Food & Drink News March/April 2019

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ONLIN E MA NOW AGAZINE VAILAB LE!

MARCH/APRIL 2019

EXCLUSIVE FEATURES AMAZING GROWTH IS ICING ON THE TOP FOR THE CAKE CREW

W W W. F O O D A N D D R I N K N E W S . C O . U K

{ March / April 2019 }

Contents ONLINE E MAGAZINABLE! AIL NOW AV

04 INDUSTRY NEWS 14 VEGANISM 17 CAKE CREW 19 CAMSTAR HERBS 22 LEWIS FOODS 25 TRANGS (UK) LTD 26 APPLETON SWEETS 28 VISION KITCHENS 30 CARRS BILLINGTON

TO VIEW THE 2019 FEATURES LIST PLEASE VISIT WWW.FOODANDDRINKNEWS.CO.UK OR CONTACT US AT +44 (0)1484 321000 TO EMAIL A COPY TO YOU

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{ Editor’s Foreword }

A sea-change in the food industry?

PUBLISHER Planet Media & Design Ltd Brooke’s Mill, Huddersfield HD4 7NR

MANAGING DIRECTOR Jillian Evans

NATIONAL SALES MANAGER Sarah Hoyer

CHIEF EDITOR David Barnett

SUB-EDITOR Rachael Whiteley

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V

eganism is one of the fastest-growing food trends in the UK right now – but don’t be misled into thinking it’s just a flash-in-the-pan fad.

As we explore in this issue of Food and Drink News, more and more people than ever before are experimenting with cutting meat, fish and dairy products from their diets… and sticking with this lifestyle change.

And that’s something the food industry is finding it has to respond to. Indeed, the message from some quarters is that many manufacturers, retailers and suppliers would be fools not to respond to this, and quickly.

Of course, not everyone is going to embrace veganism, and we focus on a variety of companies in this issue which work across the full spectrum of food supply, processing and manufacturing in the UK today.

We very much hope you enjoy this issue.

MAG SUBSCRIPTIONS subscriptions@planet-media.co.uk

David Barnett CHIEF EDITOR

Food & Drink News is published by Planet Media & Design Ltd. Company registered in England & Wales, number 09365661. All material is the copyright of Planet Media & Design Ltd. All rights reserved. Food & Drink News is the property of Planet Media & Design Ltd. This publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form, whole or part, without the written permission of a Director of Planet Media & Design Ltd. Liability: while every care is taken in the preparation of this magazine, the publishers can not be held responsible for the accuracy of information herein, or any consequence arising from it. In the case of company or product reviews or comments, these have been based upon the true and honest opinion of the Editor at the time of going to press.

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{ Industry News }

CARGILL LAUNCHES NEW GERKENS® CT70 COCOA POWDER – THE LATEST ADDITION TO ITS EXTENSIVE RANGE OF COCOA POWDERS concludes: “Ultimately it’s all about the taste – and we were delighted at the consumer response to baked goods made with CT70. Gerkens® CT70 cocoa powder gives bakery products the chocolate taste and smell that consumers prefer, making baked goods stand out from the competition by bringing a unique chocolate experience to consumers”.

For more information visit www.cargill.com/CT70 * The research was conducted by Ipsos in the Netherlands in November 2018

Cargill has launched its new Gerkens® CT70 cocoa powder from the world’s leading cocoa powder brand Gerkens®, aimed at creating consumer-preferred bakery products by exceeding their expectations in aroma and chocolate taste.

Dick Brinkman, Technical Service Manager, Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate, explains: “When we decided to develop our latest cocoa powder specifically designed for baked goods, we conducted multiple tasting sessions with our expert tasting panel. These continued until every panel member was convinced that Gerkens® CT70 would help our customers’ products stand out by delivering a true chocolate experience beyond colour, in both taste and smell.”

Working in partnership with leading market research organisation Ipsos, baked goods made with Gerkens® CT70 were assessed in blind tests. The research showed a significant consumer preference, in direct comparison with goods baked with some of the industry’s other best-selling cocoa powders. Baked goods prepared with Gerkens® CT70 were chosen as the preferred product by the majority (54%) of consumers, with the overall preference for other products far behind at 24% and 21% respectively. Consumers especially preferred

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the product made with Gerkens® CT70 for its taste (51%) and the best chocolaty smell (41%).

For baked goods food manufacturers Gerkens® CT70 provides: • Outstanding genuine chocolate aroma and taste in baked products – as confirmed by consumers • An appealing redbrown colour that reflects the sensory profile of the powder • Less complexity when baking – Gerkens® CT70 can be used for both the body of chocolate cakes as well as the coating and/or filling, giving a great taste and aroma to both.

Ilco Kwast, Marketing Director Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate,

{ Industry News }

GOJO LAUNCHES NEW WINTER WELLNESS WEBSITE AND RESOURCES In its effort to boost wellness and lessen the impact of seasonal viruses, GOJO, The inventors of Purell™, has launched a new website, www.winter-wellness.eu. This microsite, available to view in eight different languages including English, French, German, Danish, Spanish, Swedish, Polish and Romanian, features advice, blogs and downloadable resources to help businesses across Europe achieve a healthier germ season. www.winter-wellness.eu is an innovative educational microsite, which features: • A benefit calculator. This handy tool calculates the number of employees, their hourly wage and days saved per winter period, by implementing a hand hygiene system

for both employers and employees • Opportunity to purchase a PURELL® Winter Wellness Kit, comprising of PURELL® dispensing systems for common areas, PURELL® bottles for workspaces and PURELL® wipes for surfaces

• A winter wellness toolkit. Free to download, this toolkit contains awarenessraising signage, product placement guides and key information about how to stay healthy • Blogs, which offer lots more wellness tips

For more information visit www.winter-wellness.eu. For a tailored, effective, total solution for your setting, or for more information on the benefits of partnering with GOJO, please call 01908 588444, email infouk@GOJO.com or visit www.GOJO.com

ANAEROBIC DIGESTION COULD PREVENT ‘MILLIONS OF TONNES’ OF FOOD AND BY-PRODUCTS GOING TO WASTE Leading water and wastewater company Alpheus Environmental has called for more support for large-scale food and drink manufacturers who want to install anaerobic digestion facilities on-site.

Analysis of existing funding and incentives found that it is more costeffective for large-scale manufacturers to offset their energy usage by purchasing offsite renewable energy assets – such as a wind farm in Scotland – than produce energy from the company’s own waste through on-site anaerobic digestion.

The opportunity cost is significant, with millions of tonnes of waste going to landfill and millions of litres of wastewater sent to drain that could otherwise be used to produce bioenergy, biosolid sludge products, and to feed large volumes of biogas to the grid.

Current funding and incentives favour farmers and small-scale food companies. Anaerobic digestion in those sectors is thriving, with the number of agricultural plants across the UK rising 800% from 50 in 2012 to 450 in 2018.

Meanwhile, there are less than 50

industrial-sized factories with anaerobic digestion in the UK, marking an increase of 100% since 2012 according to ADBA data.

Steven Wilcox, Head of Business Development at Alpheus Environmental, part of Anglian Water Group, remarked: “Large-scale manufacturers want to do the right thing and meet their sustainability targets, but at present the incentives simply aren’t there for them to choose anaerobic digestion.

“With Brexit generating uncertainty in relation to ingredient sourcing and exports over the next five years, manufacturers see the multi-million-pound investment needed to install anaerobic digestion technology as being a risk.

“At the risk of the UK falling behind, the government, wastewater management industry and food & beverage sector need to work together to make anaerobic digestion a more appealing and accessible option.”

