality to their standard Profinet, in the form of an analogue input that feeds back

the relative position of a mechanical actuator. By having a function to return operational metrics to a supervisory system, the likelihood of wastage is reduced. www.reo.co.uk

According to Head Hunter, David Bloomfield, (MD of Laboremus Ltd), a staff canteen is a very attractive incentive to candidates and as part of an employee package significantly improves staff retention. “Eating ‘Al desko’ is simply bad for moral and performance,” he adds. www.purplegrapecatering.co.uk

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Adapt

to

survive

The demise and rise of the great British pub

T

he closure of Britain’s beloved pubs is something that is difficult to miss.

According to the Campaign for Real Ale, approximately 29 pubs closed every week across Britain in the year ending June 2015, which amounts to a somewhat devastating blow to local communities and economies.

However, statistics from the Pubs Matter campaign discovered that 69 per cent of adults believe that a ‘wellrun community pub is as important to community life as a post office, local shop or community centre.’ The demand

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for pubs is certainly there, but people aren’t necessarily flocking through the doors. There are many reasons for this of course, with finance (or lack of) being a particularly big factor. Nevertheless, AVonics, specialists in providing sound and lighting for bars and pubs, believe a revival is nigh. Read on for their top tips on how pubs are making a comeback.

A changing clientele Figures from the Office for National Statistics have shown that only one in 50 young adults described themselves as frequent drinkers, a decline of more

Traditional Pubs much more sensible option and allows people to try a range of beers without drinking past their limits.”

Despite the alarmingly high pub closure rate, figures released by the government in August 2015 showed that three breweries were opening every week in the UK, with unique and unusual flavours becoming more prominent. BrewDog, which operates 21 locations across the UK, is an example of one establishment that is choosing to cater to people’s changing taste buds, by offering beer platters.

Speaking to The Independent, a spokesperson said: “In our bars we serve pints, but we also serve half pints, schooners [379ml], thirds and nips, and it’s these latter measures that make up the majority of sales.”

These changes should send a signal to pubs that perhaps haven’t changed their offerings in some time that their customers (not all of them, granted) now have different expectations when it comes to their local watering hole.

While that doesn’t mean they should stop catering to their loyal customers who may prefer ‘traditional’ beers, they should expand their offering to keep up in these modern times.

Getting connected

than two-thirds compared to 2005. With this in the back of their minds, more and more pubs are now choosing to offer a wider range of beers, showing that people’s preferences are changing from quantity to quality.

Chief Executive of CAMRA, Tim Page, recently commented on this emerging trend: “People are becoming more open to trying new beers and moving away from the mentality of drinking pint after pint of the same brew. Particularly for stronger, more full-flavoured real ales such as barley wines, or strong porters and stouts, a half or third of a pint is a

A by-product of the modern world we live in today is that everyone wants to be connected to the internet wherever they go, whether we like it or not.

Unfortunately, the rural locations of many pubs and their thick-walled, oldfashioned construction can mean that internet connection in many traditional buildings is somewhat hard to come by. But that may soon be a thing of the past.

In October 2015, mobile network Vodafone announced that they would be launching the Rural Community Pub programme, a pilot scheme in four village pubs in Norfolk and Wales. Since taking part in the scheme, the landlord at a participating pub, The Cross Keys in Norfolk, has predicted that their customers will stay for longer now they can get connected, having seen some leave when they couldn’t get online.

While it may take a while for Vodafone’s project to roll out to the

rest of the country, getting a strong and reliable connection to the internet will be essential to the survival of pubs.

Although people enjoy socialising with their friends, it’s a fact that they also like to stay connected to the internet. Let’s just hope this doesn’t result in a rise in pub quiz cheating!

Update the atmosphere Pubs have always been common ground for people to meet and socialise; but some establishments have lost sight of this. People want a spacious and open room with plenty of light so they can see one another as they converse.

Given the nature of more traditional pub spaces, this might mean that a few need to update their audio, visual and lighting equipment to suit the more modern uses of a pub.

Live music and sports have also become incredibly popular in pubs, which presents the perfect opportunity to attract more customers. By adding television and sound systems, or areas for live music to be played, pubs will be ensuring that they are appealing to the widest range of people possible.

Despite the raft of closures over the last few years, competition is still intense in the pub industry, and owners know they have to offer something slightly different in order to stand out from the crowd.

Adapt, or be left behind There is little doubt that the concept of the Great British Pub has certainly changed over the years, and the rapid closure of pubs across the country may seem bleak, but there is plenty that can be done to ensure their survival.

It is simply a matter of changing with the times. Adapting to suit the tastes of their new clientele and bringing technology up-to-date could be all that’s needed to bring the customers back through the doors. D AVonics specialises in providing sound and lighting solutions for all manner of hospitality venues such as cafes and bars. Using screens, lighting and sound systems, it is able to create environments that are suitable for all brands.

www.avonics.co.uk

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Health check Making assets work harder and more reliably

F

ood manufacturers maintain some of the highest standards of any industry, yet there is constant pressure on prices and a need to respond quickly to demand. Here, FrÊdÊric Thomas looks at how one of the UK’s leading malt and malted product producers resolved this conundrum and in the process managed to cost effectively increase production beyond established capacity.

