BFFF member enjoys extraordinary success

Posted on November 13, 2019 by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

BFFF member enjoys extraordinary success

BFFF member, smoked salmon specialist Grants Oak Smoked has enjoyed a superb year – both for the planet and its products.

Grants Oak Smoked, which supplies smoked salmon to retailers, chefs and food companies across the globe, enjoyed a number of unique successes in 2019.

As well as increasing its frozen exports overseas, the Cumbrian company also became the first UK Smokehouse to get BAP accreditation.

The BAP monitoring scheme is internationally recognised for demanding the highest possible standards in aquaculture and sea food production.

Grants also became the only independent UK smokehouse to get the Good Housekeeping Institute’s Taste Approved Award for its premium Traditional Rope Hung Scottish Smoked Salmon. The Rope Hung also won its second gold medal at the Monde Federation awards.

One of the company’s core products – Grants Traditional long sliced – also won three stars in the UK Great Taste awards – an honour already held by the rope hung. It also won Good Housekeeping Magazine’s best smoked salmon of 2019 award under the Fish Society’s FishRJumpin’ brand.

Company owner Jonathan Brown said: “2019 was a remarkable year. The BAP award proves we are the very forefront of the industry in only using salmon from suppliers with the very best aquaculture and environmental policies.

“As reliance on aquaculture grows, everyone in the seafood industry must do their utmost to follow best practice and the BAP accreditation proves we are doing that.”

“In 2020 we are looking to begin using completely recyclable packing, sourcing salmon from on-shore fish farms which have a negligible environmental impact and of course, for many years we have used every single part of every fish which comes to us. Once the fillets have been removed, we export the fish heads to Korea, the bones make fertilizer, the skin is used for salmon crisps etc.

“The success of our products with the Good Housekeeping and Great Taste awards also show our longstanding reputation for quality continues.”

“This is also confirmed by a growth in frozen sales to the Far East and Australia. We delight in giving customers in far off lands the chance to try the best Scottish smoked salmon. One of the keys to our traditional smoking process is ensuring the right level of moisture is left in the fish so when it is unfrozen it retains its superb taste and texture.

“Brexit concerns aside, our family firm has more than 30 years of exporting smoked salmon and that is only possible when you know how to process, and smoke the fish, properly.

“We are extremely that proud from our small premises on the edge of the Lake District we give people across the world the chance to test the best possible smoked salmon, and we look forward to delighting more customers in 2020 and beyond.”

Notes

Family firm Grants Oak Smoked, which employs more than 100 people at its facility in Maryport, on the edge of the Lake District, supplies smoked salmon to retailers, restaurants and food companies across the globe. For more information on the company, please visit www.grantsoaksmoked.com.

For further press enquiries please contact james@willsmedia.co.uk or call 07889 929 777.

For more information on the BAP scheme, visit https://www.bapcertification.org/

Grants traditional Rope Hung Smoked Scottish Salmon is available for sale in numerous retail outlets across the UK and is also available direct from our website at www.grantsoaksmoked.com.

FUNDING AVAILABLE TO REDISTRIBUTE SURPLUS

Posted on November 12, 2019 by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

FUNDING AVAILABLE TO REDISTRIBUTE SURPLUS

Company Shop Group has been awarded £1.96m from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) as part of Defra’s commitment to significantly reduce the amount of food unnecessarily going to waste in England. The Group will use the funding to support its new Harnessing Harder to Reach Surplus project, aided by the creation of a new, specialist team of surplus intervention experts.

With a heritage spanning five decades, the Group is home to Company Shop stores and award-winning social enterprise Community Shop. Community Shop sells high-quality, low-cost surplus food to local members who are receiving welfare support. Revenue raised from the sale of food is then invested into the onsite Community Hub, where the team engages and connects with every member who comes through the doors. Here, members can access personal development support, with everything from debt advice and employability skills, to cook clubs, mentoring and home budgeting. The profits from the HHRS project will be invested into, Community Shop, to continue to expand its positive social impact.

How can this funding help?

Offer a commercial return to create sustainable surplus solutions
Multiple routes to market to maximise redistribution of different types of surplus
Provide solutions that protect your brand integrity
Technical compliance by a BRC food accredited business
Help support positive social impact delivered by social enterprise Community Shop
Help meet the commitment to the Food Waste Reduction Roadmap

The Group’s trailblazing HHRS project is aimed at rescuing, re-purposing and redistributing the harder to reach surplus from higher up the supply chain. It provides a solution that no other redistributor can, addressing the complex interventions necessary. This is valuable surplus stock that has not been redistributed, until now, due to the cost and complexity of accessing it.

This is a sustainable solution to cover costs associated with:

Labour
Packaging
Transport
Equipment
New routes to market
Lost income (from waste stream recovery)

Company Shop Group is already working with several retailers and manufacturers in their supply chain. However, opportunities remain for other businesses to benefit before the end of the project in March.