In addition to increased funding and incentives, Alpheus suggests that a new green energy and circular economy product marking be considered for manufacturers who invest in on-site renewable energy production.

With consumers increasingly taking the environmental credentials of food manufacturers into account, a specific product marking to reflect a company’s commitment to produce energy from their waste would incentivise and reward companies to invest in on-site anaerobic digestion facilities.

www.alpheus.co.uk

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{ Industry News }

THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM OF THE MEAT INDUSTRY HALL 11.1, STAND B81 Smart Optimisation

“Everything the smart meat factory needs” will be the central theme of CSB-System’s stand at the international meat trade show IFFA, from 4 to 9 May in Frankfurt.

Other key topics at IFFA will focus on solutions to enable meat factories to optimise their processes, reduce material input and cut costs. For example, CSB procurement optimisation and CSB-Route Optimisation can help reduce material and logistics costs.

Smart ERP Solutions CSB is presenting the new Basic ERP, for smaller companies, Factory ERP for corporate groups and Industry ERP for a turnkey solution. The systems vary but all can handle the task of a central nervous system in meat factories.

Smart Meat Factory CSB will present its automation and software solutions for meat processing facilities. These include the control station CSB Linecontrol, which improves monitoring

Visit smart factories

of production machines, CSB Unit Recognition system which can capture crates of empties in a fast and automated manner, and the CSB Image Meater enables automatic non-invasive grading of pig sides.

Visitors seeking insights into practices at other meat processors can sign up for CSB’s Meat Business Days, touring Europe’s cutting-edge meat producers.

www.csb.com

PROSEAL SECURES A PLACE ON THE SUNDAY TIMES TRACK 200 Proseal has been recognised as one of the UK’s top 200 fastest-growing companies for international sales. The company has once again been featured in the 10th annual Sunday Times International Track 200 league table - which ranks Britain’s midmarket private companies according to their international sales growth over the last two years.

With operations in America and Australia and a network of 14 global distributors, Proseal has averaged an impressive 45.35% growth over the last two years. International

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sales reached £33.7m in 2018.

Commenting on this achievement, Proseal’s Director - Steve Malone, who founded the company together with Robert Hargreaves, commented: “We are delighted at this success. We recognised the importance of expanding our presence overseas early on, as we knew this would be critical to our continued growth and development. As a result, Proseal now has a presence on every continent except Antarctica.”

Founded in 1998 and based in Adlington, Cheshire, Proseal designs and manufactures high-quality automatic tray sealing machines, conveyor systems and sealing tools for the food industry. Its specialist equipment can seal up to 320 packs a minute of anything from ready meals to fresh fruit and desserts.

A special awards dinner will be held in May where leaders from the league table companies will receive their organisation’s ranked certificate.

Marking its 10th anniversary this year, the league table has featured more than 1,000 companies since its launch, including household names such as Aston Martin, Lush and Specsavers.

Tel: 01625 856600 www.proseal.com

{ Industry News }

YOUNG LORIEN ENGINEER ACHIEVES CHARTERSHIP ACCOLADE A young engineer at Lorien Engineering has achieved one of the highest accolades in the industry – and a well-earned promotion.

Ben Connolly has achieved IChemE chartership, the leading professional qualification for chemical, biochemical and process engineers.

Ben joined Lorien following a PhD in chemical engineering at Swansea University.

Following four years of hard work and the completion of his chartership he has been promoted to Senior Engineer at Lorien.

He said: “This is the culmination of a lot of hard work and I’m over the moon. It is the gold stamp, the highest accolade for an engineer working in industry. It is a springboard to progress further up the ladder. My experience will now help other young engineers at Lorien to progress in their careers”.

IChemE supports the development of chemical engineering professionals and provides connections to a network of over 40,000 members across more than 100 countries.

During the last four years, Ben has learned about design engineering, site management

and financial management which all aided in completion of his chartership submission.

He submitted a detailed report and attended an interview with a professional review board to show evidence of his industry knowledge, ethical conduct and practical and leadership skills.

Ben also presented to students about life as an engineer. He added: “Project engineering is fantastic. You get to see all aspects of manufacturing. Lorien has done very well in terms of attracting graduates but we need to inspire more young people into the industry by tapping into their curiosity and showcasing the attractive career paths

available”.

Lorien Senior Project Engineer Ben Weaser recently became a Chartered Mechanical Engineer (CEng IMechE), following in the footsteps of colleague Peter White.

Burton-upon-Trent-based Lorien has just launched the latest round of its growing graduate recruitment scheme, which has been extended to all disciplines including civil and structural.

Lorien is a division of GP Strategies Corporation, which specialises in engineered capital projects for the food, brewing, drinks, life sciences, advanced manufacturing, and logistics sectors, and offers a range of safety compliance services. Lorien’s revenues in the UK and Poland increased by 11% during 2017, and with a best-ever sales performance, it was the most successful year in the firm’s history.

For more information about graduate careers at Lorien, visit: https://www.lorienengineering.c om/en-gb/careers/graduateprogramme

NEW PROSEAL SYSTEM DEFINES EFFECTIVE SEALING AND PEELING Tray sealing specialist Proseal has launched a unique seal quality testing system that enables food manufacturers and processors to determine the ideal seal and peel strength for individual products and

allows users to create the best seal each time.

The compact and easy-to-use ProTest unit is an automated lid-peeling device that measures and reports the resistance offered by the film as it separates from the tray during the moment of lid peeling.

ProTest is capable of generating reports and outputting test data on its 12” high-definition touchscreen. This provides users with traceability records and the information to monitor peel strengths throughout production. The unit is flexible enough to handle the vast majority of trays currently

used in the market.

“Understanding the peel strength both before and during the production process can be a priceless tool in solving any seal issues and will help to ensure consumers enjoy both high-quality products and the satisfaction of easy opening,” explains Proseal’s Test Facility Manager, Jessie Malone.

The ProTest unit requires only 1200mm x 400mm of bench space and a 3 pin 230v power supply. It therefore offers a highly cost-effective means of providing in-house seal integrity analysis without the need for costly, off-site third-party testing.

Tel: 01625 856600 www.proseal.com

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{ Industry News }

FREUDENBERG SIMMERRING NOW AVAILABLE IN FOOD-GRADE MATERIALS Freudenberg Sealing Technologies, a leading global specialist in sealing products and their application, has made its proven and successful Simmerring seals available in two new materials to suit food industry applications. Availability for the new products is via Dichtomatik UK Ltd, the exclusive provider for Freudenberg’s food and beverage related products in the UK. The Freudenberg Simmerring has been proving itself as a successful sealing product for the past 85 years. Designed for the reliable sealing of rotating shafts, Simmerring can today be found in millions of applications and machines across a myriad of different sectors. Importantly, the

product is flexible, highly loadable and very dependable. Based on this portfolio of attributes, Freudenberg Sealing Technologies has now further developed Simmerring for use in the process industry, by making it available in food-grade materials.

Conventional PTFE shaft seal rings soon reach their limits at high rotational speeds and pressures, which typically leads to leaks and other seal failure modes. In addition, to date it has not been possible to use Simmerring in the food industry as its PTFE materials have not been approved for foodrelated applications. With this challenge in mind, experts at Freudenberg Sealing Technologies set about developing two new Simmerring materials especially to meet the requirements of process industries such as food and beverage, and pharmaceuticals.

Tel: 01332 524422 food-beverage-seals-uk.fst.com

FOOD COMPANIES – ARE YOU READY TO COMMUNICATE IN A CRISIS? Instinctif Partners is launching CrisisCommsOptic – the latest of its online diagnostic tools – alongside CrisisOptic and RecallOptic.