Investing in new plant and equipment can be a complicated process as there are many stakeholders to consider. Customers, suppliers, shareholders and local planners all have their own views, which means it can often be a difficult process ensuring that each of these influencers support a large capital investment. Set against this is the time that it takes for a capital investment to materialise into product leaving the factory gate, a process that can take a number of years. In an industry with fluctuating demanding and volatile prices, that can make long-term investment decisions uncertain at best.

As a result, rather than going down the route of capital investment

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in new plant and equipment, more manufacturers in the food sector are looking at ways of making their existing assets work harder and more reliably.

A case in point is Muntons and here the management team was looking for a more effective solution to build on its reputation for quality, whilst responding to increased demand.

The company achieved its goal by implementing a condition-monitoring programme, which eliminated machine reliability issues and effectively increased capacity by around ten per cent.

Muntons has been producing malt and malted ingredients since 1921 and during this time it has grown to become a significant international player in the supply of malts, malt extracts, flours and flakes to the food and drinks industry.

Asset health check-up The management team at Muntons was looking to build on its reputation for quality and service, whilst supporting ongoing growth, when it took the decision in 2007 to implement a vibration Analysis (VA), Thermal Imaging IR and visual surveillance programme. After evaluating a number

Production of potential partners, they chose to work with AVT Reliability because of the depth of understanding shown by our engineers and track record of achieving measurable improvements in other manufacturing businesses.

At the time, the company was in a situation of occasional machine failures and was therefore looking for help to reduce these unplanned production stoppages whilst extending the useable life of the lubricants. In addition, the oil store was inside the boiler house and the company required a safer, more accessible location for this valuable resource. AVT began working with Muntons in October 2007 and has continued to do so ever since.

One of the first actions taken was to assign a dedicated CM start up team to Muntons. They were given the specific task of carrying out an initial site survey, with the aim of better understanding Vibration Analysis (VA) and Lubrication requirements within the company.

This involved the lubrication engineer having responsibility for populating the Machine Sentry database.

Machine Sentry is a Condition Based Maintenance system, which integrates all Condition Monitoring Techniques and enables effective maintenance planning and management reporting.

Its Vibration Analysis hardware and software runs on off-the shelf PDA’s and via the internet; making it a versatile and cost-effective solution. Taking this approach ensured that all critical assets were correctly audited at the early stages of the project and that the correct number of VA points had been identified and trend data captured.

Initially, many warnings or ‘advisories’ were flagged up by the system – mainly around lack of access to assets not only for routine maintenance, but also if reactive maintenance was needed. As data trends were established vibration issues were highlighted along with a number of lubrication problems.

By year two, AVT had highlighted a number of specific issues with critical machinery around the production site.

One of the first areas of concern arose with Mash Vessels 1 & 2, although an action plan was quickly formulated from data provided by oil changes/vibration

monitoring. The Mash Vessel 1 gearbox was being replaced approximately every six weeks, which was costly and disruptive to production. As a result, VA was set up along with oil analysis enabling AVT to give the engineering team sufficient notice of impending failure. This enabled essential gearbox maintenance to be planned around the production schedule and replaced before failure, avoiding unplanned downtime. The current gearbox has now been fitted two years without failure.

Identifying a number of other issues before ‘run to failure’ enabled corrective action to be taken without disrupting production and before it resulted in more serious, consequential damage.

Measurable improvements AVT also monitored the use of lubrication and for the first time total spend per annum became visible. This involved carrying out a lubrication assessment on site that took into account current best practices. The initial score came in at 25.5 per cent however, once changes were implemented this improved to 93 per cent.

In 2011 AVT introduced Thermography on site and started carrying out six monthly inspections on electrical panels in order to further enhance the CM (Condition Monitoring) element. To date 48 advisories have been raised due to IR (Infrared) inspections.

The issue of lubrication being stored in the boiler room was addressed, too, with a new area identified to provide a dedicated oil store. As lubrication issues reduced so did bearing costs as can be seen on the graph above, which was taken from data obtained via Muntons’ SAP.

In the seven years since Muntons has implemented a conditionmonitoring programme there has been a marked improvement in reliability.

This has also increased due to regular lubrication routines including greasing, oil change outs (NFG to FG), oil checks and oil monitoring.

Summary Ultimately, the condition-monitoring programme has helped Muntons increase capacity by around ten per cent through making existing assets work harder and more reliably. Payback could be measured in months, whilst being able to quickly ramp up capacity at a time of high demand has helped them maintain its customer service levels. The fact that it could be done without the complexity or timescales of investing in new assets meant that they remained responsive to customer demand. In addition, Muntons now has a much better understanding of the health of its assets. D

Frédéric Thomas is Asset Management Director at AVT Reliability. AVT is a leading engineering firm focusing on Asset Integrity and Performance, providing consultancy, services and training to manufacturers in all sectors; improving plant reliability, safety, cost and regulatory compliance. It specialises in condition based maintenance; deploying techniques in maintenance management, lubrication, vibration analysis, thermal imaging, oil analysis and ultrasound.

www.avtreliability.com

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Scotbeef are proud to have been working closely with Macdonald Hotels for over 10 years, supplying the finest Scotch Beef and Lamb for their menus.

