Bidfresh, a supplier of fish, fresh produce and dairy, to the catering and hospitality sectors, is using Podfather logistics software to boost customer service, improve efficiencies and inform reporting, across a growing, nationwide food service operation. Currently consisting of 10 individual businesses, which all operate under the central brand, Bidfresh makes around 750,000 deliveries a year using its fleet of approximately 180 vans. Since implementing Podfather, which includes route planning and optimisation tools together with electronic Proof of Delivery features, Bidfresh has reduced unnecessary mileage, has better transparency with customers on delivery status and timings, and has clear visibility of delivery performance across all sites.

“Since we originally implemented Podfather, Bidfresh and its Direct Seafood brands have continued to grow both in scale, geographic coverage, and complexity,” commented James Cartwright, Supply Chain & Logistics Director at Bidfresh. “Product ranges have broadened, the market has resulted in order profiles becoming more fragmented with smaller drops and tighter delivery windows, and customers are expecting and deserve their deliveries on time with real-time information and a smooth service. The business is also operating in a more cost-pressured environment with fuel, labour, and compliance requirements all impacting how transport is managed.

“As the business continues to grow and react to challenging operating environments and conditions, the ability to scale, without losing control or visibility is critical, and Podfather plays a central role in achieving that.”

Bidfresh, a subsidiary of Bidcorp UK, delivers quality fresh produce, fish, and dairy products, across the UK from ten regional, branded depots. Bidfresh makes around 15,000 deliveries a week, across the UK, to Michelin starred restaurants, pubs, hotels, schools and colleges, as well as contract caterers. Since implementing Podfather, Bidfresh has seen a growth in its delivery operation in terms of volume and complexity, with more daily deliveries across more sites, and more time critical drops. It has also witnessed higher expectations from customers around ETA accuracy, proof of delivery, and issue resolution.

Bidfresh uses Podfather across all depots and its headquarters in Southport. Sitting alongside the company’s order management and ERP systems, Podfather automatically receives delivery data to build, plan and manage routes, providing drivers with clear and sequenced instructions via the Podfather driver app. Using the app, drivers are also guided to complete pre and post use vehicle checks ensuring timely notification and resolution of any defects or issues.

Once a route is initialised and underway, customers are automatically sent ETA notifications and updates which include the ability to self-serve live tracking data for their delivery. When on-site the driver captures date, time, and location stamped signatures and photographs as proof of delivery, together with any issue or exception reports. This information is shared, in real-time, with the customer – either kitchen contact, ordering department, or both, and feeds back into Bidfresh’s internal processes to support customer service, invoicing and issue resolution.

“Using Podfather, we are really cooking in our values – Focused, Responsive, Enthusiastic, Straightforward, and Helpful (FRESH) which are all centred around customer experience,” Cartwright continued. “As we continue to grow, Podfather will remain a key enabler supporting smarter planning and execution as delivery profiles evolve, providing stronger management information to underpin decision making and helping standardise best practice across all sites, and supporting continuous improvement through reliable, comparable data.”