“As social media becomes more embedded in our lives it is now often usergenerated content which drives the pace of a crisis”, explains Victoria Cross, Head of Instinctif Partners’ Business Resilience Practice.

“This is why we are launching CrisisCommsOptic. A reputation that has taken years to build can be destroyed in a matter of clicks, if you are not prepared.”

CrisisCommsOptic is a unique and powerful online benchmarking tool that quickly allows you to quantify your crisis

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communications readiness, asking questions in six key areas, including: • Resource – Do you have a dedicated 24/7 press office media function to manage external communications?

• Monitoring – Do you have a process in place for media/social media?

• Stakeholders – Do you have a process to identify potential internal and external stakeholders with whom you may need to communicate?

• Spokespeople – Do you have trained and approved crisis media spokespeople?

• Templates – Do you have an approved holding statement on file to fill in the blanks during a crisis?

• Training & review – Do you have a process for the review and continuous improvement of the press office/media and digital media function after a crisis?

The CrisisCommsOptic dashboard provides an accurate indicator of strengths and

weaknesses in crisis communications, and a tailored report on recommended activity is produced – enabling resources to be focused on the most relevant areas.

“Traditionally in crisis communications there was the idea of the golden hour, the time within which an organisation had the opportunity to define a story before misinformation and speculation filled the void. This then moved on to become the platinum five minutes.

“However, social media and the 24/7 global news cycle means that an organisation could have just a few seconds before public scrutiny comes to bear.

Anyone with a smartphone is a citizen journalist – and the impact on crisis management is immediate and profound.

Being prepared for communication in a crisis has never been more vital”, concludes Victoria.

CrisisCommsOptic is free for a limited period. Register now at: https://optic.instinctif.com/regis tration

{ Industry News }

NOCCO EXPANDS ITS BCAA FUNCTIONAL DRINKS RANGE INTO ASDA NOCCO, UK pioneer of the functional drinks category has, since 2018, continued with its expansion into gyms, sport and fitness, and is now entering into retail, announcing the launch of their BCAA enriched drinks into over 300 Asda stores nationwide. With an aim to capitalise on the demand for great tasting, on-the-go sports nutrition products, NOCCO brings a new range of products to a wide array of health conscious consumers.

Used by a number of the UK’s top athletes, NOCCO is famed for an iconic range of lightly carbonated, BCAA enriched functional drinks, formulated to help athletes of all levels perform at their best. With a focus on taste and the option of with or without caffeine, NOCCO also supports busy, everyday lifestyles.

Launching into Asda will be three of NOCCO’s most popular flavours, Tropical,

Caribbean, and one non-caffeinated flavour Citrus & Elderflower, all enriched with a generous dose of at least 3,000mg of BCAAs. Understanding that now more than ever, consumers are more health conscious, all NOCCO products are sugar-free.

Typically only found in specialist sports nutrition channels, NOCCO’s BCAA enriched drinks have garnered popularity across the whole health and fitness industry in recent months. The launch into Asda is a response

to the growing demand for on-the-go functional nutrition, appealing to those educated about sports nutrition but also a mainstream, health conscious audience.

Carlotta Cattelani, Marketing Manager for UK & Ireland at NOCCO, comments “Having further increased our UK distribution for NOCCO in gyms, sport and fitness, now is the time for us to focus our efforts on expanding mainstream availability nationwide. Already available via Ocado, Amazon and WHSmith, this new partnership with Asda represents a significant development for the brand and the soft drinks category as a whole. The NOCCO range is innovative and hugely relevant within the fitness market, but we are also paving the way for the next generation of lifestyle and sports drinks within retail, with more exciting news to come soon!

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{ Industry News }

XYLEM’S JABSCO BRAND ENHANCES ICONIC HY-LINE ROTARY LOBE PUMP Xylem’s Jabsco brand has launched an update to its iconic Hy-line series of hygienic rotary lobe pumps; an enhanced redesign based on 11 years of research and development. The newly improved Hy-line Plus pump is the first update to the series since 2007 and features enhanced stability when in operation, a tri-lobe rotor design, ideal for high viscosity liquids, or Jabsco’s renowned single scimitar design, as well as the brand’s much-loved front-loaded mechanical seal system. Jabsco boasts a 40year legacy in developing rotary lobe pumps, widely used by world-leading producers and brands in the food and beverage, dairy, personal care and health

care industries.

Peter Wright, Director, Engineering and Product Management at Xylem Specialty Flow Control, said: “The new Jabsco Hy-line Plus is based on years of considered R&D investment, enhancing one of the most popular and successful rotary lobe pumps on the market. It’s not easy to better an icon but we’ve done it! The Hy-line Plus features a more stable operating design as well as a tri-lobe rotor option. This tri-lobe design improves inlet suction making it an ideal choice for pumping high viscosity materials such as chocolate and syrup”.

Unlike most rotary lobe pumps on the market, Jabsco Hy-line pumps including the new Hy-line Plus, boast a front-loaded mechanical seal system. This delivers significant time and cost savings if maintenance on the pump is required; changing a seal on a front-loaded pump can be completed within 15 minutes, compared to three–four hours on a non-front-loaded seal pump.

Jabsco hygienic rotary lobe pumps are used by leading global manufacturers for ingredient unloading and transfer, tank filling

and emptying, recirculation and mixing, portion and container filling, sampling and filtration. Jabsco Hy-line pumps are used in one of the world’s largest corn flake manufacturing plants as well as a leading international wafer and snack producer.

World-leading brewers and dairy and confectionery producers rely on Jabsco rotary lobe pumps for efficient and reliable food production.

Xylem’s Jabsco brand is committed to swift order fulfilment with lobe pump orders completed and shipped to customers within five days.

www.xylem.com

A HEALTHIER GERM SEASON WITH THE NEW PURELL® WINTER WELLNESS KIT GOJO, The inventors of PURELL™ has launched a brand new PURELL® Winter Wellness Kit, available for businesses to purchase online at www.winter-wellness.eu.

Businesses can demonstrate their commitment to the well-being of their employees and visitors – and enhance the image of their facility – by investing in the PURELL® Winter Wellness Kit to implement a proper hand hygiene system. This kit includes everything a workplace may need to get started: * PURELL® dispensing systems for common areas * PURELL® bottles for workspaces * PURELL® wipes for surfaces Not only unpleasant for the sufferer, seasonal viruses are highly contagious, and can spread quickly throughout offices and

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other workplaces. This can have a major knock-on effect on business productivity, as employees take time off to recover. Up to 80% of all infections are transmitted by the hands, so keeping them clean is one of the best ways to prevent the spread of infection.

In recent outcome studies, for Fed Ex and Medical Mutual Ohio, results proved that

absenteeism due to illness was reduced by an average of 17% after implementing PURELL® Hand Sanitisers in the workplace.

Visit www.winter-wellness.eu for further advice and resources.

For more information about GOJO visit www.GOJO.com.

{ Industry News }

ABB LAUNCHES UK-WIDE VARIABLE SPEED DRIVES HIRE FLEET Users of low voltage variable speed drives (VSD) can now keep processes running, test new applications or prove predicted energy savings before purchase, through a leasing programme provided by the ABB authorised value provider network.

ABB has invested significantly in the rollout of a variable speed drive hire fleet across the United Kingdom and Ireland, with units extending from 3kW up to several megawatts. Hire drives can be delivered the same day, and installed and commissioned within a matter of hours by engineers from one of 12 ABB authorised value providers.

With a fast response, 24 hours a day, all year round, no other drive hire scheme offers such wide geographical coverage across the UK and Ireland.

Customers can choose from a wide range of drives, including the ABB general purpose drive, ABB machinery drive and ABB industrial drive. All are fully maintained and pre-loaded with the latest firmware.