Macdonald Hotels

Reputation for excellence

By focusing on traceability, quality and close partnerships with suppliers, Macdonald Hotels is building up an individual reputation for excellence in its restaurants across the UK and Ireland

D

edicated to delivering a unique experience to every customer that arrives at any one of over 40 hotels across the UK, Macdonald Hotels ensures each of its hotels has its own individual charm and takes on the character of the area in which it is located.

Achieving the prestigious AA Hotel Group of the Year award for the second time in six years in September 2013, the group’s commitment to achieving the highest quality standards in all aspects of the business has also led to it achieving more AA rosettes than any

other UK hotelier. The group was also awarded the AA Eco-Hotel Group of the year in 2012 for its focus on reducing electricity and fossil fuel usage by 15 per cent in 2015.

Proud to deliver the best possible service to customers across its portfolio of beautiful, individual hotels, the forward-thinking group is unwavering in its focus on achieving customer satisfaction in all areas of the business.

“Aside from providing high quality bedrooms, our other main activities are food and beverage, leisure and spa, golf and the corporate and conference

markets. Because of the diversity of our client base from North to South we offer varied menus, but although food tastes vary by region, the quality of the produce and the relationship that we have with the supplier is the key, underlying aspect of our success. It’s very important for a company with a deliberately diverse portfolio of properties like ours, to be able to meet equally varied customer dining expectations, without ever compromising on the best possible quality and provenance in our food and beverage offering,” explains Simon Jackson, Group Sales and Marketing Director at Macdonald Hotels.

Differentiated in the market by its dedication to serving only the highest quality of food, Macdonald Hotels uses the finest seasonal ingredients and sources the best produce available.

Placing a great deal of importance on

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‘

In line with Macdonald Hotels celebrating its 25th anniversary throughout 2016, the company will be delivering 25 special food events across the UK from January until December

Macdonald Hotels the provenance and traceability of its food, Macdonald Hotels expects the highest standards of diligence in product integrity and traceability from its suppliers. For example, meat is sourced from highly reputable suppliers, with 21-day aged cuts of beef supplied directly from Scotbeef, thus ensuring Macdonald Hotels’ new Scottish Steakhouse restaurants deliver delicious food of the best possible quality.

Seasonal menus Because Macdonald Hotels buys with provenance in mind and prefers to support local businesses, the chefs of its restaurants are given flexibility in planning menus by the season, which thus ensures that UK produce comes first. “We have a range of fantastic talent when it comes to chefs in the UK, arguably the best in the world; we also have the best produce in the

world on our doorstep and we very much encourage our chefs to challenge themselves when it comes to deliver interesting and unique dishes,” says Robert B. Cook, Commercial Director at Macdonald Hotels. “For example, during asparagus season, the asparagus will be supplied locally and will feature in most of our hotel menus, however, to further stimulate our customers we are working with our wine supplier and will be matching asparagus dishes with different Alberinos from Spain. This way of working not only excites your team, but also motivates suppliers by offering a challenge and, most importantly, it excites customers and results in them returning to our food events throughout the year.”

Food events Elaborating further, Robert continues: “With our Scottish base, our calendar of events tends to start in January for

Wing Of St Mawes Wing Of St Mawes is a family-run, award-winning business that has been supplying fish from Cornwall and home cured smoked fish to chefs for over 35 years. It is passionate about local seafood and the Cornish fishing industry and prides itself on only buying the very best fish with over 75 per cent of its species sourced from Cornwall markets and trusted local suppliers. The company’s aim is to be its chef’s eyes and ears on the fish markets, delivering a traditional artisan fishmonger service with the very best of what Cornwall has to offer.

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Macdonald Hotels Burns night and Burns suppers. For this event we will offer Burns related food throughout the month, as well as nibbles at the bar, and will be working with Glenmorangie to deliver a taste of Burns. Following this, we of course have Valentine’s Day and Mothers’ Day, before we go onto the asparagus and Alberino promotion. On top of this, we are having a number of whisky related events throughout the year and have an al fresco festival in the summer; we will also be offering game dinners during game season, so there is a lot going on both centrally and locally.”

Charity dinners In line with Macdonald Hotels celebrating its 25th anniversary throughout 2016, the company will be delivering 25 special food events across the UK from January until December; each of these will support a local charity nominated by locals, plus

the Muir Maxwell Trust, which supports epilepsy. “The 25 events are not only to celebrate our 25 years in the business, but also allow us to give a bit back to the communities in which we are based by hosting various dinners for a range of chosen charities,” highlights Robert.

With 25 years of growth and success behind it, the future looks positive for Macdonald Hotels as it continues to exceed rising expectations from a more food-orientated customer base through the delivery of a consistently worldclass service and the development of new food concepts. Robert concludes:

“Provincial hotels have not always been seen as the best place to get a meal.