Whitby Seafoods bag Grocer New Product Award

Posted on November 12, 2019 by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

Whitby Seafoods bag Grocer New Product Award

Yorkshire seafood obsessives, Whitby Seafoods, have bagged themselves an award for their Gluten Free Scampi range.

The Grocer New Product Awards, held at the start of October in London, saw the family-run business come out on top in the ‘Gluten-Free – Savoury’ category.

Shoppers commented that the scampi was ‘crispy and tasty with nice large pieces.’ The Grocer experts were also impressed by saying ‘Genuinely delicious, whether you’re gluten-free or not.’

Commenting on the win, Laura Whittle Sales and Marketing Director at Whitby Seafoods said: ‘We’re so thrilled to have won the ‘Gluten-Free – savoury range’ for our bloomin’ special Gluten Free Scampi. We want to make seafood more accessible to everyone regardless of dietary requirements.

Our gluten-free range gives us the opportunity to bring our exciting and flavoursome range into a market that can sometimes be perceived as a bit bland. When researching the market and speaking to those people who are affected by gluten intolerance or coeliac disease, they told us that taste was important to them in their food, and something that shouldn’t be compromised. Therefore, we’ve made sure our gluten-free range tastes bloomin’ special just like the rest of our products!’

Whitby Seafoods gluten-free range is available in Asda and Sainsbury’s stores across the UK.

FOOD SAFETY INCIDENT MANAGEMENT EVENT

Posted on November 12, 2019 by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

FOOD SAFETY INCIDENT MANAGEMENT EVENT

Tuesday 19th November 2019, 10am – 3pm

Ragley Hall, Alcester, B49 5NJ

NFU Mutual Corporate Insurance, in conjunction with our partner DAC Beachcroft, invites you to attend an interactive workshop that will look at what steps you can take to protect you and your business in the event of a food safety incident.

Throughout the day, we will cover issues such as:

Forming an incident team and carrying out an investigation
Responding to press and social media
Preparing for a PACE interview
Deciding whether to plead guilty or not guilty

Join us at this engaging session to gain an informed understanding of the scope of the investigation and potential prosecution by an Environmental Health Officer and the operational, reputational and financial consequences of a food safety prosecution.

DAC Beachcroft

DAC Beachcroft is an international legal business who are recognised as leaders in insurance and health matters. They bring a wealth of knowledge, industry experience and commercial expertise in order to help their clients defend their business and reputation.

The event is particularly suitable for in-house Counsel, Directors, SHEQ professionals, risk managers, HR professionals and facility managers.

The day is free for invited guests of NFU Mutual.

To book your place on this event, please use the following link:

RSVP by Tuesday 12th November 2019

Craemer Group Invests £25m In Second British Production Facility

Posted on November 12, 2019 by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

Craemer Group Invests £25m In Second British Production Facility

Leading plastics manufacturer Craemer Group has now launched a facility for plastics injection moulding at Hortonwood West in Telford, Great Britain. It is the Group’s second plastics facility in Telford for the production of wheelie bins, pallets and storage and transport containers. The Group is investing £25m (27,5 million euros) in the new site including large machinery to add new products to Craemer UK’s portfolio: a range of four-wheeled commercial waste bins and pallet boxes, which until recently could only be manufactured at the Group’s German headquarters. The company’s expansion will create up to 70 new jobs at the Telford site.

Craemer’s first own 1,100 litre wheelie bin (neo4), here presented by (left) Steve Poppitt, Managing Director of Craemer UK Ltd, and Frank Bross, Finance and Operations Director

“Since the launch of our first Telford plant at Hortonwood in 2006, Craemer UK has grown significantly with turnover surging from five million in 2006 to around £27.8 million in 2018”, said Steve Poppitt, Managing Director of Craemer UK. “After expanding the premises to a total of 3.6 hectares in 2013, we had reached our limits and needed to find an area for expansion as close as possible”.

Purchased in 2017, the 5.3-hectare site at Hortonwood West is less than a mile away and gives ample room for further expansion in the future. The new production plant covers about half of the land, consisting of a 6,000-square-metre production and storage hall, plus adjacent technical, office and social area as well as outdoor facilities. Production has started with three injection moulding machines, with more to follow as business develops. At full capacity, Site B will create up to 70 jobs. At the same time, the new factory will help safeguard the 65 positions at Site A.

the Craemer Group’s second injection moulding facility in Telford

“The expansion has already generating over 30 new jobs at Telford as a direct result of Site B development and there will be more by the end of this year”, said Steve Poppitt. “In addition to creating new jobs and to further supporting the local economy, the launch of this second Craemer Telford site also emphasises the Germany-based Craemer Group’s ongoing commitment to its UK manufacturing arm”, Steve Poppitt points out. “We are confident that the investment in the new Telford facility and in new machinery will further strengthen Craemer’s position in the domestic, European and global markets for many years to come.”