There are four scenarios where hiring a

drive can deliver customer benefits: Emergency or unexpected failure: Hiring a drive can be a quick, low-cost way of keeping critical processes running in the event of a breakdown. It reduces the cost of downtime whilst providing time to repair the failed equipment or to source and allocate capital for a permanent replacement.

Temporary capacity: Hire drives can be used for short-term, semi-permanent or seasonal applications, allowing companies

to ramp process capacity up or down with ease, while eliminating storage and maintenance costs.

Prove predicted energy savings: If a variable speed application has not previously used a drive, or if an existing drive is due for upgrade, hiring can be a low-cost way to prove predicted energy savings before purchase and in a real environment. This can help customers to make more informed buying decisions.

Equipment testing: Testing houses may be called upon to test variable speed applications, but may not have a suitable drive with which to pair it in-house. Hiring a drive can allow testing to get underway at short notice and low cost.

Drives are hired at a fixed daily rate (minimum hire period may apply), which includes all installation and maintenance for the duration of the hire. The ABB authorised value provider network can be contacted by telephone on 0333 005 7001, or via www.new.abb.com/uk/drives-for-hire

DTM PRINT LAUNCHES FX510E FOIL IMPRINTER DTM Print, international OEM and solution provider for speciality printing systems, launches the new FX510e Foil Imprinter for finishing and highlighting product labels.

With the FX510e you can add brilliant shiny metallic or laminated highlights both to blank or already pre-printed labels, whether they have been produced by inkjet, laser, offset or flexo printing. Therefore, the DTM FX510e Foil Imprinter is the perfect accessory to any desktop label printer. As the imprinting process is completely digital, virtually any design elements like borders, graphics, fonts and backgrounds can be printed. A fast and efficient one-colour personalisation for POS or POI applications is possible as well.

The FX510e differs far more than in mere appearance from the previous model, the FX500e. Besides a new chassis the printer contains an internal multi-functional roll holder allowing the use of rolls with a core of up to 3”. An external passive label unwinder mounted on roller bearings is included as well. It supports label rolls with a

maximum size of 114mm (4.5”), a core of up to 76mm (3”) and an outer diameter of up to 254mm (10”).

Market researches have revealed that products containing shiny highlights at their labels become an eye-catcher and let them stand out even more on retail shelves.

Especially metallic highlights convey a message of luxury and elegance and are perfectly suitable for fine wines, delicacies

and cosmetics.

Not only metallic foils in gold, silver, blue and red are available for the FX510e, but also various spot colours and clear foil. With the clear laminating foil partial glossy add-ons, comparable with a UV coating, can be applied to the product labels.

The new foil imprinter is available in two versions: next to the FX510e there is the FX510ec featuring a built-on guillotine cutter which allows to horizontally cut die-cut, reflective and continuous label stock.

The FX510e is easy to set up and operate.

Besides the passive label unwinder the printer driver for Windows 7/10 is included along with the design software NiceLabel® Free 2019 DTM Edition (for Windows) and four colour ribbon starter rolls (gold, silver, red and blue metallic).

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“The doors are very reasonable in terms of price”

Intelligent logistics are one of the most important factors for a smooth production flow. Individual, customer-focussed solutions to problems demonstrate the quality level, for this reason HELA Gewürzwerk Hermann Laue in Ahrensburg decided to replace its old external doors with high-speed doors from Efaflex as part of their recent façade refurbishment.

EFAFLEX

In total, 14 high-speed doors from the manufacturer based in the Lower Bavarian town of Bruckberg have already been fitted at HELA Gewürzwerk Hermann Laue. The planners first put a door through its paces and tried it out. “This is the normal way,” says Björn Herrmann, “For us, the die is then cast.” Thomas Abel praises the process, “We are very satisfied with the service, maintenance and customer care, this has been the collaboration we imagined it would be, the entire construction is simply right.”

With around 80 industrial trucks used in the factory the essential thing is ensuring the doors are fast. “The doors are very high quality, have very good workmanship and are very reasonable in terms of price. The priceperformance ratio is good.”

The specialists in high-speed industrial doors were faced with a varied task. “We needed external doors with good thermal insulation, but above all, the doors had to be very robust and fast. In addition, they had to be easy to clean as our company manufactures food products,” says Björn Herrmann, describing their early discussions. He is responsible for the project planning and associated investments on the site. Thomas Abel, head of the electronics workshop, adds, “We decided on an airlock door system to protect against drafts, cold, summer heat and dirt in high-frequency areas.

None of the competitors could provide a suitable control system for this.”

As the airlock door systems are passed through in both directions, there is lots of cross-traffic in front of the doors, for this reason the planners decided on monitoring provided by the EFA-SCAN® laser scanner.

It is the first laser scanner in the world to be used for doors activation.

The device continually tracks the area in front of the door and combines intelligent motion tracking and reliable forefield safety in one. Within the dynamic detection zone, EFA-SCAN® reacts like a rapid activator, when it detects a moving object or a person, the device is triggered in a split-second and the door opens.

The scanner not only detects motion, it also takes into consideration distance, direction and speed, with the impulse to open the door only sent when vehicles or people move towards it, but not for example when someone simply passes by.

Since the installation three years ago, the doors have run without any problems. Nevertheless, it is reassuring for both managers that service is quick in the case of emergencies. “When we call, help has to come immediately. We cannot afford to have downtime here,” explains Björn Herrmann.

The planners also made the decision to choose EFAFLEX because the manufacturer not only maintains their own doors, but also deals with all the other doors for HELA Gewürzwerk, even special-purpose doors such as fire protection systems. “This is a real plus point,” says Thomas Abel. “Because we have 40 normal doors and 30 fire doors, we no longer have to enter into laborious explanations. We always have the same contact at Efaflex and the same fitters have been coming out to the factory for years.”

www.efaflex.com

{ Industry News }

PECKISH KITCHEN PURCHASE A RIGGS AUTOPACK FILLING MACHINE FOR JAM, PRESERVES, CHUTNEY AND PICKLES Established in 2015, Peckish Kitchen is a family-run artisan food producer creating delicious chutneys and preserves in the Heart of Yorkshire.

As the company has grown and demand for their range increased, they soon found that production and hand-filling jars was taking up most of their working week which meant they had little time to market their company or win new orders. They then realised they needed to move away from ladling product into containers to a more efficient semi-automatic process.

Following recommendations from other artisan producers they knew within the industry, they approached Riggs Autopack to discuss a suitable filling machine for their products, kitchen area and budget.

Following initial meetings, Riggs Autopack arranged for a no-obligation filling machine trial to take place at their premises; this proved to be invaluable to Peckish Kitchen as it was their first move into semiautomation.

The trials were comprehensive, and they

could see how the filling machine would improve their company’s production.

Following successful trials, Peckish Kitchen then placed an order with Riggs Autopack for a Series 3 semi-automatic filling machine.

Peckish Kitchen use the filling machine to fill 200gm glass jars with their range of jam, preserves, chutney, pickles, relish, pesto and salsa. The machine itself has proved to be invaluable and they love it so much they have affectionately nicknamed it “Dennis”, as in Dennis Hopper, due to the large 40-litre product hopper.

It has increased production considerably and they’re able to fill approximately 15 jars per minute, meaning they have far more time to market the company, bid for new orders and spend more time with the family!

It has also dramatically improved efficiency and led to a much cleaner production process with far less product wastage.

Peckish Kitchen owner, Karen Austin, commented “We couldn’t live without the Riggs Autopack filling machine now, it’s awesome! We remember what it was like spending hour-upon-hour hand-ladling product into jars and we couldn’t go back to that now.

