Pelican Edge - Spring 2023

The future of procurement. Services. Systems. Expertise. Culture. www.pelicanprocurement.co.uk Make

Digital tools and innovative solutions to help save time!

TIPS TO …

▷ Cut your costs and your workload

▷ Save time placing supplier orders with new Cherry Pi enhancements

▷ Make the most of the latest food and beverage trends

▷ Ease staff shortages with the right commercial equipment

▷ Reduce your carbon footprint with sustainable solutions

Spring 2023.

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

▷ Save the Date! The Pelican Expo 2023 is coming in June

▷ Latest market conditions to help you plan your menus

▷ Our clients share their success stories

Let's get social

LinkedIn is the number one social media platform for businesses and professionals to share valuable intel, updates and best practices.

In the coming weeks and months, we're looking to further increase our company's social media presence on LinkedIn by sharing behind-the-scenes photos of our team and what we get up to, as well as news about our clients!

Share your news with us. So if you have achieved any milestones, won awards or have success stories you want to share with the world, email us at marketingsupport@pelicanprocurement.co.uk, and we would love to support you too! Together we can achieve greater brand awareness.

How to connect with us. Click the button or enter 'Pelican Procurement Services' in the LinkedIn search box. Connect now!

WELCOME TO THE SPRING ISSUE OF THE PELICAN EDGE!

We continue to see rising prices, staff shortages, and sustainability as the main areas operators face.

We are committed to constantly evolving and improving our services to help Pelican clients mitigate these challenges and provide solutions to free up their valuable time, deliver more savings, add value, and reduce their carbon footprint.

I want to highlight a few projects that we have been doing:

Collaboration

In January, we held a business meeting in Antwerp, where we met face-to-face with colleagues from our sister company, Trinity Purchasing. This event provided an excellent opportunity for wider company collaborations to help us all further enhance our services to you, our clients.

Boosted service offering

We have defined our procurement services to support different client needs. We now offer Bespoke Procurement for clients who seek a formal tendering route or need to adhere to public procurement legislation. And we offer Group

Purchasing solutions to deliver savings through pre-agreed supplier pricing.

Commercial Catering Equipment

Due to demand, we have expanded our commercial catering services to support more catering operators with design, one-off equipment replacements and refurbishments and full turnkey catering solutions.

We welcome James Henson as a new member of the catering equipment specialist team!

Commercial Equipment Group Purchasing

Welcome to the latest edition of the Pelican Edge, focused as ever on providing you with new solutions, the latest insights and valuable market knowledge.

Ian Holliday Director Pelican Procurement Services

technology & solutions

What is the Pelican Expo?

This event connects catering operators across all sectors and brings together industry experts who will share proven solutions to help you:

■ reduce and control your costs across food and non-food purchases

■ increase your operational efficiencies with the latest technology

■ ease the pain of staffing issues through innovative solutions

■ enhance your customer offering to stay ahead of the game!

Who should attend?

From F&B Managers, GM, Commercial Managers, Finance Managers, Business Managers, Catering managers to Facility managers … whatever your title - the event will provide valuable solutions and ideas to help you in your role!

Unmissable eventPelican Expo 2023

We’re equally keen to share the latest technology, expertise and solutions with you in person and have set up an unmissable event, the Pelican Expo 2023, to do just that.

Whether you’re a food & beverage manager, GM, finance manager, catering or facility head, this event will provide valuable ideas to help you in your role. We look forward to seeing you at the Birmingham event on 13 June.

Pi - making your work life easier

The team behind our Pi cloudbased system continues to enhance our system to save caterers more time and make their day-to-day tasks as easy as Pi.

We are excited to introduce new and upcoming enhancements to the Cherry Pi module, making placing orders with your suppliers even more, easier and quicker. We’ve also introduced a new Pi Learning Hub, helping Pi users to get the most out of the system. A library of user-friendly guides and tools is available 24/7 so you can learn at your own pace.

Client stories and sharing best practices

We’ve included some case studies showcasing how we support different types of clients with their specific projects. And we’ve gathered the latest tips and proven best practices from our experts, who share tools to increase efficiency and reduce costs, the latest beverage trends and commodity updates, helping you stay ahead!

As the market demand for timesaving solutions and purchasing expertise grows, so does the

Pelican team! Our commitment to our clients to deliver superb services whilst supporting and developing our team remains as strong as ever. Meet our new starters and discover how we support our local communities.

Remember, if you need our help, get in touch - we're happy to share our experience across the procurement landscape as it quickly evolves. Please reach out to us at hello@pelicanprocurement.co.uk

Simona, our Senior Marketing Manager at simona.hardy@ pelicanprocurement.co.uk is on standby to receive your feedback.

Finally, as always we appreciate all the Pelican Edge feedback we receive. Please do keep it coming as we love to hear from you.

We are growing: MEET OUR NEW TEAM MEMBERS!

Pelican has seen many new arrivals thanks to strong market demand for the time-saving solutions and procurement expertise we provide.

Learn more about our new team members, and their role on the Pelican team!

James Henson New Business Manager, Commercial Catering Equipment

“I have over 20 years of experience in commercial catering equipment, working with clients across a wide range of sectors – from national care home groups, universities, and premiership football clubs to national restaurant groups and independent coffee shops.

I stay updated on the latest solutions, trends, and legislation in the industry, and I’m most excited to share the best impartial advice in the market with Pelican customers!

Outside of work, I keep busy with my family and my passion for music - I’ve played in brass bands for most of my life.”

Kirsty Woodfield New Business Manager, Pelican Group Purchasing

“I worked in in foodservice sales business for over 20 years with both Brakes and Creed.

I’ll be using my extensive knowledge of F&B to help hospitality businesses, by providing impartial reviews which identify areas of opportunity. These include everything from sustainability and

Ian Holliday, Director at Pelican Procurement Services

savings to improving efficiencies and freeing up resources.

I love exploring new places, and in April I am off to climb up Scarfell Pike Mountain!”

Mark Honeyman Senior Database Architect

“I’m excited to bring over twenty-five years’ experience in databases, and programming SQL to the team.

I’ll be managing and developing the Avendra Group Europe databases. I’ve always liked solving logical problems - and developing and debugging applications and databases exposes you to some incredible logical problems.

When I was 13, I saved, bought & learnt to program Basic on a BBCMicro. I’m still using the same ‘Basic’ today (now. VBA), some 40 years later!

Deano Kennett Category & Supply Chain ManagerNon-Food Categories

“Before joining Pelican, I enjoyed a number of roles in supply chain management and sales in the food service sector. I have over thirty years of experience specialising in catering equipment.

I will be using this experience in my role at Pelican to create new agreements and manage existing agreements in our non-food categories. It is an exciting chance to expand and promote our nonfood categories – from equipment maintenance to cleaning and hygiene – with our customers!

When I’m not at work, I love family time and relaxing with my dogs.”

Gaëlle Lavastre Marketing Executive

“Over the past two and a half years, I have supported e-commerce B2C retailers, looking after websites to maximise revenue and creating commercial content such as blog articles and advice guides.

In my new role, I will support the marketing team in communicating all the solutions Pelican Procurement Services and Trinity Purchasing (our sister company) provide to our prospects and clients. I will assist in growing our digital presence and manage translations in English and French.

I am passionate about languages. I am French, bilingual in English, and can speak Spanish proficiently. I studied German at school and have been learning Japanese in my spare time!”