Our goal is quite simple; we want to be widely recognised as the best place in town for food, service and atmosphere; the place where you can always find a new favourite on the menu.” D www.macdonaldhotels.co.uk

ECA Group We have been working with Macdonald Hotels to review all options for contracting utilities since 1993. Our remit includes: Energy Procurement, Bill Validation, Reporting and Account Management.

“We have implemented initiatives that allows them to audit and implement savings across their estate reducing consumption by 15%+,” stated ECA. “ECA provide us with highly valuable monthly reporting, that allows us to monitor utility consumption and focus on energy saving initiatives,” added Macdonald Hotels.

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Growing success

Cornerways Nursery is an exemplary demonstration of achieving a successful balance between sustainable practice and commercial growth

C

ornerways Nursery was born 15 years ago out of an initiative by parent company, British Sugar, to reuse the waste heat and CO2 produced from its factory in Wissington, Norfolk. It was quickly decided that a greenhouse used to grow the CO2 hungry tomato crop would be an ideal solution and thereby a five-hectare greenhouse was erected.

Over the years the site has grown and two periods of investment in 2007 and 2011, of additional 5.5-hectare and 7.5-hectare expansion, respectively, has seen the site grow to 18 hectares.

What results is the largest single-site

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tomato facility in the UK, which currently houses 180,000 plants, producing around 140 million tomatoes every year. Initially starting out selling a single variety of tomato, today Cornerways grows and supplies a range of ten for retailers across the country.

“We have taken this strategy of reusing heat and CO2 as the core business philosophy and as such we have a really healthy sustainability policy here,” begins General Manager, Patrick Harte. “As part of this we have invested into the site over the years in order to capture all of the water that falls onto the roof, and when you have 18 hectares

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Cornerways Nursery

On top of this we have 8500 British bumblebees to pollinate the plants, as we find these can be far harder workers than people when it comes to pollination

the plants, as we find these can be far harder workers than people when it comes to pollination.”

Quality focus

of roof that equates to a lot.” Stored in lagoons located on site, the facility is able to harvest 115 million litres of water a year from this method, enough, on average, to make the company 98 per cent self-sufficient on water.

“We continue this philosophy further in the way that we grow as well, and therefore don’t use any synthetic chemical sprays on site – only things that have derived from the plants,” continues Patrick. “We have also taken the initiative to use natural predators, so we employ macrolophus to eat all of the whitefly pests. On top of this we have 8500 British bumblebees to pollinate

The harvest season for tomatoes at Cornerways runs from March to November, in which time the company directly employs a peak of 400 people to hand tender all 720,000 plant heads and pick all 140 million tomatoes, in a labour intensive procedure that is near impossible to mechanise. During this time, the plants grow from 30cm to 36ft, and Patrick points out the quite staggering statistic that laid end-to-end the fully-grown plants at Cornerways would stretch from Norfolk to California. “We can attribute this consistent and healthy growth to the amount of controllable excess heat, CO2 and water we can pump into the greenhouse,” he adds.

Its sustainability model is the core of Cornerways operations and Patrick explains that this has its advantages in assisting customers with their own CSR objectives, but also notes that to be truly sustainable requires economic sustainability as well. “Our model is designed so that it hits both the environmental and economic points, because otherwise this would never be able to work as a business and has been vital to us growing to this size in just 15 years,” he says.

“Part of being able to achieve this is by producing some really good quality produce. We don’t just look at yield to determine our quality, but the actual quality of the end product in terms of appearance, taste and freshness because we believe this is what is really important to the consumer. Part of the investment in 2007 involved setting up a pack house, which means that we pack all our products in-house as a key part of our end-to-end operations and then ship them directly to retailers, meaning that the customers are getting

the freshest possible product from a short supply chain.”

Patrick notes that this is a really important advantage over imported produce, which, as a result of better climates, no greenhouses and cheaper labour, are impossible to compete with on price, but also spend up to a week travelling to the UK. “We are also starting to see a bit of a food revolution in the UK where people are realising that British food is often much better quality,” he highlights.

Award wins Patrick is positive that if the business continues to produce quality products, looks after its staff and ultimately makes the most of what it has at its disposal then it can maintain an advantage in the market.

Over the last couple of years, Cornerways has started to supply into local retailers under its own brand where consumers appreciate the local provenance of their food. As a result, the company has won Supplier of the Year award for both Co-Op East of England and Budgens.

“To have gone from starting this to receiving these awards so quickly is a big achievement for us and has made a big difference,” says Patrick. “Firstly, it lets everyone here know their efforts are being recognised, which is great for our

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FoodChain THE BUSINESS OF FOOD AND DRINK

To advertise in FoodChain magazine please contact: Sales Manager Joe Woolsgrove jwoolsgrove@schofieldpublishing.co.uk Sales Rob Wagner rwagner@schofieldpublishing.co.uk T: +44 (0)1603 274130 | F: +44 (0)1603 274131 www.foodchainmagazine.com

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Cornerways Nursery Glazewing Glazewing Limited has been providing outstanding waste management services for over 25 years, and has undergone huge growth in its food related waste and recycling services. It is able to deliver its services nationwide from its hub in East Anglia, and is a pioneer in providing environmentally conscious total waste management. The company’s other areas of expertise lay in skip hire, trade waste collections, mixed recycling, commercial waste, scrap metal recycling and hazardous waste management.

internal morale, and secondly the media attention has been excellent, resulting in fresh publicity, increased sales and a platform to diversify for the first time.”