“Dealing with Riggs Autopack has been a delight. Their Technical Sales Engineer was lovely, and they have been helpful, responsive and efficient from start to finish.

Highly recommended”.

Tel: 01282 440040 Email: info@riggsautopack.co.uk Web: www.riggsautopack.co.uk

SWIFT EXPANSION AS PETER SPANTON DRINKS REACH FOR THE SKY Peter Spanton Drinks and Gate Gourmet have announced a strategic partnership which will see the premium mixer and adult soft drink brand included in beverage offerings across a range of international airlines.

This alliance will capitalise on aviation businesses seeking to engage their customers with new and innovative drink experiences, reflecting the worldwide rapidly increasing consumer expectations for premium drinks, with refined and exciting mixers an integral part of them.

The full Peter Spanton Drinks range will be available through Gate Gourmet in both bottles and cans.

Jons Hensel, Chairman of Innovation at Gate Gourmet, said: "This partnership

reflects our understanding of what consumers are looking for in the premium drinks market. We are delighted to have Peter Spanton Drinks on board. Their

authentic brand story and fantastic product will allow us to deliver innovative, exclusive customer experiences."

The partnership will be launched at the World Travel Catering and Onboard Services Expo Hamburg 2-4 April 2019 on the gategroup stand. Peter Spanton will be hosting a daily happy hour from 4.30pm, with drinks also available at the bar all day.

The drinks menu for the stand has been created by Peter Spanton in partnership with Bacardi and Quintessential Brands.

Darryl Burton, MD of Peter Spanton Drinks, said: "Air travel is an exciting experience for people and Peter Spanton elevate that experience by offering a drink less ordinary.

We are delighted to bring what we do to a much wider audience."

March/April Food & Drink News

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{ Veganism }

Viva las vegans!

Veganism is one of the fastest growing food movements in the UK, with record numbers of people opting for a completely different eating lifestyle. Indeed, according to some pundits, 2019 is fast becoming the ‘Year of the Vegan’.

A

ccording to the Vegan Society, demand for meat-free food increased by a massive 987% in 2017, (their latest figures) and interest in veganism quadrupled over the five years before that, according to data mined from Google searches.

Some estimates say there are now 3.5 million vegans in the UK, with this year’s annual ‘Veganuary’ event – in which people go vegan for the month of January – being the most popular in the history of the movement.

Many people opt to cut meat and dairy out of their diets for personal health reasons, or to promote and support animal welfare. But, says the Vegan Society, going vegan could actually save the world.

“If the world went vegan,” they say, “it could save 8 million human lives by 2050, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by two thirds and lead to healthcare-related savings and avoided climate damages of $1.5 trillion.”

Whatever people’s reasons for going vegan, it’s evidently more of a trend than a fad, and it’s something

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the food industry is waking up to quickly.

Damien Lee, CEO of British-based gourmet instant noodle company, Mr Lee’s Pure Foods Co., says that manufacturers, suppliers and retailers need to get on board or risk being left behind.

He says: “As part of the grab and go food industry we need to sit up and take note of such trends which

{ Veganism }

effect consumer demand, because if you don’t think fast, people will look elsewhere. The rise in veganism opens up a huge opportunity for businesses to tap into consumers’ appetite for a plant-based diet. Being vegan has become widely recognised as a positive lifestyle choice and vegan options have become cheaper, more widespread and much easier to purchase.”

Mr Lee’s Pure Foods Co. has responded by adding to their range to cater for the vegan market, removing all dairy-based proteins from their existing vegetarian lines. But the real key move, says Lee, is ensuring that vegan products are healthy as well.

“It’s no longer tricky to find tasty, nutritious vegan products which means the competition for brands is rising,” says Lee. “The real key, however, is not only finding foods that are suitable, but finding options that are healthy, as vegan food can be unhealthy too. We are a nation of foodies with many different trends, however I think the vegan trend is here to stay. Grab

and go companies need to pay attention to the vegan movement and if they can, introduce a vegan variety to their collection, and make sure they are using the correct labels to attract consumers.”

It’s not just the convenience food market that is rising to the vegan challenge. East Wintergarden is a high-end events venue in the heart of London’s Canary Wharf, which has an exclusive catering partnership with Create Food.

Andrea Taylor, Create Foods’ Event Catering Manager at East Wintergarden, says vegan products are definitely on the menu. She says, “We have seen an increasing demand for vegan event catering at the venue over recent years and expect to see it continue to increase in its popularity throughout 2019, thanks to the combination of more healthy lifestyle choices being adopted as well as veganism fitting in with emerging social trends.

“People, now more than ever, are more informed

about nutrition and the profound impact it has on your overall mental and emotional wellbeing as well as on your body’s health. I think this coupled with an emerging need to react to socio-economic and environmental issues, such as the ethical questions around dairy farming, has caused a surge of veganism.

“Create Food, as part of the events catering industry, has reacted by adopting organic ingredients from ethically focused suppliers and championed the opportunity to objectively produce creative dishes that are versatile enough for both vegan and non-vegan guests to East Wintergarden.”

According to the Vegan Society, almost half of UK vegans who made the switch to their new lifestyle did so in 2018, showing that it’s a recent explosion, but one that is likely to keep growing.

Already, they say, more than a quarter of evening meals eaten in the UK today are vegan or vegetarian, and they add: “Around 80% of people have friends or family who are vegan, 84% have eaten a vegan meal and 90% thought it’s easier to eat vegan today compared with 10 years ago, demonstrating the increased social presence of veganism in contemporary UK life.”

March/April Food & Drink News

15

{ Cake Crew }

Amazing growth is icing on the top for the Cake Crew On the edge of the Snowdonia National Park, nestled in the centre of North Wales, is the stuff that dreams are made of… a facility turning out two million cupcakes every single week.

W

e are a nation of cupcake lovers, and there’s no sign of that changing. And that’s what has made the Cake Crew, based in Bala, Gwynedd, such a resounding success.

Since becoming established in 2012, they have had one over-riding ambition: to become the best producer of cupcakes in the country. And with astonishing growth and contracts to supply some of the biggest retailers in the UK, they’ve definitely found the right recipe for success.

“Our founder shareholders saw the opportunity for cupcakes in the UK and decided to focus on being excellent on that core product,” says Jason Hiley, MD of the Cake Crew. “We have worked hard since then to ensure we are the best provider of cupcakes in Britain.”

They bought a bakery site that year and got their first contract with a major retailer to provide cupcakes under the retailer’s own brand. The growth of the company since then makes for a very steep curve on the graph.

“By 2015 we had built up a turnover of £8m,” says Jason. “That led to a required step-change in our technical capabilities and equipment and a big expansion of our team. We’ve been growing very

quickly ever since.”

And at the start of this year, the company hit a turnover of £25m, more than tripling in size over the past four years.

That growth has seen a substantial amount of money ploughed back into the business, with a significant investment in the bakery site to renew equipment, building strong teams, enhancing technical standards and expanding capacity.

Jason says: “Part of our mission has been to achieve a critical mass so we can invest significantly in new product development, our people, processes and our site to ensure excellent service to our customers. We are constantly looking at ways to improve our offering and evolve products.”

Now supplying to a range of national retailers with household names, the key to the Cake Crew’s success is offering high-quality products with market-leading innovation. They work closely with retailers to develop products that are aligned to customers’ needs and demands.

The Cake Crew works very closely with its customers on product development and innovation and makes sure they get a product that is unique to them.

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{ Cake Crew }

And the business is always evolving, even though their raison d’etre is to stay at the top of the tree when it comes to cupcake provision in the UK. As well as supplying all-year-round products, they manufacture highly-targeted seasonal products to support their customers’ seasonal campaigns, particularly at Easter, Halloween and Christmas. The team is currently working to finalise their customers’ offering for Christmas 2019 and is looking at 2020 ranges.