Paul Adams Client Procurement Executive

“In my previous role as a senior account manager working in the insurance business, I gained a lot of experience supporting customers.

In this role, I will support Procurement Managers, helping clients save money through our procurement and supply chain support.

I love music, film, sports, food, and cooking – a fun fact about me is that I was named after a Beatle!

Simon Burton Client Procurement Manager

“I have over 12 years of experience working in food service sales, and in my role at Pelican, I will be managing our client’s food and drink procurement – ensuring that their suppliers deliver a high level of service and quality whilst always offering best value.

I will also help our clients to get the most effective use out of our cloud-based eProcurement system, Pi, which will improve their team’s efficiencies and support their operations!

Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my two daughters.”

Making Cherry Pi even sweeter:

KEY UPGRADES TO IMPROVE USER EXPERIENCE

About Cherry Pi

Matt Ferris, Pi Product Manager

Pelican's Pi cloud-based procurement system provides an extensive range of modules that empower finance, procurement, and catering teams to streamline their operations, saving them hours of manual effort. With Pi, teams gain a comprehensive view of their catering operations, giving them greater visibility and control.

The Pi system is continuously updated and enhanced by a dedicated in-house development team supported by Pi’s Product Manager, Matt Ferris. The team stays up to date with evolving legislation, user feedback, and suggestions to ensure the system's functionalities are always current and relevant.

Matt and team are currently undertaking a three-phase upgrade to the online ordering module, Cherry Pi, which aims to enhance its user interface, optimise its usability, and overall performance. With this upgrade, the module’s visual appeal, functionality, and ease-of-use will be improved, providing users with a better experience.

Cherry Pi is designed to simplify the ordering process for Pelican clients. The tool offers a thoughtfully curated product list with pre-negotiated prices by Pelican, enabling clients to order the right products at competitive rates. It also offers an unparalleled level of control to operators, ensuring that teams order the right items while providing managers of larger organisations with complete visibility over orders placed.

While the tool has been designed to offer an intuitive and hasslefree ordering experience, the team are continually working to enhance its usability and compatibility with all devices.

By incorporating user feedback and industry insights, they are committed to improving the application’s functionality, appearance, and performance. The goal is to provide clients with an exceptional supplier ordering tool that caters to their needs, reducing the time required to place supplier orders.

Revolutionise the way you place orders.

Say goodbye to the hassle of waiting on the phone, sending countless emails, visiting multiple supplier websites, and wondering if your orders have been received. With Cherry Pi, you can place orders with all your suppliers at once, anytime, anywhere!

Control your purchasing like never before.

Enjoy complete control over what products your team can be purchase and from which suppliers. Be confident that you are paying an agreed, negotiated price.

Regular repeat orders are now a breeze.

Cherry Pi remembers all the details of your previous orders, saving you valuable time and effort. And if there's any catalogue or price change, our dedicated team manages the process on your behalf.

Finding & adding products has never been easier!

With Cherry Pi, it's quick and simple to search for productsand the team at Pelican is always on hand to support you when you want to make additions to your product portfolio.

If you're not using Cherry Pi yet, here's what you are missing

Cherry Pi's sweet upgrades: Better than ever

PHASE 1

Last year, the team launched the first phase of a new Cherry Pi update which included lots of 'under the hood’ system enhancements along with a better page layout.

PHASE 2

Soon, they will be introducing the second phase of the update, which will feature significant changes to make order building faster and more accessible. The team has implemented several user-friendly features including:

▶ Supplier logos. To make order scanning easier for users, the team has added supplier logos to the order list page, also making it easier to identify specific orders.

▶ Additional product searching options. We've added some exciting new ways to search for products on Cherry Pi! Additional filters will help you quickly find what you're looking for.

▶ By nominal code. If your organisation already uses

nominal codes for products, you'll love the new filter that allows you to search by them.

▶ By recently ordered. This lets you sort orders by the date they were placed, so you can quickly find orders from the past month, two months ago, or even three months ago.

▶ By product category. We’ve improved the list of categories to help you find the exact product you need faster. The new categories are multi-level, for example, you can filter the list for ‘butchery’ or narrow the search further to show just ‘beef’.

▶ Price per g/ml. A supermarketstyle "price per g/ml" has been added to product listings, enabling quicker price comparisons across different weight and pack sizes.

▶ View items on order from the product list. The enhanced "plus" button allows users to view the quantity of items ordered from within the product list.

PHASE 3

In the upcoming third phase, due in the next few months, we will

be introducing product photos, improving the small-screen device experience, and providing grid and list view options. We will also be adding a product detail view that will enable you to see more information about the products available.

Our goal is to make Cherry Pi the best in class and to save caterers additional time, enhancing their day and vastly improving their operations. Stay tuned for more exciting updates!

Ordering made easier, time saved & greater transparency

Give Cherry Pi a try and experience the ultimate in ordering efficiency!

To book a demo, contact hello@pelicanprocurement.co.uk

WHY OUR CLIENTS LOVE Pi

Florence S Kirkpatrick Catering Manager Walthamstow Hall

We started to use Cherry Pi in January 2019, and this was my first time ever using any online system.

After completing my online training with the Pi team, I was ready to use it immediately. The Pi system is so easy to use, so I picked it up from day one. I am swamped with work, short-staffed and don’t have any spare time - so CherryPi is a huge help.

Before we had the system, I would have to write down all the products we needed to buy from all our suppliers and then make phone calls to each supplier to place our orders. Most of the time, the phone lines would be busy, and I would have to try several times just to get through. Once I got through, I would be in a long waiting queue. This was a very time-consuming and painfully frustrating process.

Now with Cherry Pi, I just log in to the system and create all my orders in one place. I can send them first thing in the morning or at the end of the day or compile my orders as I go throughout the day. Simply, I don’t have to worry about it. Pi makes my life very easy!

Colette Gale Catering Manager Burgate School & Sixth Form Centre

I am a chef with 34 years of experience, with 15 years in the education sector.

My working life has completely transformed with Pi. This is a great digital platform that helps my school to save time and money.

CherryPi allows me to see all the details that I need in one place - all the product codes and prices, dates when orders have been placed, dates for expected delivery and the cost of each order and so much more. I no longer need to be glued to the telephone waiting in the queue to place my orders. It so simple and easy with Cherry Pi.

The whole Pi systems offer so many benefits to us, having one system in place allows me to control invoices, price compliance, recipes, allergens as well as stock budget.

There is no more shuffling through invoices and

manual price checking – Pi does this automatically for us! Pi gives me the time that I need to do what I was trained to do so many years ago! Thank you Pi and the Pelican Pi team.

If you would like to understand how much time CherryPi could save you, simply book a demo by contacting your Pelican manager or call 01252 705 214 or email us on hello@pelicanprocurement.co.uk

We are here to help.

EXPERTISE

SIX KEY INGREDIENTS FOR HOSPITALITY OPERATORS: Reduce your costs, workload and carbon footprint!

Andrew Parsons MIH Head of Sales Pelican Group Purchasing

For catering and hospitality professionals, harnessing the right tools can help mitigate the impact of current challenges, such as staff shortages and prices impacted by spiking inflation in the new year.

Andrew Parsons, head of sales for Pelican Group Purchasing, shares five ways to increase efficiency and reduce costs for hotel operators.

1. Supplier and price management

Thanks to current market conditions, cost-of-living squeeze, and food inflation, operators tell us that they simply don’t have the time to monitor categories, suppliers and pricing adequately – it has the potential to be a team member’s full time job.