Until recently, Craemer’s first own 1,100 litre wheelie bin (neo4) presented to the market in 2018 could only be manufactured at the German headquarters – due to the size of the machinery required for its production. The new Telford site is also equipped with a 5,500-tonne injection moulding machine and the manufacture of the neo4 has started at Craemer UK now too. The production of Craemer’s first own pallet box launched to the market in 2017 is expected to follow soon.

The Germany-based Craemer Group, specialists in metal forming, plastics processing and tool making, was founded in 1912. Today, the internationally active family company has four production sites in three European countries and employs over 950 staff. In 2018, the Group achieved a total operating performance of around 275 million euros. www.craemer.com

Country Range Unleashes Christmas Dessert Selection

Posted on November 12, 2019 by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

Country Range Unleashes Christmas Dessert Selection

Country Range, the innovative foodservice brand and lead sponsors of the prestigious Student Chef Challenge, has enhanced its colourful Christmas catalogue with the launch of a five-strong range of dreamy desserts, which includes gluten free and vegan options to help operators meet the demand from customers for free-from options, and a convenient aerosol cream.

The luxurious and indulgent dessert range features a Gluten Free Chocolate Orange Mousse Stack, a Gluten Free Vegan Billionaire Bar, a Gluten Free Raspberry Gin Cheesecake, a Gluten Free Chocolate Fudge Cake and a Baked Belgian Chocolate Espresso Tart.

The new Christmas products come frozen and are available exclusively through the thirteen wholesalers that make up the Country Range Group. The desserts are great tasting, brilliant value and perfect for caterers under time and waste constraints as they come pre-portioned for ease of use. The aerosol cream features no artificial sweeteners or preservatives and is ideal for topping fruits, dessert and hot drinks.

Country Range Gluten Free Chocolate Orange Mousse Stack – A rich and velvety chocolate mousse rippled with a zesty orange sauce on a delicious chocolate chip cookie base. Finished with a chocolate mirror glaze, white chocolate lashings and gold crunch sprinkles. Pack size: 36 pre-portioned slices

Country Range Gluten Free Vegan Billionaire Bar – This decadent billionaire bar features multi layers of sticky toffee, rich chocolate ganache and a fudgy chocolate chip cookie base, and finished with gold dusted chocolate chips. Pack size: 22 pre-portioned slices

Country Range Gluten Free Raspberry Gin Cheesecake – An indulgent baked vanilla cheesecake on a crisp biscuit base, topped with raspberries and a luscious gin-infused raspberry jelly. Pack size: 12 pre-portioned slices

Country Range Luxury Gluten Free Chocolate Fudge Cake – A luxurious triple layer chocolate sponge cake filled with rich chocolate fudge and caramel, gorgeously finished with chocolate fudge icing, chocolate sponge cubes and a lustrous gold splash. Pack size: 12 pre-portioned slices

Country Range Baked Belgian Chocolate Espresso Tart – An indulgent intensely-flavoured tart made with rich Belgian chocolate and espresso coffee, on an all butter pastry. Topped with a beautiful chocolate mirror glaze and dark chocolate curls. Pack size: 14 pre-portioned slices

Country Range Aerosol Cream – Sweetened UHT dairy aerosol cream made with real whipping cream. Great with fruits, desserts and for topping hot drinks. No artificial sweeteners or preservatives added. Pack size: 500g

Vasita Jantabutara, Country Range Group’s Brand Manager, said:

“Christmas is a time of indulgence and extravagance so it’s important that caterers can offer something extra special for their customers and that’s exactly what these products are. Not only do the desserts look sensational on the eye and taste out of this world but they also help operators cater for everyone with gluten free and vegan options available. We think they will all prove to be extremely popular choices with caterers and consumers this Christmas.”

About Country Range

With over 25 years of heritage servicing the UK’s innovative foodservice sector, the Country Range Group is made up of 13 independent wholesalers – Birchall Foodservice, Blakemore Foodservice, Caterite Foodservice, Creed Foodservice, Dunns Food and Drinks, EFG Foodservice, Harvest Fine Foods, Henderson Foodservice, Savona Foodservice, Savona Foodservice South West, Thomas Ridley Foodservice, Trevors Foodservice and Turner Price.

In addition to offering the leading brands from around the globe, the Group also provides over 800 products, all developed exclusively for professional caterers under the Country Range brand. Covering grocery, chilled, frozen and non-food, Country Range is widely recognised by caterers as a trusted and reliable brand delivering consistent quality and value for money without compromising on taste and flavour.

Website: www.countryrange.co.uk

Facebook/Twitter/Instagram: @countryrangeuk

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