They are also branching out into new lines, with a broader range that encompasses vegan cupcakes, loaf cakes and traybakes, which are proving immensely popular.

The bakery in Bala now employs 340 people, which

is an increase in staff of 200 since the company stepped up to the big time in 2015. They’re a major employer now in this corner of rural Wales, and a great boost for the local economy.

This year will see significant further investment into the facilities. “We’re doing a lot this year to improve our resilience as a company,” says Jason. “We’re replacing equipment, updating our facilities, and we’ve got new product lines as well, such as our vegan produce. It’s all about constantly exploring new opportunities.”

Their ambition to be the biggest and best is based firmly on the good old-fashioned values of customer service, though. Whether it’s one of the big supermarket chains or a smaller retailer who comes calling, the Cake Crew takes pains to listen to exactly what their customer wants and needs.

“We constantly work with our customers to innovate, to develop their products and our operating methods, listening to their insights”, says Jason. “Through our communication with them, we strive to provide the highest quality service and are constantly seeking to improve our processes and systems through a programme of operational excellence, to consolidate our position as a trusted supplier.”

* thecakecrew.co.uk

The Cartwright Group provide a complete solution, from design, manufacture, finance, rental & fleet management

“We have had an excellent customer experience with Cartwright over the past couple of years renting their trailers and this has led to us purchasing our first trailer from them for operating this major client contract.”

Huw Williams, Williams Haulage

curtainsider | double deck | vehicles bodies | temperature controlled | box | urband delivery | flat bed

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{ Camstar Herbs }

The spice of life The history of the herb trade goes back thousands of years, to when the Silk Road connected China to Europe and introduced exotic flavours from the mysterious East.

W

hile Camstar Herbs, based in Eye, Suffolk, doesn’t have its roots going back quite that far, it is nevertheless a company with a venerable history that can trace its lineage back to the Victorian era, when the enterprising Augustus Bruce Starke set himself up as a supplier of essential oils and food ingredients.

In 1925, Starke acquired Chestnut Farm for his son Ronald, to grow and establish the business, and like the camomile that studded the fields all around it did indeed grow indeed the essential oil production thrives to this day. In 1979 Camstar Herbs was established by grandson Richard, with Augustus’s great-grandson Ed Starke taking over as CEO in 2008.

And all that is just the beginning of the story, as in the last decade Camstar has become one of the largest suppliers of dried parsley in the world, exporting across the globe and expanding to become a major supplier of herbs and spices from the far-flung corners of the world.

But the principles on which Augustus based his fledgling business 120 years ago have remained constant, and this family firm has evolved to meet the challenges of the 21st century with a commitment to sustainability and environmental concerns.

While parsley remains the main crop for Camstar, they also grow many other herbs on the 3,000 acres of land they lease from local farmers around their Chestnut Farm headquarters, including coriander, fenugreek, dill, tarragon and chervil.

These are dried and processed in the factory and sacks of the product are shipped off to food manufacturers and wholesalers around the world. If you eat a meal in the USA, Australia, Guatemala, Indonesia, South Korea or Brazil, there’s a very good chance you might find it flavoured with herbs grown at Camstar’s premises in Suffolk!

Camstar produces 2,000 tonnes of dried parsley a year and is looking to expand the business with a fiveyear plan to increase production by 20% or so each year to reach 6,000 tonnes.

Throughout the parsley season, which generally starts around June, Camstar pledge to move their herbs from field to factory in under an hour, and are planning to invest in a fleet of lorries to help shift the raw produce from the surrounding fields as quickly as possible to the processing plant.

Camstar’s Andy Butler explains how the herbs are taken into the factory, dried, and then purified, which involves the removal of any foreign bodies or insects that have clung to the produce. This is something the company has focused on since 2008, in addition to optical sorting and air jet removal of foreign bodies, so Camstar can proudly claim to offer the safest and cleanest dehydrated culinary herbs in the industry. It’s a pledge which has allowed them to add big names to their client list, including Unilever, Nestlé and McCormick.

They also import a vast range of herbs and spices, which due to their extensive warehousing facilities are

March/April Food & Drink News

19

{ Camstar Herbs }

available to customers all year round.

Andy adds that a second company is also based on the Chestnut Farm site, Camstar Ingredients. This sister company takes the herbs and spices grown locally and imported by the main company and creates blends, sauces and marinades to be used in cooking. Making Camstar, as he says, a “one-stop shop for flavour”.

Across both companies there are 80 people employed, and training and staff retention is important to the company. Andy says: “We maintain a skilled, well-appreciated workforce where training needs are met and there is an environment conducive to efficient working”.

But even with their enviable position in the market, a bulging order book and a name synonymous with quality for more than a century, Camstar is not a company to rest on its laurels… or its parsley.

“We are always looking for new things,” says Andy.

And that can mean both expansion of the physical site and new products… or, perhaps more accurately, old ones”.

Just as Augustus Bruce Starke set up his business with essential oils and promoting the healthy properties of herbs, so Camstar is now finding that botanical products are becoming more popular, and that the wellbeing aspect of herbs and spices, especially antioxidants such as rosemary extract, are finding favour once again.

There are also plans to expand the warehouse capability on Chestnut Farm, which will involve a physical increase to the space available, hopefully to the tune of some 40% to represent the growth of the business and demand for their products. At the

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moment there is space for around 75,000 pallets loaded with sacks in the warehouse; the plan is to expand the building to cope with up to 100,000 pallets.

And at Camstar Ingredients they have recently installed new technology to enable them to produce retail-ready sachets of their sauces and marinades.

It’s probable that Augustus Starke would be amazed at how the business he set up in 1899 has grown and evolved if he could see it today, but one thing he would certainly recognise is the company’s commitment to the principles of natural production on which he built the empire.

* Camstar.co.uk

March/April Food & Drink News

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{ Lewis Foods }

Family values the key to wholesaler’s winning ways Since the early 1960s, Midlands-based Lewis Foods has been supplying the independent retail trade with a vast range of cakes, biscuits, crisps, snacks, confectionery and drinks.

Working out of an 18,000 sq ft cash-and-carry warehouse close to the M5, the company had modest origins as a single market stall. But over half a century of growth has seen the company become one of the biggest suppliers to independent shops, and now they’re looking to the future with a high-tech streamlining programme.

Lewis Foods was set up in 1963 by Barrie Lewis and his wife Jill. Barrie had worked at the New Crown Bakery in West Bromwich and while there took a course in bakery at his local college, eventually setting himself up in business at Smethwick Market.

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He began by selling products sourced from his former employer, and his fledgling business proved so popular that within a few years he was expanding into several other markets in the West Midlands, at one point running two stalls on 15 different market sites.

Barrie then needed to find warehouse space to stock all the goods that he was selling on his stalls, and he was so successful that his old firm asked him back to run the wholesale side of their business. He did, from 1973, and maintained his market stall business, though this had to take more and more of a back seat as he became so involved in the New Crown Bakery

{ Lewis Foods }

wholesale side, adding more and more lines from the products he had seen were popular on the market stalls.

In 1984 the company moved to its current site, and in 1992 Barrie and Jill’s son Paul joined the company.

He had been working for Lucas Automotive, as a systems engineer, but selling was in his blood; he’d worked on his parents’ market stalls from being very young.

When Barrie retired in 2000, Paul took over as MD, and has never looked back… well, not much! Paul says: “I had also been working for British Rail, designing signalling layouts. I left a nice, cushy job where I was doing 35 hours a week to work in a drafty warehouse for 60 hours a week!”