To work around this, seeking help from a procurement partner with industry knowledge will keep you ahead of the game and add real value to your business.

Our team of experts negotiate competitive prices across food and non-food categories for our multiple clients and help them to manage ongoing supplier relationships. For example, our client Barony Castle was able to save up to £60,000 in the first year alone, as a result of efficiencies created by Pelican.

2. Centralise your operation with technology

Online systems are critical as we go into 2023, as they allow for quick

decisions. We predict price volatility will remain for a while yet, so knowing how to reduce this impact by increasing time saving efficiencies in your operations will help.

The benefits of using a centralised, online approach to managing catering procurement are well documented. For example, placing orders over the phone rather than online not only uses valuable time, but it doesn’t provide an audit trail to confirm what quantities or products have actually been

ordered (and at what price). Online tools provide this transparency and help you to enhance backoffice processes.

There are typically two options: operators can either pay for a standalone system(s), or they can work with a procurement partner, which provides an associated system as part of the overall offering. For example, at Pelican, our cloud-based system Pi provides one platform that coordinates all catering-related tasks, from placing orders, stock

and waste management and menu development, to invoicing and cost controls, management reporting, and accessing product allergen data. It takes care of otherwise highly time-consuming tasks. What’s more, all of our services and systems come at no cost to your organisation!

3.Flash reporting

A flash report provides an easy way to quickly keep on top of takings and costs. I implore everyone to conduct a flash report, either daily or weekly. It is a vital tool that helps business operators to stay on top of what is going out, what is coming in and to ultimately manage margins.

Pelican Pi’s Pinpoint module populates costs automatically, so operators simply drop in their revenue information, and they can immediately access a flash report.

4.Automated price checking

With fewer suppliers, you may be able to reduce delivery volumes which reflects in prices. As an example, I am working with a hotel at present and have been able to reduce deliveries from 28 across a 7-day period, to 21 without compromising quality, matching 100% of the basket and reducing cost. This also has a positive sustainability impact, fewer trucks coming up the drive has to be a good thing!

5.Smarter invoice payments

One of the big advantages of working with a procurement partner and using their system, is the time savings received from invoice management. Instead of receiving multiple invoices for different orders, products and from various suppliers, clients instead receiving one single invoice from Pelican.

For example, 200 Degrees Coffee has gone from receiving around 600 individual invoices every month to just one. As director and co-founder,

Tom Vincent says: “We don’t have to check line items or prices against statements – that’s already been done, and we simply have a direct debit payment set up. Invoicing is not exciting, so it removes the humdrum for me and my team –it’s brilliant and means our people spend their time on more valuable or rewarding jobs.”

6.Sustainable solutions

Questions are being asked of all businesses about their sustainability initiatives. The Pelican team is helping our clients to reduce their carbon footprint by looking across a broad range of critical commodities –from food and chemical usage to plastic use. We can work on alternatives and suggest more sustainable options by identifying those commodities that impact our environment the most.

We have also teamed up with leading suppliers, manufacturers, industry bodies, and schemes offering solutions that will help you reduce your carbon footprint.

We are here to help.

Help is available – you don’t need to become purchasing specialists or employ people to manage this. We provide the support, insights and online tools that put you back in control of your day job, removing administrative burdens, and ultimately enabling you to make better informed procurement decisions.

Looking for innovative solutions to enhance your operations, increase efficiencies, and reduce costs and your carbon footprint?

Please contact us for any support you need on 01252 705214 or hello@pelicanprocurement.co.uk

We are here to help.

Picnic: A TABLET-BASED, PATIENT MEAL ORDERING SOLUTION DESIGNED FOR HOSPITALS

Picnic’s key benefits

L An integrated module, part of the Pi Procurement System

L Built for the healthcare sector

L Displays allergen & nutritional information during ordering

L Displays meal photos

L Ordering deadline prompts

L Track & manage special dietary requirements

L Plan & review menu availability

L Manage store-cupboard orders

L Expenditure analysis tools

Written by Mari Diogo, Facilities Manager Teddington Memorial Hospital

easy to use for the staff but also for the patients – which is most important!

Six months ago we reviewed our catering department and identified one of the key challenges we faced on a daily basis was poor communication between the kitchen and the food service assistants - in particular what meals were ordered by patients and what meals were actually delivered. The process of taking orders for patient meals was also very time-consuming.

Picnic, an online meal ordering system promised to give both departments more transparency and clarity. The system was developed specifically for hospitals so it is very

The system, Picnic, has brought us lots of benefits. We now have much clearer communication between all teams. Patients love Picnic, as they can see pictures of the food, so they know exactly what they are going to eat. Plus, the system shows them all the nutrition, calories and allergens for each meal so the patients and the ward staff are able to make more informed decisions, at the point of ordering. And we no longer print and use paper forms –everything is captured directly on the tablet for all to see!

Picnic has also helped us reduce food waste. Most of our patients are elderly and many of them suffer from dementia. Before we used Picnic, some patients would

forget what they had chosen, by the time it arrived! Now with Picnic they are able to see the photo of the meal, and that makes it much easier for them to remember what they ordered.

I find Picnic the perfect solution for us, and I would recommend it to any hospital. It also comes with great support and training from the Pelican team, they really provide great customer service!

We are proud to be invited to showcase Picnic at the first NHS Electronic Meal Ordering Showcase, Birmingham, 15 March 2023.

Contact us for a demo today on 01252 705 214 or hello@pelicanprocurement.co.uk

We are here to help.

Picnic has brought us lots of benefits. We now have much clearer communication between all teams ... Picnic has also helped us reduce food waste.

Royal

Brompton

Hospital: ACHIEVING A SILVER FOOD FOR LIFE AWARD WITH SUPPORT FROM PELICAN PROCUREMENT SERVICES

Nuno Matias, Catering Services Manager for Royal Brompton Hospital explains how, with support from Pelican Procurement Services, the organisation has achieved a Silver Food for Life award – and has its sights now set on attaining Gold.

I have been working here for three years, and one of my targets was to enable Royal Brompton to achieve a Silver Food for Life award.

We are already a fresh cook site for patients and staff, so we were starting from a solid foundation. The Trust has a big drive on the environment, sustainability and food waste, by achieving the Silver Food for Life, it is in line with all our targets of the Trust.

Having opened the account with the Soil Association, I set myself a target of achieving the award in two years, based on my previous experience of gaining the bronze award. A lot of work goes into choosing suppliers that could provide the right products

at the right price while meeting the Food for Life standards. I had previously selected suppliers, but if there was an issue with stock, for example, it took a lot of time working to identify alternative products, adjust menus and manage budgeting spreadsheets.

It was at this point, however, that colleagues at the Guys & St Thomas’ Trust introduced me to Pelican Procurement. I’m used to working with management consultants, so I could understand what Pelican could do from a supplier management point of view. I thought it would be ideal for me to have some support.

I don’t, however, think I had estimated just how much support Pelican would be able to offer. The criteria for a silver award is to ensure at least 5% of all food

Nuno Matias Catering Services Manager Royal Brompton Hospital

Without them, I wouldn’t have been able to achieve this in less than three years, whereas, with Pelican, it’s been less than 12 months. The support has been essential.

is organic. Having Pelican on my side has resulted in many benefits for me – both for the award and in managing the overall procurement process and related efficiencies. They made things so much easier for me.

