Improving lives, reducing waste and creating quality - Blakemas and The Bridge

Improving lives, reducing waste and creating quality

For almost 70 years the Blakeman family have been producing high quality sausage and meat products to the catering and fast-food markets. The most notable of these products being the humble catering sausage which, thanks to its unwavering quality, has seen it as a mainstay of many establishments for decades.

Amongst the tried and tested classics, Blakemans have amassed quite the portfolio of products, priding themselves on having something in their repertoire to suit the needs of any catering establishment. From versatile meatballs to the pork Pattie, which provides businesses with a key to the ever-growing popularity and profitability of the ‘breakfast on the go’ market. All of which have been designed to fit with their reputation for high quality products which perform reliably and their mantra of ‘no mess, no waste, no fuss’ in mind. These impeccable standards of quality are gained through rigorous trials and tests of new products.

The Blakeman team had been left with the unpreventable reality of having the product of these tests and trials on site, along with over runs and excess product that they had no use for, despite them being made with the same quality ingredients and to the same impeccable standards.

Whereas they already have a robust re-use/recycle policy which sees food waste turned into Biofuel, which is utilised as a renewable source of electricity or biodiesel, it was heart breaking to see examples of food poverty so prevalent throughout the current pandemic. When the Blakeman team heard about The Bridge at Leigh, a nonprofit charity set up to tackle food waste, food poverty and social isolation in one fell swoop, they were on-board immediately. On giving back, James Morris, Head of Business Development for Blakemans said,

“We were eager to help those in need where we can, especially after the tough year that has seen so many people struggle to cope. The Bridge at Leigh was a perfect fit for what we wanted to achieve in supporting communities that are helping to make sure that no-one goes hungry. It has been a hugely positive outcome for us that we have been able to offer this support and reduce our environmental impact drastically”.

With no discrimination on status, The Bridge offers support for the employed, unemployed, or retired, however this would not be possible without the generous donations from organisations like Blakemans. Grateful for the support received from Blakemans, Andy Roberts Operations Manager for The Bridge at Leigh said;

“So far, we have received approximately 4,750Kg from Blakemans, a lot of which has gone into the food parcels that we have been putting together over lockdown, helping families and children who are in need, we also have regular food parcels to lots of elderly people who currently can’t go out. Last year we saved over 235 tons of food going to waste which equates to over 545,000 meals.”

With more people than ever needing to rely on the services of food banks and other aid, Blakemans are demonstrating that by working together during a time of great need, we really can make a difference.

To find out more about their fantastic range of products, visit blakemans.co.uk