He’s joking, of course, but Paul loves nothing more than rolling his sleeves up and joining in with the 11 members of staff who work in the warehouse, shifting pallets around. Lewis Foods is very much a family business; Barrie’s sister Megan worked for the company for 30 years until she retired in 2002, and Jill was very much at the forefront. She sadly died suddenly in 2014.

Barrie’s brother Ken was an integral part of the company until he and his family moved away in 1992, and Paul’s wife Stacey also joined the business in 2015.

Lewis Foods is predominantly a cash-and-carry business, supplying top brands in cakes, biscuits, crisps, snacks, confectionery and drinks to a wide variety of independent shops and retailers who usually come to the warehouse to stock up.

But Stacey has been instigating a new system to

bring the company firmly into the 21st century and has been transforming their website from merely a shop window showcasing the company’s products to a more interactive ordering portal.

Paul says: “We’re just about to launch a full onlineshop offering, with free delivery to our customers. The cash-and-carry side has worked well, and we still do about 85% of our business that way, but we thought it was important to be able to offer this to our customers”.

Paul sees this as adding to the flexibility of the business to serve customers when and where they need it – shops run by perhaps just one person might have difficulty visiting the cash-and-carry during opening hours, so they can order at any time of day or night to suit them.

March/April Food & Drink News

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{ Lewis Foods }

“That seems to be how a lot more customers want it to work these days,” says Paul. “Hopefully this way we’ll be able to give them what they want and, through us being more flexible, expand our customer base significantly as well.”

Stacey’s also keen to continue making Lewis Foods more active on social media, informing customers about new lines and stock, and enticing potential new clients in to investigate what the company can do for them.

But it’s the traditional values that date back more than 50 years to the business’s foundation as a market stall that keeps Lewis Foods a success.

“We have some staff who have been with us for 30 years, others who’ve been here for 20,” says Paul. “The company feels like a family. And it’s the same with our customers. We built our reputation on pricing and discounting and the level of customer service you get from a small company like ours.

“Nothing gives me a greater sense of satisfaction than when a customer says to me, or tells someone else, or posts on social media, that the staff at Lewis Foods are fantastic.”

*lewisfoods.co.uk

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{ Trangs (UK) Ltd }

Trangs for the party memories From Vietnam right to your party… that’s the Trangs UL philosophy for the company supplying finger food and frozen and chilled party food across the country.

F

rom its dedicated site in Ho Chi Minh city, in Southern Vietnam, The UK arm’s parent company Tangs manufactures hand-made products using a variety of seafood ingredients and vegetables primarily sourced from Vietnam.

Around 95% of the company’s products are private label, which Trangs UK’s Business Development Manager Parm Bains explains is unusual for an Asian manufacturer. ‘“We sell into three sectors: retail, food

service and food manufacturing, so consumers can consume our products in lots of different ways,” he says.

In the UK, customers include most of the major retailers and discounters, and Trangs also supplies ready meal manufacturers who use its products as ingredients to produce finished products, for example a ready meal destined for supermarket shelves. Through food service companies Trangs’ products also appear on restaurant menus.

The business was founded by Trang Ho, who left Vietnam for Sydney, Australia as a refugee in the 1960s.

A culinary chef, he began importing products from Vietnam in the early 1980s for supply to local retailers in Australia.

A major step forward came in 1985, when the company captured supply into Coles and Woolworths, the largest food retailers in Australia, and began to focus on private label business. This success allowed Trang Ho to move back and set up a factory in Ho Chi Minh city, in southern Vietnam, using mostly Vietnamese ingredients to manufacture the hand-made products that today are shipped all over the world.

“Trang Ho’s vision from the beginning was to specialise in the skills required to supply private label,” explains Parm Bains. ‘“All of our products are 100% made in Vietnam, that’s the core competency and ethics of the business. We’re passionate about Vietnamese food and we want to maintain the authenticity of hand-made products.”

Today Trangs has sales offices not only in the UK and at its original Sydney base, but also covering America, Canada and South America. Parm Bains is also heading up the sales office for the Middle East, which has been identified as a potentially huge new market.

March/April Food & Drink News

25

{ Appleton Sweets }

Sweets for my sweet Sweet treats are something that never go out of fashion… indeed, many of us remember the chocolate bars and sweets we had as children, and that’s fuelled a market for retro treats that remind us of the carefree days of our childhood.

T

hat’s something that Appleton & Sons has capitalised on, but they’re not just about the nostalgia. As one of the biggest wholesale confectionery cash and carry businesses in London, they’re at the leading edge of the latest trends.

Trading out of a 35,000 sq ft warehouse in Bow, London, Appletons carries a range of confectionery in excess of 3,000 products, and supplies to independent traders.

The business has come a long way since it was established by Harry and Gladis Appleton back in 1945, as just one shop in Walthamstow. They had been selling general groceries but decided to concentrate on sweets as Britain emerged from the austerity of the war years and people decided they finally deserved a treat or two.

Harry and Gladis handed on their business to sons Peter and Graham, who began to build it up as a wholesaler supplying a wide range of retailers and businesses, and it remains a family business, today headed up by brothers Ricky and James Appleton, the third generation who have helped take this business founded more than seven decades ago into the 21st century.

The accent at Appletons is on personal service from

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a strong team who really know their stuff. The workforce has a combined experience of more than 300 years, and are always on hand to give advice tailored to the business or retailer who wants their services.

Appletons say: “We ensure that our exciting product ranges grow with the latest confectionery trends so that you’ll always be stocking the most popular, profitable wholesale candy items in your sweet shop.”

Appletons supply only quality products, concentrating on well-known brands and manufacturers such as Haribo, Taveners, Barnetts, Barratt and Lutti.

And as well as bringing the latest sweets to the shop counters, they’re catering for those who want a drop of nostalgia in the shape of Parma Violets, Love Hearts or penny-tray favourites of days gone by such as Black Jacks.

They say, “Want to taste the magic of 70s and 80s retro sweets? We now have one of the largest ranges of old-fashioned sweets within the UK. Who doesn’t enjoy the minty flavour of Humbugs or the tasty tang of Swizzels Love Hearts?”

And it’s not just UK sweets that do big business for Appletons. There’s been a growing demand in recent

{ Appleton Sweets }

years for American confectionery, and Appletons is catering for that as well. They say, “Wholesale American sweets have increased in popularity over the past five years, with year-on-year growth in almost triple figures.

“We are proud stockists of a wide range of American grocery items too with chocolate products and candy items, all from the most popular manufacturers including Mars, Reese’s, Hershey and Wonka.”

Appletons has constantly been developing its offer since its inception, and reacting to new markets and demand, resulting in, for example, them stocking a range of halal sweets.

They’re also responsive to the seasonal shifts in demand, with, of course, Christmas and Easter being

the big spikes in demand for certain products.

Appletons say, “The first week of December is when the festive rush begins and sales start to increase. Year in, year out we always carry an extensive range of milk chocolate coins in nets, Turkish delight gift boxes and candy canes in lots of different traditional colours as well as flavours that have been sold all over the globe for many, many years.

“Our gift categories start to grow around one to three months before the actual holiday season to ensure that you and your business have plenty of time to prepare and get a plan in place on how to stock, merchandise and sell the wonderful sweeties that we have to offer.”

March/April Food & Drink News

27

{ Vision Kitchens }

Kitchen giant has vision for success As one of the UK’s leading suppliers to the catering and hospitality industries, Lancashire-based Vision Commercial Kitchens has racked up an impressive client list.

F

rom big name chefs, through high-profile brands including Fortnum & Mason at The Royal Exchange, to universities, colleges and schools, the Vision mark of quality is helping to feed people not just in the UK, but across the world.