As a fresh cook site, I knew we had many things already in place. However, Pelican was able to support the product selection process, negotiate with suppliers and ensure we were not receiving non-compliant products while working within our budget. Our client liaison, Mia Westwood at Pelican, knew exactly what we needed from a supplier. She also supported us with collating all the declaration documents from the suppliers about the origins of products (ie Fair Trade, RSPCA assured, Red Tractor) that were required for the submission.

We subsequently achieved the Silver standard within the timeframe. It has increased our patient satisfaction – we have a 98% patient satisfaction score, which is a fantastic result. We advertise that we cook fresh and have the Red Tractor accreditation for supporting local suppliers. It is a hit with patients and our staff; they understand that we care and place importance on offering healthy food choices.

Our head of communications recently wrote a blog and described the catering function as the heart of the hospital; it’s a place where everyone comes and gathers for a meal. It’s so important for our staff who face different challenges each day; they come for a break with us and can select from a variety of healthy menu choices that give them everything they need to fuel their busy days.

If you want to achieve a Food for Life standard, it’s essential to have someone supporting you every step of the way. For me, having Pelican on my side was the single most important factor towards us achieving this, and in such quick succession. From day one, they understood my brief and worked in partnership to make it happen. Without them, I wouldn’t have been able to achieve this in less than three years, whereas, with Pelican, it’s been less than 12 months. The support has been essential.

We are now preparing for the Gold standard and want to be one of the first few hospital trusts to achieve this. This is one of several projects I am looking at with Pelican at my side. The other is introducing a bedside menu ordering system called Picnic from Pelican for our patients using tablets. The system will enable us to innovate and further enhance our patient satisfaction rates.

If you need support with your projects, initiatives and rewards, please get in touch with your Pelican account manager, call 01252 705214 or email

hello@pelicanprocurement.co.uk

We are here to help.

If you want to achieve a Food for Life standard, it’s essential to have someone supporting you every step of the way. For me, having Pelican on my side was the single most important factor towards us achieving this, and in such quick succession.

You can’t change a billion lives overnight, but you can change one life, one person, one day at a time

It’s difficult to imagine what life is like when you live through the second-deadliest Atlantic hurricane on record, only after the Great Hurricane of 1780, and see the aftermath of billions of dollars of damage and thousands upon thousands of lives lost. Yet that’s what happened to Duncan Goose in Honduras in 1998 when he rode his motorbike around the world. It became a two year journey which included a collision with a deer in Canada resulting in being told he would go blind due to the impact*, being shot at in Mexico, being 5 stories up in a building during an earthquake in Indonesia and being rescued by the police on the Afghanistan border**

It was these experiences, linked to seeing a photograph of a young girl by a padlocked tap, (later to be part of a short film he made) which led him to start one of the UK’s first ‘purpose led brands’. One – so called because there were one billion people living without access to clean water at the time Duncan started – started with a simple mission, to give away its profits to fund clean water projects. Today, together with the foundation he created, it’s given away £25 million and helped 4 million people. But as Duncan says, none of this is really down to him, it’s down to the people who decided to support One by switching their water to a water that simply changes people’s lives. It’s their legacy as much as it is his or the team he works with. And now, we hope that journey will continue with Pelican and their clients and customers too.

4 million lives changed.

In addition to being somewhat philanthropic, Duncan has always been a champion for sustainability and is proud of the fact that they were using recycled materials and carbon neutral over a decade ago (and now carbon neutral for each product to scope 3 – cradle to grave) as well as helping to start the B-Corp movement in the UK (the 7th brand to join) and being ranked as ‘Best for the World’ since 2015. People, planet and (not so much) profit**…a focus which has helped millions and hopefully made the world a little better too.

Looking to the future, we will continue to champion both our sustainability mission in terms of materials and impacts and explore what is beyond net zero (cradle to cradle, rather than cradle to grave) and how to get there with our customers and how help our customers on their own journeys whether that is B-Corp or any other mission…and last but not least, to help another one million get access to clean water before the decade is out.

Will you make the switch too?

ONE HELPS END WATER POVERTY

So far, we have helped The One Foundation raise over £25 million, changing over 4 million people’s lives.

Climate change isn’t affecting the world fairly. The effects are felt worse by the people who caused it the least. It’s time to level things up and you can help. The full range includes sparkling water in glass and recycled PET and, on request, still and sparking water in cans, still water in pre-filled and refillable aluminium bottles, organical functional energy in cans and effervescent hydrating and energising tablets.

Supporting local communities: PELICAN TEAM MAKES A DIFFERENCE

As part of our Be Well. Do. Well.TM sustainability plan, it's our goal to make a positive impact on people and give back to our community. This is why we're proud to support our local young people's charity, Step by Step Partnership Ltd., throughout the year in many ways!

About Step by Step charity

Step by Step Partnership helps young people through hard times, including homelessness, by providing accommodation, personal development opportunities, and specialist support services.

The charity has its main site based in Aldershot - only 4 miles away from our Farnborough head office – and additional sites in Basingstoke, Havant and a new development near the New Forest.

Renovation project

In October 2022, members of the Pelican team donated their time at the Step by Step Basingstoke centre to transform the living room, office and garden into a lovely space for the young people and staff to enjoy.

The Pelican team did a lot to refresh and rejuvenate the space –

from deep cleaning, decorating, building new furniture, sewing and planting.

Jayne Bristow, Corporate Fundraiser at Step by Step, commented: "The transformation was just amazing, and the space is now so welcoming for the young people staying with us. The team were super friendly and hardworking, and it was a pleasure to have their support."

Francesca Fowler Senior HR Business Partner Annette Castell Office Manager

Food donations

As food costs are high, the Pelican team donated any leftover food products from our most recent Training and Networking Day to Step by Step's local Aldershot branch.

"We want to help these charities in any way we can, and we were excited that these treats can go

toward such a great cause," says Graham Coles, Procurement Director. "We would especially like to thank our suppliers, as this wouldn't have been possible without their support."

Holiday gifts

During the holiday season, Pelican's Office Manager, Annette Castell, visited the Step by Step Basingstoke centre to hand out some lovely festive gifts and treats from the Pelican team. We wanted to celebrate the festive times with the young people and thank their excellent, dedicated staff.

In addition, Annette organised a raffle – raising donations of over £300, which also went toward Step by Step's Christmas campaign.

"It was wonderful to help support this cause and deliver the gifts," says Annette. "We know this made a difference to them over the holiday season."

Upcoming Projects

In early March, our marketing team will share LinkedIn best practices and tips with Step by Step team to help them further raise awareness of their great cause.

And on 27 April, the team will roll up their sleeves again at Step by Step Basingstoke to transform and improve the centre's bedrooms for the young people living there to enjoy.

Ian Holliday, Director at Pelican Procurement Services, says: "Being actively involved in helping make a difference in young people's lives is incredibly rewarding for our team, and we are looking to support Step by Step with future projects."

Our accreditations

Working with NGO’S and organisations.

We believe that the process of investigating sustainability options for customers is a task without end.

taylor foods taylor

Nothing will ever remain completely sustainable and often unsustainable choices may become sustainable through proper management. Therefore we treat the search as a journey rather than a destination.

We take the view that we need to work within the industry to guide our customers towards sustainable choices and therefore work closely with many relevant organisations such as :

The Marine Stewardship Council

The Marine Conservation Society

taylor foods

We were extremely proud to have been awarded the MSC UK Fresh Fish Foodservice Supplier of the Year award. We continue to invest in skills training within our business and always aim to help guide our customers to make sustainable choices as part of our commitment to seafood sustainability.