The company’s chutney, which uses any waste tomatoes that aren’t suitable for retailers, but are still perfectly fine to eat, has only been on the market for a couple of months, but will be a key focus as the business moves forward.

Build on success

and safety policy, which rests heavily on improving the culture within the business and has had a positive impact over the last 18 months. “Essentially, we’re looking to expand the business, which we have built on the basis of these values, further,” concludes Patrick. “The market conditions need to be right, but we are confident we can achieve our ambitions.” D www.britishsugar.co.uk/ tomatoes.aspx

In terms of the future, it is clear that Cornerways will continue building on its success by remaining true to its core values of sustainability, quality and responsible employment. A £1 million investment over the winter will double the size of the pack house and introduce a redesigned operational flow within the greenhouse, including elements of automation that can lead to a better quality end product. It will also continue implementing its health

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Artisan passion

Since the company was incorperated during the 1970s Mestdagh Artisan has prided itself on creating artisanal frozen foods based on traditional Belgian recipes

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estdagh Artisan was founded by the owner and head chef of the boat hotel ‘La Péniche’, Luc Mestdagh in Oostduinkerke during 1978. The company was formed in response to the overwhelming demand for the high-quality recipes available at the hotel, for example Luc’s shrimp croquettes and Soufflé au GrandMarnier were so popular with his clients that they wised that they could take them home. Therefore Chef Mestdagh began to offer his house specialities in frozen form and eventually constructed a kitchen workshop in the cellar of La Péniche to better enable the preparation and freezing of the much-sought-after croquettes. The choice to prepare a very traditional Belgian dish with the finest ingredients proved to be a big hit with

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diners and as a result Chef Mestdagh’s shrimp croquettes achieved a high level of demand across the entire Belgian coast. Over time Luc came to prefer the creative environment of his workshop to the original aspect of the business and he soon expanded his range with appetisers and desserts, resulting in his iced Grand Marnier soufflé and his traditionally prepared vanilla ice cream becoming flagship products (twice winning first prize of ‘Best Ice Cream of Belgium’).

During 2004 Mestdagh Artisan relocated to a newly built property in Veurne (BRC High Level), upon which Luc handed over the reins of the business to his daughter, Hilde Mestdagh and her husband Marc Gombert. Together they continue to operate the company according to established Mestdagh tradition. As

Mestdagh Artisan factories, for example that only produce milk products. Mestdagh Artisan is a horizontal manufacturer because we approach restaurants and the wider food markets, which are demanding exceptional quality in a range of products including croquettes and ice cream,” Marc says.

“Mestdagh Artisan is very keen about the quality of its ingredients. These are sourced from the farmer directly and the milk that we use comes from Jersey cows and that is relatively unique,” he continues. “In Belgium there are only two farms with Jersey cows and from these cows we can source milk, cream and butter with a special taste. We do

‘

not use any additives in our recipes and we make everything ourselves, which is important for Mestdagh and in quality management. We do not operate a simple assembly factory, we begin with sugar, milk and make our products ourselves.”

True authenticity With its dedication to natural products that give a rich and pure flavour, as well as the highest commitment to delivering highquality products, Mestdagh Artisan earned a leading reputation as a artisan bakery that provides wholesale frozen artisan baked goods and desserts to retailers and restaurants globally. “Our clients have respect for Mestdagh Artisan products and

Its core staff are all trained and qualified to work within the culinary industry to ensure that Mestdagh Artisan products meet the expectations for which the company has become known

such, Mestdagh Artisan embodies a spirit of true craftsmanship and only uses only the finest ingredients in its foods. It works with natural products that give a rich and pure flavour to ensure authenticity and additionally no additives or preservatives are used.

Today the company’s range of products includes savoury items including croquettes, gourmet foods, savoury bites and culinary aids. Its dessert range is comprised of patisserie items, ice desserts, ice cream and sorbets, as well as ice cream cakes. As the current Owner and CEO of Mestdagh Artisan, Marc Gombert presides over the business and is keen to ensure that it is run in accordance with its established tradition of quality and integrity. “We are not a typical firm. Ordinarily brand manufacturers will operate milk

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Mestdagh Artisan

this is naturally important on the food market. However clients also recognise that we operate a quality food factory.

The difference between Mestdagh Artisan and larger multinational companies is that the factories belonging to those companies produce the same product every day and not specialist products,” Marc says. “Quality for us is in the authenticity of using good recipes with quality ingredients; chocolate is chocolate and milk is milk, it is not milk powder. Commonly within multinational factories milk powder plus water is used to make milk. I say several times to new or potential clients that water and air are not an ingredient in our factory. A lot of multinationals use water and air as an ingredient to lower the price, the price is only of second importance to us.