Vision’s mantra for their design, supply and installation business is providing high-quality products and services both to new customers and existing ones – the company prides itself on maintaining solid relationships with those it has worked with, ensuring lots of repeat business.

According to Managing Director, Jack Sharkey, as the company grows it is adding yet more prestigious clients to its books. He says: “As Vision evolves, we find ourselves being entrusted with increasingly significant projects, both in terms of size and style. Such projects include our work with Fortnum & Mason, including the Heathrow Terminal 5 Bar and most recently The Royal Exchange, The Ned, Mondrian Hotel at Sea Containers House and Silversands in Grenada, to name a few.

The Ned Hotel in London was the company’s most ambitious project to date, the installation of a £3m commercial catering package. Sharkey says; “With the scale of the project we knew it would be an unprecedented yet exciting challenge for us.

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“It was an intricate process which took a huge amount of organisation, but the end result was exceptional, we were honoured to have been a part of it and to have worked with all those involved from start to finish including the client, designers and main contractor. Vision have since gone on to complete a further hotel project for the same client, Greek Street, which is shortlisted in this year’s CEDA Grand Prix Awards.”

And their fame is spreading beyond these shores, as evidenced by the aforementioned Grenada project.

Sharkey explains: “Last year we completed work on our largest overseas project, Silversands in Grenada. This project required a huge amount of organisation and sound logistics to bring it to fruition. The finished project is an extremely luxurious resort, and a project we are extremely proud to have been involved with.

This project is also shortlisted in this year’s CEDA Grand Prix Awards.”

But, as mentioned, it’s not all about the big, highprofile projects. Vision caters to a wide range of outlets, and the relationship is ongoing, as they continue to work with existing clients, working on new schemes for them and carrying out maintenance and equipment replacement programmes.

{ Vision Kitchens }

Sharkey says, “Each project receives the same attention to detail and high level of service that Vision pride ourselves on. We receive a lot of repeat work from our customers which is always a great achievement as it is testament to the high-quality service that we have provided for them previously.”

They are also investing heavily in their own processes, with significant IT investment in Building Information Modelling software. They have chosen the Revit package, which allows for complex 3D modelling which allows clients to see exactly how each area of the design will look before they even place their order.

On top of that, Vision has recently introduced a light equipment offering, allowing them to provide a full turnkey service to their customers.

And away from the design and installation process, the company has hired a qualified and experienced National Service Manager as part of its efforts to expand and improve its service department. Sharkey says, “This has already provided a boost to our capabilities by ensuring that we can deliver an even higher level of quality service to both our new and existing customers. These are just a few examples of how Vision is a business that is always looking to the future and at how it can constantly be developing and enhancing its services”.

With their commitment to quality and service have,

inevitably, come the accolades… last year the company won the award for Project Management Excellence at the CEDA Grand Prix Awards for the project at The Ned, and in 2017 they were named Distributor of the Year – Nationwide at the Catering Insight Awards. They have also scooped the Groundbreaker Award at The CEDA and CESA Joint Technical Conference as well as Most Improved Member at the Cedabond Awards.

And the awards are hopefully going to keep coming.

Sharkey says: “We are also extremely pleased to have been shortlisted in this year’s CEDA Grand Prix Awards in four out of the five categories, which demonstrates Vision’s varied depth and quality of work. The winners will be announced at the CEDA Conference in April.”

With turnover in 2018 at £12.3m, a 25% increase year on year, Vision continues to grow. Sharkey adds: “We have worked hard to grow the business considerably in recent years, taking on a whole host of challenging and amazing projects for different customers, which we always deliver to the highest quality possible. This growth has also allowed us to expand what we consider to be our most valuable asset, our workforce, recruiting staff across the whole of the company in areas such as sales, service and project management.

“Vision’s fundamental philosophy of bringing the customers ideas to reality whilst identifying operational efficiencies and delivering focused project management sees the company continuing to grow year on year in a planned, structured and focused way.

We have some exciting plans for the future and we are thankful to all our committed staff and customers for their continued support.”

* Visionck.co.uk

March/April Food & Drink News

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{ Carrs Billington }

Perfect partnership feeds success Carrs Billington is one of the country’s leading suppliers of feeds and agricultural equipment to the nation’s farmers, and it was created using the expertise and experience built up over decades by people at the sharp end.

S

everal small businesses which operated in the northern counties of the country were amalgamated and brought together under the banner of the Carrs Group, which itself had its origins in the 1830s when it was formed as a feed milling company.

Separately, Edward Billington and Sons was established in 1858 as a food and agricultural company.

Those two parent companies formed Carrs Billington Agriculture in 1999, to rationalise the feed manufacturing assets of both companies which were operating in an over-capacity marketplace.

Two decades later it is a leading name in the industry and operates compound feed mills at Carlisle, Lancaster and Stone and has blend plants at Kirkbride in Cumbria, at Lancaster and in Wales and in Staffordshire. It currently has 32 Country Stores throughout Northern England, Scotland and Wales, several of which have machinery sales and service departments, and fuel distribution depots.

The company turns over approximately £300m a year. Its key product lines are feed which is approximately 45% turnover; a further 25% is in heating and fuel oil for the agricultural and rural dweller market; the machinery division accounts for approximately 10% of the turnover with the balance being fertiliser, agricultural retail products such as animal health, crop packaging, blocks and minerals.

According to Rae Tomlinson, Managing Director of

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March/April Food & Drink News

Carrs Billington; “Our core customers are professional farmers, where we aim to be a one-stop shop supplying all their requirements from agricultural machinery through to fuel including retail products.”

“We have 20,000 agricultural customers as far north as Oban in Scotland and as far south as Brecon in Wales. This customer base is complemented by a further 15,000 rural dwellers who we supply with equine products, pet food, fuel, heating oil and garden machinery.”

The company has also forged a strong relationship with tractor and machinery manufacturer Massey Ferguson, a close working partnership that has stood the test of time and marks its 25th anniversary in 2019.

Mr Tomlinson said: “This is timely having just completed a significant development of our Morpeth machinery branch. We continue to develop our branch network which currently numbers 32 branches.”

“The most recent addition to our retail network is our new site at Ludlow, Shropshire, which opened in January this year, and in 2018 we successfully incorporated Pearson Farm Supplies into our branch network covering Yorkshire and Lancashire. In 2019 we will incorporate Chuter Agriculture, which specialises in ATVs (All Terrain Vehicles) into the broader business.”

Carrs Billington employs 645 staff across both the retail network and feed operation divisions, several of whom drive the 75-strong feed distribution fleet. It is a company that has loyal staff, with a low turnover and

{ Carrs Billington }

an experienced management team, a significant number of whom have more than 25 years’ service.

The company has well invested assets in oil distribution and feed manufacture. The location of the mills situated, equidistant along the M6 and branches, often adjacent to key auction marts, has been key to the growth and success of the business.

Reflecting on why Carrs Billington has been so successful, Mr Tomlinson said: “We have a highly committed workforce and an experienced managerial team with outstanding products and a high level of customer service. Our technical team are focused on helping our customers improve the profitability of their businesses by using the right products in the most appropriate way to achieve optimum returns. Technical innovation is key and is reflected in products such as AminoMax which is a unique bypass protein which improves animal performance, proven through independent research trials. We have a portfolio of products including Crystalyx feed blocks and a broad range of animal health products which add value to our customers’ enterprises.”

Looking to the future, Mr Tomlinson added: “I envisage the company will continue to grow in size and capability over the next five years, through

investment in innovation of our products, extending our geographical footprint and by continuing to deliver the consistent growth that we have achieved in recent years.”

* Carrs-billington.com

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