Working closely with Pelican Procurement

Direct Seafoods are proud to offer continued support to Pelican Procurement. As the UK’s Leading fresh fish supplier we offer responsibly sourced fish and seafood, locally sourced wherever possible. As

we share our unrivalled industry knowledge with our customers and seek to inspire seasonal menus.

At a glance: MARKET CONDITIONS AND COMMODITY UPDATES

Graham Coles, Procurement Director, provides a quick look into what’s happening in the marketplace.

In this overview, Graham shares the latest commodity price trends and critical factors impacting product availability to help you plan your menus and source alternative products.

Current market conditions

It continues to be a challenging time for consumers and the hospitality sector alike. News headlines continue to be dominated by the cost-of-living crisis and the economic outlook. The economy is struggling with GDP being 0.8% lower than pre-pandemic levels and interest rates increasing again at the beginning of February to 4%.

Financial situation

The Government aims to reduce the inflation rate back to the 2% target, and whilst we are some considerable distance from this, we did see the first indications towards it with

the inflation rate coming down from 11.1% to 10.5% in December. Despite a fall in economic output during December, the UK avoided a negative GDP growth figure, and the Bank of England expects that any recession we enter into will be shorter and shallower than we anticipated in October.

Industrial action

We have seen one of the worst years for public sector strikes since the Winter of Discontent in 1979 and there has been severe disruption to hospitality and travel sectors as train and bus strikes create local and national issues. Strikes at ports and airports have reduced traffic flow both for commercial and leisure.

Supply chain improvements

A year on from the start of the Russia/Ukraine conflict, some of the impact seen on supply chains is now more positive; the fuel and feed crisis that was initially started by the conflict has slowed after the opening of the Black Sea Grain Agreement. Wheat prices have decreased by 19% and Corn by 32% in the last quarter which has meant that farmers can now feed their animals for a more manageable cost.

Improvements across other commodities:

▶ Lamb prices have held relatively firm and even stayed 13% lower than this time last year.

Graham Coles, Procurement Director at Avendra Group Europe

▶ Cod improved by nearly 16% against the previous year and Haddock down 47% against last year.

▶ Dairy has seen decreases over the winter period. Q4 of 2022 saw a 56% decrease to the pricing of Milk as producers sold off excess stocks and this filtered through the industry. Butter and Cheese is hitting the market currently and is benefiting from these lower purchase prices. Butter is 25% down on last quarter and cheese is 24% down.

▶ Apples, Pears and Tomatoes have all had a good season and as they are domestic products the costs of transporting and shipping are significantly less. The warmer temperatures in the UK have helped with growing these types of produce and the strong availability has meant reductions of -7%, -22% and -10% over the last quarter.

▶ Oils such as Rapeseed and Vegetable have seen a record amount of change since this time last year. In the last quarter, we have seen a reduction of -14% to Rapeseed and -19% to Sunflower oil and this trend is expected to continue.

▶ Gas and Electricity prices have been turbulent but are starting to stabilise. It is hoped that these trends will continue.

Areas to watch:

▶ Dramatic weather conditions have impacted crop yields and shipping routes across the globe. Heatwaves in the UK affected crops, floods in Pakistan killed millions and halted production and distribution, and droughts in Spain decimated crop yields.

▶ Beef prices are 3% up against this time last quarter, reflected most in cuts such as chuck and briskets.

▶ Pork cut pricing stabilised at its highest price mark for 25 years, with a 48% increase on last years already inflated pricing.

▶ Chicken has once again risen following the festive rush. It’s hoped that this has reached a peak and will begin to decrease after 2 weeks of stable pricing.

▶ We saw another significant increase in the cost of Eggs with a +10% increase on last quarter and that was already on the rise.

▶ Imported goods such as Bananas, Pineapples and Oranges all have a higher base price; monthly increases of +15%, +21% and +12% respectively.

▶ Mushrooms, Peppers and Onions have all increased by +33%, +154% and +41% respectively in the last quarter alone.

Currently in season

Pelican can help guide you with ways of reducing and managing your costs. Using seasonal produce is a great way of keeping costs down.

Here are some foods currently in season:

Apples, Beetroot, Brussels Sprouts, Celeriac, Chicory, Cod, Duck, Hare, Leeks, Lemon Sole, Mushrooms, Onions, Parsnips, Pears, Red Cabbage, Savoy Cabbage, Sea Bream, Spring Onions, Squash, Swedes, Turnips, Venison

We’re here to help.

If you’d like to view the complete version of the latest Market Report, or if you need supply chain support, please get in touch with us at:

hello@pelicanprocurement.co.uk

Beacon High School: COLLABORATION DELIVERING INCREASED SAVINGS & ENHANCED SERVICE

Mark Bourne, Catering Manager at Beacon High School, discusses his challenges and how partnering with Pelican, they were able to resolve them as well as enhance their offering while reducing costs.

I run the catering at Beacon High School based in North London. This co-educational secondary school has over 400 students, and 75% are entitled to free meals. So, the catering function is essential to overall school service offerings.

Before starting to work at Beacon High School in September 2021, I worked for 21 years at another London school, and overall, I have over 35 years of experience in the sector.

Supply chain challenges

As I arrived at Beacon High School, the industry was experiencing driver shortages, causing many supply chain headaches. We had missed deliveries, and supplies were frequently short.

It was a nightmare, and we had to find solutions to solve it. As I have been working with Pelican at my previous school, I knew that I could reach out to them to support us and overcome these challenges.

Swapping suppliers

I contacted Matthew Hawkins, my Account Manager at Pelican, for help. Matt provided a benchmark against our current suppliers and

identified 13% savings by moving to an alternative supplier.

The move to this supplier generated savings, but more importantly, a noticeable improvement in the level of service. They have been incredible to work with. Service and delivery are fantastic. We have the same driver each time who is really friendly and delivers at the same time each week!

Procurement partnership benefits

Pelican’s Pi system is also an excellent online tool – I use it to check invoices and cross reference against the school’s stock system.

During my 35 years of experience, I have seen many initiatives and

proposals for new ways of increasing efficiencies and delivering better food for pupils - some more successful than others.

But working with a procurement partner stands the test of time. I would recommend Pelican, their set-up and systems, to anyone.

If you need support to mitigate your staff or supply chain challenges, please get in touch with your Pelican account manager, call 01252 705214 or hello@pelicanprocurement.co.uk

We are here to help.

Mark Bourne, Catering Manager at Beacon High School

LET Pi DO THE WORK FOR YOU!

Book into our Free Online 'Bytes of Pi' Training Sessions and learn what Pi can do for you!

Join us in our latest 'Bytes of Pi’ online sessions, where our friendly experts will share tips on how to utilise Pi's features to free up your time.

These online sessions focus on individual Pi modules such as ordering, budgeting, delivery and invoice management to name a few.

Whether you are brand new to the system, are interested in learning more, or want to refresh your knowledge – these sessions are for everyone!

Byte Sized Learning

Individuals can book into a session, knowing they’ll receive a full run-through of a particular part of the system that they are interested in.

We want to make it as simple as possible for our clients to learn how to utilise all of Pi’s features which will help them adopt more efficient ways of working – saving valuable time.