The first important thing is the quality of the products, the ingredients and the taste. This has allowed Mestdagh Artisan to win customers throughout the whole of Europe including England, Holland, Denmark, China, Saudi Arabia, Germany, France, Spain and also outside Europe.”

To meet the growing demand for its gourmet foodstuffs, Mestdagh Artisan has continually invested in both its

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facilities and baking equipment. While this has been vital in ensuring that its production remains on course with demand, the key concern for the company has always been to maintain the highest levels of quality. To this end, its core staff are all trained and qualified to work within the culinary industry to ensure that Mestdagh Artisan products meet the expectations for which the company has become known. “We have invested in a lot of capital into automation and machinery, allowing us to turn out about 20003000 litres of ice cream a day and furthermore we can make 50,000

croquettes a day. We employ the same philosophy towards producing authentic products as the company did in the beginning while working with machinery,” Marc concludes. “We will only buy machinery if it can have a positive influence on the quality. The machinery we also have allows us to manufacture products at increased volumes without any compromise on quality. We employ around 20 people and they need to have a diploma, attended culinary school, or trained as a patisserie or cook. We are not simply machine operators.” D www.mestdagh-artisan.be

Middletons Steakhouse & Grill

High steaks Since 2011, Middletons Steakhouse & Grill has prided itself on delighting customers with delicious meats that have been carefully prepared at its butchery in Middleton, Norfolk

T

he relatively short history of Middletons Steakhouse & Grill begins in July 2011 in an old pub, The Crown Inn, which was owned by the founders of Middletons, Gastro Pubs Limited.

Following three years of operating as a public house, a strategic decision was made to turn the pub into a Steakhouse that specialises in steak, grills and seafood, with the goal of becoming a high street brand renowned for high quality, well-prepared meats over the coming years. With Middletons opening in July 2011, the company enjoyed success and increased demand as it developed a strong reputation and loyal customer base. This led to the company’s second Middletons restaurant opening in Norwich in December 2012 at a former Baptist chapel. The success of this second restaurant led to further expansion, with restaurants opening in Milton Keynes

and Colchester in 2014 and Watford in November 2015.

Key to the company’s success is its high quality food, which is expertly handled by two full-time butchers at its butchery in Middleton, as Steve Hutton, Managing Director and Founder of Middletons Steakhouse & Grill highlights: “The butchery is actually the old toilet block at the back of The Crown Inn; we renovated it a number of years ago and used it as an additional prep kitchen. However, following further investment, we opened it in 2015 as a butchery; it is fully kitted out and has two full time butchers based there, so all of the meat gets delivered to our butchery, where the butchers then trim down the meat, hand cut the steaks and then deliver it to our restaurants six days a week.”

The meat is currently supplied by Cleveley’s in Harleston, a company that Steve has been working with closely

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for a number of years. “I have a longstanding relationship with Cleveley’s,” he confirms. “Although Middletons has only been operating for four years, as Gastro Pubs Limited we used to own and operate small gastro pubs in and around East Anglia, so Cleveley’s has been my supplier of meats for more than ten years. The quality of the company’s meat has always been exceptional and we have always had confidence in what Cleveley’s delivers; it is really a matter of confidence in the supply chain.”

Value for money This positive working relationship is a core part of Middletons’ ability to guarantee high quality, fresh food to its customers while they enjoy the vibrant, modern and comfortable décor of Middletons. On top of this, all of the company’s restaurants work to the same high standards and specification books for all of the dishes on offer so every recipe is the same, whichever Middletons restaurant a customer goes to. “We have a food bible that has the ingredients and methods for cooking, as well as how a dish should look on the plate; it is then down to the regional members of staff, such as our executive chef, training and development manager, support chefs

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and support managers, to provide the best training and development to ensure the highest possible standards are maintained,” explains Steve.

Although Middletons operates as a Steakhouse & Grill, its unique selling point is its best-selling mixed grill dish, as Steve notes: “There are very few restaurant operators that provide the variety of mixed grills like we do. The Middletons Grill is a six oz steak, BBQ pork ribs and a piri piri chicken breast; you also get a choice of side. Priced at £17.95, the Middletons Grill is incredible value for money. As well as fresh lobster and fish, burgers and salads, we have a fairly substantial offering for our customers.” In addition, Middletons also offers roast dinners every Sunday of the year; this is a massively popular dish as

the roast beef served is sirloin and there is also the choice of high quality pork or lamb. “We also offer a mixed Sunday lunch where customers can have a slice of everything,” says Steve.

Alongside the exceptional quality of the food, price also plays a key role in Middletons’ popularity, as the company continually seeks to improve its supply chain and thus enhance cost savings. “It is important to us that we don’t penalise our customers for ever-increasing food prices, which means it is down to us behind the scenes to ensure our supply chain is as optimised as it can be and to be innovative, for example, opening our own butchery,” says Steve. “At the moment we are buying direct from a third party, but within the next year we will start to buy direct from farms; this will provide

Middletons Steakhouse & Grill

us with more cost savings so we can keep our sale price as keen as possible.

We don’t believe in vouchers or discounts we just believe in honest pricing.”