At the end of each webinar, there will be time for a Q & A – so users can have their questions answered by the Pi expert there and then, plus there will be an opportunity for attendees to share best practices with each other.

Programme for March

We’ve set up a monthly schedule featuring some of the most popular modules and we’ll modify this as time progresses to suit customer demand.

Tune in from anywhere! All sessions will begin at 9:30 am and each session lasts 30 mins to an hour, depending on your needs. Available to all Pelican clients.

To book your place or to receive details of upcoming webinars, please contact your Pelican account manager or email

SYSTEMS

An easy-to-use online guide to Pi:

NEW Pi LEARNING HUB

Harriet Medlicott,

Leader

Harriet Medlicott, e-Procurement Training

Team Leader, who led the development of the Pi Learning Hub, explains how this new tool will help Pi users.

As more clients continue to utilise all the Pi, Pelican's cloud-based procurement system, the Pelican team has been working behind the scenes to create a library of helpful information to help Pi users to use all the modules' features and benefits that are available!

The story behind Pi Learning Hub

Many Pi users ask us for additional user guides so they can learn in their own time and when it suits them or train their own new team members as they join them.

And we get it. We know that after Pi users attend multiple training sessions, they want information for reference or to learn at their own pace.

So we listened, and I am pleased to introduce our new Pi Learning Hub, which provides on-demand, easy-access guides to help Pi users maximise what the system can offer.

Whether you are just starting to use Pi, need a refresher, or want to use new Pi modules to save time and make your job easier, the Pi Learning Hub, our knowledge base of information, will help you!

Super user-friendly guides

We know you are busy, so we have created guides broken down by each module, or you can quickly find answers to questions using the 'search' function.

The guides are based on questions commonly asked through the Helpdesk or during Pi training.

For ease of use, our guides include images, screenshots, gifs and videos to ensure each step is clearly explained and easy to follow.

24/7 support

While the Help Desk remains available to all users, the Pi Learning Hub provides additional support around the clock. You can access valuable online resources from a laptop, tablet or smartphone 24/7!

Our team will regularly update the Pi Learning Hub as new or existing Pi modules are added.

e-Procurement Training Team

PLANT-BASED SOLUTIONS BEYOND VEGANUARY

Innovative plant-based products to inspire your menus

George Lywood, Category and Supply Chain Manager

This year, many consumers participated in 'Veganuary', highlighting the advantages of choosing more plantbased foods as it promotes key benefits, including health, the environment, and animal welfare.

And most food operators are adding plant-based options as part of their daily offering, not just for Veganuary, as consumers increasingly look for these options on their menus.

If you’re looking for new ideas to add to your menu, we're here to make it easy for you. We work closely with our supply partners that provide plant-based ingredients, products, concepts and recipes.

Sproud has created a new glutenfree, vegan alternative milk created with pea protein. The milk is eco-friendly with a low carbon footprint, high in protein and non-GMO.

Sproud plant-based milk and iced coffees are available through our supply partner, Vegetarian Express.

Environmental impact of plant-based foods

Plant-based ingredients help make a positive environmental impact because they use fewer natural resources and emit fewer greenhouse gasses.

Vegetarian Express has compiled a report to showcase our estimated greenhouse gas savings based on our client's purchases over the past 12 months.

Heura's new plant-based Chorizo is just like traditional Spanish Chorizo.

It includes a smokey flavour from the paprika seasoning and is delicious, whether grilled or pan-fried. Try a chorizo, charred corn salad with sun-dried tomatoes.

Together with Vegetarian Express, our clients have saved 76,320 kg of greenhouse gas over the last 12 months.

In January, Phat Pasty rolled out Chunky Vegan Sausage Rolls, following the trend of more handmade styles and tasty premium fills.

They are ideal in cafes and coffee shops and can be used in various settings, from on-the-go hot snacks to small plate snacks with chutney and garnish. Each vegan roll sold also leads to a donation from Phat to The Word Forest Organisation!

We've been collaborating with supply partners to get insight into their product ranges and the availability of plant products.

If you're looking for specific ingredients, products, concepts, or an innovative vegan menu, please get in touch with your Pelican account manager, call 01252 705214 or email hello@pelicanprocurement.co.uk

We are here to help you.

Here, we've selected a few of our latest favourite products to consider adding to your menus:

GROWING BETTER OATS

Behind the scenes: HOW WE SUPPORT OUR CLIENTS

Whether our clients want to reduce costs, enhance their operations, increase efficiencies, or reduce their carbon footprint – our teams provide a bespoke personalised service that best meets their needs.

Our clients come from various sectors and have different operational setups – from large and complex to smaller-scale and single-site. For us, the goal is always the same – to become an extension

Supporting Robert Parker Hotel Collection of luxury hotels across Scotland and Northern England

Pelican was recently awarded a contract to provide procurement and supply chain support to the Robert Parker Hotel Collection of luxury hotels.

"We have a small central team with no internal procurement function, so we have decided to partner with Pelican to help us generate the best value for money and increase efficiencies," says Adam Reeves, CEO at Robert Parker Hotel Collection.

The Pelican procurement team will manage purchasing food, beverages, and related consumables.

"Pelican has in-depth procurement and supply chain management expertise which will help us achieve savings while maintaining high product and service quality, which is paramount to our offering," says Adam.

Furthermore, Pelican will also provide Pi, an advanced cloud-based e-procurement technology tools to help the team at the Robert Parker Hotel Collection efficiently manage the internal processes associated with their hospitality operation across all their hotels.

Simona Hardy Senior Marketing Manager

of our clients' teams, helping them achieve their unique goals most efficiently and sustainably.

hello@pelicanprocurement.co.uk We are here to help.

Supporting York St. John University's Larder Scheme

York St. John University's Larder is a scheme that was set up to help students with the current cost of living crisis. Building on an existing scheme, this has now been expanded from food items to provide nonperishable foods, supermarket gift cards, toiletries, household products and stationery free of charge.

Bal Mahal, Pelican's Client Procurement Manager, and the Pelican team support the university's efforts by sourcing non-perishable

food items and toiletries via our supply partners, including Bidfood UK, Jill Jones, and Millers.

The Larder scheme has been successfully rolled out at York St. John University's main campus, with plans to extend the scheme to the London campus supporting a further 1,600 students during the cost-of-living crisis. The scheme is now available to all 9,000 students across the York St John's University campuses.

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE FOOD

NCB Foodservice are a national supplier of Fresh Meat & Poultry, Fresh Fruit & Vegetables, and Dairy products to catering operators across all sectors.

We passionately believe that our customers should have complete confidence in the food we supply; that it is safe, sustainable and tastes great. We only source from accredited catering butchers to meet the highest possible assurance level.

With nearly 30 years’ experience within the foodservice industry, we have forged strong relationships with our customers based on integrity and our ability to not only meet but exceed their expectations.

If you like our story, we’d love to tell you more …

In short, we know, we know food

To us, getting these things right is about making it easier for you to do business with us, therefore easier to access safe, sustainable, great tasting food for our customers.

Our proposition offers a single point of contact with a dedicated Account Manager who understands your business and is always on hand to help. Our distribution is undertaken by

regional Supply Partners who offer a local personalised delivery service to all your business locations.

Fresh Meat & Poultry you can have confidence in, from suppliers you can trust

We know too that customers and their diners are particularly concerned about assurance and confidence when it comes to the meat in their kitchens and on their plates. That’s why we can

It's all about the food

offer a British, assured Supply Chain with full gate-to plate traceability.