With its Watford restaurant recently opened, Middletons’ goal for the future is to continue opening restaurants in vibrant locations with a strong culture for dining out. “Our next project is Leicester, which has witnessed vast amounts of European investment since Richard III was buried there. This is our biggest project yet as we have secured an iconic site, an old bank, in the centre of town, which is undergoing a £1.5 million renovation.

Ideally we would like to keep expanding by at least three or four restaurants a year, this is our goal for the next four to five years,” Steve concludes. D www.middletons-shg.co.uk

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A legacy of luxury

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Expansion is top of the agenda for global hotel and resort group Starwood Hotels in a strategy that will see its UK footprint grow considerably 34 www.foodchainmagazine.com

ith 1270 properties, employing over 180,000 people across 100 countries it will not come as a surprise that Starwood Hotels is one of the largest and leading hotel companies in the world. Under a number of internationally renowned brands, like The Luxury Collection, Le Méridien, Sheraton, W Hotels and Aloft, the company caters for a number of needs with hotels and resorts providing economy-grade to luxury havens for any corporate or leisure customer.

Customer service inevitably plays a key role in Starwood’s portfolio, but equally valued is its commitment to both the staff and many communities that it engages with across its global footprint.

For instance the group currently has a global commitment to achieve a 30 per cent reduction in energy consumption and emissions, plus a 20 per cent water reduction across all properties by 2020, and has raised over $30 million through its partnership with UNICEF since 1995.

At present Starwood Hotels is represented by 12 luxury hotels in the UK and Ireland. These include Sheratons, Alofts, independent Tribute Portfolio and Luxury Collection hotels, a W Hotel and a Westin Hotel dotted across London, Liverpool, Scotland and Ireland. However, in line with the company’s global expansion strategy – it signed 175 new sites across the world in 2014 alone – Starwood Hotels has ambitious plans to increase this number, starting with opening a number of key sites over the next two years.

In August 2015, the company’s Sheraton brand launched its new premier tier of hotels, named Sheraton Grand. With the first phase initiated by ten new hotel signings, the vision for the division is to have 50 newlydesigned hotels around the world by 2016 and a total of 100 by early 2017. Part of Sheraton 2020, a set of initiatives set out to establish the hotel as a leading global brand over the next five years, the announcement

Starwood Hotels comes alongside other plans, such as a $100 million marketing campaign and visual rebranding. Amongst the first ten hotels to be signed under the new programme, which stretches across the world from the US to Asia, is the Sheraton Grand Edinburgh in the heart of the Scottish capital. Exemplifying Starwood’s reputation for luxury and exclusivity, the hotel boasts dramatic views of the Edinburgh castle, an award-winning spa and a unique British cuisine restaurant, serving over 60 premium varieties of gin.

A month later in September, Starwoods announced the entry of its Tribute Portfolio brand into the European market with the signing of Great Northern Hotel at King’s Cross, London. The Tribute Portfolio brings together a collection of outstanding independent hotels and resorts from across the world, with the key focus of retaining the independent operation and reputation earned over long and successful histories.

The Great Northern Hotel was first opened in 1854 and has since undergone an immaculate restoration to retain its luxurious heritage, and upon relaunching in 2013 under the ownership of Jeremy Robson, has become one of the capital’s finest boutique hotels. Adhering to this history, the hotel provides a variety of catering options for its guests with the Plum + Split Milk restaurant serving fine British cuisine, and the GNH Bar, one of Europe’s most glamorous railway bars, which offers signature cocktail such as the Lady Violet in a classical and stylish setting.

The announcement of the Great Northern Hotel came soon after the launch of the Tribute Portfolio brand in April 2015, and the brand’s ambitions show clear correlation with Starwood’s overarching expansion strategy, with an aim to have 100 hotels under the brand by 2020. Commenting on the new signing, Dave Marr, Global Brand Leader for Tribute Portfolio says: “The hotel has been designed with meticulous attention to detail, and we’re excited to partner alongside Mr. Jeremy Robson as he continues to bring his independent vision to life.”

Continuing this expansion programme in the UK, in 2017 two more hotels will be opened on London’s Tobacco Docks under the Aloft and Element brands.

With 100 hotels opened and planned in 14 countries across the globe, the Aloft brand makes a departure from the traditional hotel experience with a tech-forward, vibrant experience and modern style. Similarly, Element hotels mark an innovation within the hotel industry in its sustainable and

natural approach to hospitality. The brand offers stylish settings complete with healthy breakfast offerings, saline swimming pools, spacious fitness centres and electric vehicle charging points.

In 2008 Element Hotels made history in being the first hotel brand to pursue LEED certification for high-performance buildings across a complete brand. This will be the first Element hotel to open in the UK and again conforms to Starwood’s rapid expansion plans.

As far as the future is concerned, Starwood Hotels is very much focused on continuing expansion and growing its already extensive brand and hotel portfolio. Achieving this success will come in a number of ways, but by remaining aware of key global trends and continuing to integrate into its local communities will undoubtedly feature heavily in the company’s values as it moves forward. D www.starwoodhotels.com

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Making the grain Celebrating 100 years in operation in 2015, Meneba has developed a strong reputation for producing and marketing raw materials and functional ingredients for bakery and food products

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A

long-term specialist in the development, production and marketing of cereal products, Meneba uses its century of expertise to serve its customers in a manner that will further cement its position as a well-established partner capable of bringing maximum value to grain. As a high quality supplier with a broad range of flours within its product portfolio, Meneba operates within numerous business sectors, from artisanal bakeries to industrial bakeries to customers within the food industry.