We work closely with all the major assurance organisations and our supply chain meets the criteria for the Soil Association Food for Life catering mark.

We have Supply Partners across the country who source Meat and Poultry which is assured under standards such as Red Tractor. Supplying Halal Meat

Micah Hobson Business Development Director NCB Foodservice Ltd

and Poultry which has come from assured processors is also a key part of our product range.

Fresh Produce that’s seasonal, local, and sustainable

Our priority with Fruit and Vegetables is to source British, Class One and locally grown produce whenever it’s available and in season. We forge strong bonds with our Supply Partners and growers to provide the freshest produce at minimal transport impact.

Whenever competitive pricing allows or to meet customer requirement, we can source from supply that are Red Tractor or similar.

Best practice in sustainability and environmental responsibility

is always an important part of our supplier selection process, and we choose only to work with Supply Partners whose values are compatible with our own. In this way we can supply our customers with quality produce, at its seasonal best, at a fair price with care and consideration for the environment and support for British farming.

We believe that our Supply Partners are equally as important as our customers

Increasingly, we find that a like mindedness connects us with both our customers and our suppliers sharing a concern for the quality and provenance of the food served to diners in the markets we serve. We value our trading relationship with our Supply Partners enormously and are highly

selective about choosing to work with dedicated, proprietor-led businesses, who share our values.

We embrace their passion and nurture their commitment to sourcing product from a safe, assured supply chain and will not compromise our joint reputation or integrity by reducing the quality or specification.

We endeavour to meet the needs of our customers with a sustainable and affordable proposition with service standards that are professional, reliable, and respectful. We see it as our role to support customers with knowledge and information as well as quality products, reliable delivery, at a fair price.

We share an ethical responsibility to minimise environmental impact

The very nature of our proposition in sourcing local products, delivered by local suppliers means that every day we are operating in a sustainable way. We encourage our Supply Partners to attain the highest standards in terms of biodiversity, carbon emissions and the environment. Furthermore, by working with local businesses, we are investing back into local economies across the country.

Good food should not come at an unnecessary cost to the environment if it is sourced in a responsible, ethical, and sustainable way and backed up by the right levels of due diligence.

Jo’s top picks: COMMERCIAL EQUIPMENT PRODUCTS TO EASE STAFF SHORTAGES & SAVE TIME

Jo Leech, Pelican’s commercial equipment specialist, helps clients select the right products based on their needs, whether completing a kitchen refurbishment or simply looking for a product replacement.

In a time of staff shortages, many operators are looking for more ways to improve efficiencies and reduce staff time. Jo has selected the top two products she recommends to clients to help save time in the kitchen.

Rational iVario

The Rational iVario is a onepan cooking system that replaces many conventional kitchen appliances.

While it’s an expensive bit of kit, it’s an investment for the medium term – and an ideal consideration when planning a kitchen refurbishment. An iVario and a combination (combi) oven could cover about 95% of a kitchen’s needs.

The iVario can boil, pressure cook, fry, deep fry, braise and cook casseroles in a quarter of the average time - and use up to 40% less energy than conventional kitchen appliances. Available in four sizes, this system can handle anything from 30 to 500 meals.

I visited a large school kitchen recently, and they had two iVarios and some combi

ovens, plus an eye-level grill for finishing. That was all they needed, and it’s the future.

Walthamstow Hall iVario installation

I managed the installation of an iVario at Walthamstow Hall and provided the team with full training on how to get the most out of the new equipment. With small adjustments to the way they cook, they can still produce the same menus - but these changes will greatly improve their efficiency. This can really help a short-staffed team do more with less!

Florence

Kirkpatrick, Catering Manager at Walthamstow Hall, has seen a positive impact from this installation.

“The new iVario is an excellent addition to our kitchen, and we’re very happy with it,” she says. “It’s saved our team a great amount of time because creating meals is much faster and easier.”

Tormek T2-PRO Knife Sharpener from Metcalfe

The Swedish-made Tormek T2-PRO from Metcalfe knife sharpener is an often overlooked but simple way to improve efficiencies and reduce costs long-term in the kitchen.

Everyone works better with a sharp knife; ironically, it is safer to use a sharp knife than struggle on a job with a blunt one.

When chefs have to sharpen their knives, they often pay someone to come in and sharpen them regularly. This can mean staff works

with blunt blades until the sharpening service arrives. Or they buy extra knives while awaiting the return of the refurbished ones.

The Tormek T2-PRO provides a great and immediate solution, giving the user complete control over the degree of sharpening and when they can be sharpened.

The sharpener only takes a minute to do the job, and it’s fitted with a diamond wheel for sharpening, as well as a composite wheel for polishing.

Clients have given great feedback on the product. We had the chef at Great Ormond Street hospital test the product out, and he was blown away by how easy and fast it was.

Joanna Leech has over 20 years of commercial equipment expertise and she will provide you with impartial, expert advice with full operational support. She will liaise with all the parties to fully understand your requirements and find the best solution that meets all your needs.

Contact Jo if you have any commercial equipment needs or to get impartial advice.

joanna.leech@

pelicanprocurement.co.uk

01252 705 205

Everyone works better with a sharp knife; ironically, it is safer to use a sharp knife than struggle on a job with a blunt one.

Outdoor Furniture

Make the most of your outdoor space. From patio heaters and parasols, to outdoor tables and chairs, we have all the essentials you need to turn your open spaces into must visit places.

Patio Heaters

A patio heater can turn your outdoor spaces into must-visit nightspots. Perfect for long summer evenings and shorter winter ones alike, our patio heater collection will give your pub garden, terrace, or alfresco dining areas a warming boost.

Provide all-year-round shade and protection for your guests with this stylish black parasol. With a canopy made of industrial thickness, these parasols are ideal for any outdoor areas.

Parasols BBQ’s

Whether you’re hosting an outdoor event or serving delicious barbecued food in your beer garden, Nisbets powerful and portable BBQ options guarantee perfection every time.

THREE BEVERAGE TRENDS TO WATCH IN 2023

The beverage market constantly changes as consumer trends modify behaviour, and producers look to gain attention with new product launches.

The media tell us that the younger generation is increasingly moving away from alcoholic beverages, and just a few years ago, who would have thought alcohol-free gin would gain traction?

What is clear is that consumers – across all generations – are increasingly making decisions based on a continued focus on health, wellness and sustainability.

Here are the top three beverage trends to watch out for in the year ahead.

Drinks which offer cognitive health benefits

Customers are progressively looking for beverages that help improve their mental performance to optimise their work and leisure time.

Interest in mental well-being has increased, and drinks that help improve focus and productivity will increase.

Mintel’s Global Food and Drinks Trends Report for 2023 points to three key themes:

▶ Products with low to moderate caffeine levels to boost the benefits such as productivity without over-caffeination

▶ Drinks with nutrients that have been clinically proven to support cognitive health, such as magnesium, B vitamins and zinc

▶ Fruit and vegetable ingredients, promoted for their holistic and mental health benefits, such as increased energy levels

Low- and no-ABV drinks

With healthy food and drinks increasing in popularity, this will also lead to an increased focus on alcohol in moderation this year. This will apply to all consumers, but especially the younger generation.

Many celebrities are helping this trend grow by launching

What is clear is that consumers are increasingly making decisions based on a continued focus on health, wellness and sustainability

Emily Cunningham Marketing Executive

their non-alcoholic drink brands, like Betty Buzz, a sparkling non-alcoholic mixer from Blake Lively and Katy Perry’s De Soi, a line of non-alcoholic aperitifs. According to Yelp, searches for mocktails were up 59% between 2021 and 2022.

Operators can enhance their drinks menus and maximise revenue by offering low and nonalcohol alternatives. According to Bidfood’s recent report, 0% of beers are expected to be popular with consumers over the year ahead. In addition, more nonalcoholic beverages, including wines, are anticipated to hit store shelves this year.

Sustainable drinks and ingredients

Sustainability remains top-of-mind for consumers, so operators will benefit from highlighting innovative products and services that consumers perceive to be better for the environment. These include:

Milk alternatives. With vegan and plant-based diets on the rise, several milk alternatives are readily

available, such as soya, oat, and almond milk.

This number continues to grow, as shown by the latest available options in the USA – Hope and Sesame sesame milk and Táche, pistachio milk.

Drink products with sustainable messaging. Drinks cite scientific research to gain the trust of consumers. This can come from third-party certifications or voluntary labels supporting their environmental or ethical claims.

Zero-waste alcohol options. Sustainable cocktail bars and alcohol brands are taking more significant steps to mitigate their environmental impact.

For example, Discarded Spirits Co. is a zero-waste brand whose product range is created by re-using typically ‘wasted’ ingredients, including banana peels and the discarded fruit of the coffee berry.

And Bisou, Paris is a cocktail bar that sources local and organic ingredients, minimising waste by dehydrating leftover produce for edible garnishes.

Sources:

Mintel Global Food and Drink Trends 2023

SmartBrief five food and beverage trends to watch for 2023

Bidfood 2023 Food and Beverage Trends

Yelp’s 2023 Food Trends

Chat with us!

Are you looking to add new innovative drinks to your menu? Need inspiration or advice?

If you need help finding the latest innovative products, or new food or drink concepts that will help you meet the needs of your consumer – please contact us for any support at 01252 705214 or hello@pelicanprocurement.co.uk

We can arrange product tastings and specialist advice to enhance your offering.

We are here to help.

BEHIND THE SCENES: OUR SUPPLY CHAIN TEAM

Graham Coles, Procurement Director Avendra Group Europe

Pelican's Procurement & Supply Chain team sources best-in-class suppliers and products for Pelican customers looking for innovative and sustainable solutions.

Graham Coles, Procurement Director, provides a behind-thescenes look into some of his team's recent activities.

Supplier meetings

It's great to meet with our supply partners to catch up on what's been happening and make plans for the year ahead. When we meet with suppliers, we build plans to provide choice and drive the best value for Pelican clients.

Learning about the latest innovations

The Pelican team are constantly learning about the newest product solutions in the market so we can share them with our customers.

Our team visit national and regional exhibitions, trade road shows, manufacturers and supplier depots, and we also encourage supply partners to present and showcase their latest innovations in our head office in Farnborough.

For example, before the start of the new year, Piglets Pantry representatives came to present their range of sweet and savoury treats so the Pelican team could learn about their products and, most importantly, taste the samples - a hard day at the office!

Supplier management

We manage the ongoing relationships with our supply partners on behalf of our clients. This includes keeping on top of price

negotiations, supplier performance, and supplier due diligence (for example, compliance with hygiene certification). We do all of this, so Pelican clients don't have to!

Building new relationships

We're always seeking new supply partners that provide products and solutions to add value to our clients and help them enhance their offerings.

This includes adding new categories to support clients across different sectors, introducing innovative concepts to help them be more sustainable and efficient, and

supporting them to meet changing needs of their customers.

Providing market insights

It's been a challenging couple of years with supply chain issues and increasing costs. Still, we're finally starting to see some stability across some commodities and markets, which we hope will set a path for more extended periods of price holds.

We gather market intelligence to share with our clients to help drive awareness of current conditions and commodity trends so they can make informed decisions and plan menu changes accordingly.

Meet the team!

My role is to ensure our overall strategies in sourcing and managing supplier performance are kept on track and continue to evolve and adapt to the changing needs of Pelican clients.

What I like most is seeing the process of finding a fantastic supplier unfold - from onboarding them to forming plans and seeing our clients successfully trading with them and benefiting from their solutions.

I'm very proud of my team, who work passionately to create diverse service propositions that meet Pelican client needs.

Fun fact

I've recently become a new grandparent, so I'm enjoying spending much time with the little one and all the wonderful things that come with it!

Alex Gess

My role covers all non-food categories, building solid relationships with supplier partners. I take a partnership approach to all projects and activities, tracking performance and building plans. I constantly update my knowledge with the latest trends and marketplace

I provide data analytics for the team, breaking down statistics and using these numbers to identify trends. I also work directly with Category Managers to help them constantly improve our proposition.

The best part of the job for me is the variety. Whether producing market reports, working with sales

activity to bring the right solutions to our clients.

Fun fact

I enjoy catching up with family and friends, walking and relaxing with the dogs, and fitting in some football refereeing.

figures, or managing our due diligence processes, the work is interesting, engaging and vital for our clients.

Fun fact

I love spending the weekends with friends and family, getting out and exploring new places!

My role focuses on managing our supply partners across a number of food and beverage categories.

My favourite part of the job is building longstanding relationships with suppliers and delivering great solutions to our clients. Equally, I enjoy exploring and learning about new supplier concepts and product

innovation, which we can take to our clients to ensure their food and beverage offering is best in class.

Fun fact

My fiancée and I recently bought our first home together in Bristol, so my weekends are spent putting my DIY skills to the test!

Procurement

Business Analyst

Category & Supply Chain Manager (Food & Beverage)

George Lywood

Category & Supply Chain Manager (Non-Food)

Deano Kennett

Procurement Director Graham Coles

MEET THE COMPANIES THAT ARE PART OF AVENDRA GROUP

IPS REBATES

In October 2020, Pelican Procurement Services became part of the Avendra Group. Avendra Group companies are based across Europe, Canada, the United States, the Caribbean, and Mexico, supporting clients in the hotel, restaurant, pub, leisure, care homes and education industries.

In this edition, we would like to introduce you to one of our sister companies, IPS Rebates.

Who is IPS Rebates?

IPS Rebates has been dedicated to serving the K-12 industry for over 20 years and is the leading rebate processor for the US K-12 market. IPS provides members with a timesaving, efficient process to acquire additional revenue for their food service department. Members participate by purchasing any of IPS’ over 150,000 brand-name rebated products, which continuously change as they work to add new programs and refresh relevant items with their 425+ manufacturer partners.

ipsrebates.com

What’s unique about the IPS Rebates offering?

Efficiently improve financial health

Members join and start receiving quarterly rebate checks on the foodservice items they already buy – at no cost. IPS works closely with members to help leverage the rebates provided by our manufacturer partners.

Easy and time-saving process

IPS reduces the administrative burden of manually tracking and processing rebates, so members can focus their attention on other priorities. The IPS team collects all of the data, tracks purchases, submits the information to the manufacturers, and aggregates all member rebates into one quarterly check.

Experts in the K-12 rebates environment

IPS’ team of dedicated professionals negotiate rebates on behalf of members and identify equivalent rebated items that members can purchase. The IPS team also ensures that members get the most out of the program by sharing monthly rebate ideas, promoting opportunities for free samples, and conducting rebate reviews to further optimise the program.

Companies that are part of the Avendra Group