“Meneba began operations in 1915 and our main activities are milling, which we do from three locations: Rotterdam, Wormerveer and Bossuit.

We mill approximately 650,000 to 700,000 tonnes of products per annum and from wheat and rye, the total sales is around 220 million euros, while the number FDA is 185,” begins Gerard Verkerke, Sales and Purchasing Director at Meneba. “We have four customer groups, the first being artisanal bakeries in Belgium and Holland, while the second is the food industry for which we supply ingredients for biscuits, honey cake and those kinds of products. We also provide products to industrial bakeries,

‘

Meneba

Meneba is in an enviable position as it uses its nutritional knowledge, processing expertise and awareness of market trends to provide clients with successful innovations that not only integrate with the trends of today, but will also meet the demands of tomorrow

where products are sent to the retail industry; our fourth customer group is export clients who are mainly based in Africa and South America.”

Customer focus He continues: “What differentiates us in the market is our clear focus on delivering what the customer wants; to meet these needs we have a broad assortment of products and maintain consistent quality whether the customer is artisanal or industrial. We also deliver excellent customer service and seek out ways to actively help customers, whether that is in our in-house test bakery or in our customer’s bakery or one-onone with solo bakers. We also teach new skills or new techniques such as fermenting and develop new products such as new bread products for multi grain or find solutions for a problem on the line.”

Able to produce the right cereals

and varieties to suit the requirements of customers, Meneba can also add value through knowledge and flexibility as it has the broadest assortment of cereal specialties within Europe. Segments within Meneba’s assortment of products include wheat flour, which includes Edelweiss, a flour base that boasts attractive baking properties for large white bread, small white bread and stuffed bread applications; it also includes T65 Tradition Francaise, a specific type of wheat flour that can be used in the preparation of authentic artisan breads as it is the perfect type of flour for the preparation of a homemade traditional sourdough.

There is also a wholemeal segment, which includes Acacia, a product that gives the bread a firm and compact crumb; a light multigrain segment that includes Alaska, a mix of high-fibre white bread; medium brown multigrain segment that includes products such as Tundra, a multigrain mix for a golden blonde multigrain bread,

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which is richly filled with toasted wheat germ and pumpkin seeds; dark multigrain, which includes Crude Bolster Robust, a multigrain mix for a dark multigrain bread with a coarse and pure character.

In addition to these segments, Meneba also has spelt products, such as Triticum spelta, an ancient grain from the same family as wheat and process improvers such as Libre, a progressive process improver consisting entirely of natural grain components with a unique functionality. Alongside these product areas, there is also decoration/cereal specialities, rye and banquet products available.

Successful innovations What makes this broad product range possible is oriented global grain purchasing, an awareness of market trends and sophisticated milling and processing techniques, as Gerard

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notes: “We have seven milling systems, which range from two to 24 tonnes per hour; we also have a great mixing system for flour and wholemeal and a mixing system for multigrains, which is mixed with multigrains, seeds, colours and flavours. We can also roast and toast wheat germs to make more tasteful products in the biscuit and bread sector. To further strengthen our capabilities, we recently invested in new machinery in the milling and cleansing departments as well as mixing in advance of future opportunities to make more tailor made solutions.�

As demand grows for customised, natural products that bring optimised functionality for high-quality processing lines, Meneba is in an enviable position as it uses its nutritional knowledge, processing expertise and awareness of market trends to provide clients with successful innovations that not

Meneba only integrate with the trends of today, but will also meet the demands of tomorrow. Some examples of product innovation include multigrain mixes that are free from E numbers and lactose and process improvers, which make it possible to prepare bread authentically while using modern production processes.

Future focus

food industry. On top of expansion, another focus for Meneba is to make the chain from farmer to customer more open and transparent, which will allow consumers to see where their bread is made and where their wheat comes from.

As a company that delivers quality in both service and products, transparency is important to us.� D www.meneba.com

As demand for its versatile range of products continues, Meneba is on the verge of reaching full capacity and will be looking to expand in the near future to ensure it can continue meeting the requirements of its increasingly diverse customer base, as Gerard concludes: “This expansion will not only enable us to further enhance our dough making and pre-fermentation capabilities for a few new products, but will also make it possible for us to produce flour for sponge cake and other items for the

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FoodChain The business of food and drink

Schofield Publishing Ltd

10 Cringleford Business Centre Intwood Road l Cringleford l Norwich l NR4 6AU T: +44 (0)1603 274130 | F: +44 (0)1603 274131 Editor Libbie Hammond libbie@schofieldpublishing.co.uk Sales Manager Joe Woolsgrove jwoolsgrove@schofieldpublishing.co.uk Sales Rob Wagner rwagner@schofieldpublishing.co.uk

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