Tues 18th Nov, Park Plaza Westminster Bridge, London

Mutual Solutions Food and Drink Forum

Posted on by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

Mutual Solutions Food and Drink Forum

NFU Mutual, Ashford and Tenterden, the voice in the South East of England of a leading insurer, with expertise in providing insurance solutions for the food and drink sector, would like to invite you to attend:

Mutual Solutions – Food and Drink Forum

On Tuesday, 13th June from 9.30am to 2.30pm

At Brands Hatch Place Hotel, Brands Hatch Place, Fawkham, DA3 8NQ

Keynote speaker:

  • Edward Perry, Managing Director, Cook

Other speakers include:

  • Red 24 on product recall
  • Sue Nelson, Breakthrough Funding on emerging food trends
  • Steve McLaughlin, Steve Mac Media on cyber security

Refreshments will be served including tea, coffee and buffet lunch

There will be a choice of workshops after lunch including:

  • Brexit and the labour issue
  • The Power of Social Media by Suzanne Howe, Suzanne Howe Communications
  • Campden BRI, New build plans

Register for your FREE ticket

SNOWBIRD’S SIZZLING SEASONAL SPECIALS

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SNOWBIRD’S SIZZLING  SEASONAL SPECIALS

A sausage-style brand spanking new Turkey, Bacon and Cranberry Cracker promises to vie with established party food favourites like Mini Burgers as the top seller amongst Snowbird foods’ just launched innovative new Christmas selection.

Cranberries also feature, along with cinnamon and nutmeg, in a pork based stuffing ball which is guaranteed to add zest to any Christmas dinner.

Traditional flavours of stuffing balls, like Pork, Sage & Onion and Sage and Onion, also feature alongside one which features Pork & Smoked Bacon.

Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a traditional sausage and Snowbird’s award-winning Gourmet Plus Cumberlands are available as jumbos, standards, cocktails and minis.

For the adventurous there is a pork and haggis variant whilst those with traditional tastes could prefer Pork and Turkey Chipolatas.

For hand-held eating, there is a sufficiency of the makings for a chunky turkey sandwich to be made much more interesting by a mix of cranberry sauce, grated stuffing, mayo and rocket.

“We challenged our NPD team to help caterers make the coming Christmas extra special and they have exceeded our expectations,” said commercial director Helen Swan.

NewCold expands international operations

Posted on by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

NewCold expands international operations further with major automated coldstore in US

NewCold Advanced Cold Logistics, which is expanding quickly in the UK, is making its first foray into the US with a new coldstore in Tacoma – believed to one of the largest in the country with storage capacity of over 25 million cubic feet.

The $50 million warehouse in South Tacoma, is NewCold’s first large US project, according to Jonas Swarttouw, business development manager for the company’s US operations. NewCold is working with Trident Seafoods, its first major US client, for the project.

The warehouse, which is expected to be operational in the middle of the year, will be fully automated and NewCold will be using the experience gained at its European operations, including the Wakefield site in the UK. Part of that automation includes using fewer fork-lift trucks and more conveyors and robots to pick up customer orders.

Swarttouw said that automation became the solution for NewCold’s European operations in response to “increased labour, land and energy costs”. Businesses in the US are now facing the same pressures at a time when customers are demanding faster and more efficient shipping options, he said.

In the UK NewCold is expanding quickly at Wakefield: it recently announced that it taking delivery of 36 new Volvo FH tractors, as part of a fleet upgrade to meet increased demand for its services.

The company is also planning to extend its cold store with 87,500 pallet locations to reach a total storage capacity of over 143,000 pallets with frozen food produce. The enlarged pallet capacity means the company will be able to respond to an increasing demand for high-quality storage from food producers in Yorkshire and surrounding areas.

David Priest, Site Manager at Wakefield, said:  NewCold represents the next generation of automated storage and distribution options for the global frozen foods market. Our intent is to provide our partners with a service that is world class, cost effective and second to none.

“At Wakefield we have completed the successful start-up of our phase 1 plan

– we delivered our client’s Key Performance Indicator (KPI) matrix ahead of expectations. As we work on our phase 2 expansion plan the industry interest in our business is fantastic, as the realisation is evident that the future of 3PL distribution is here. “

JACK COULBECK JOINS JCS FISH

Posted on by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

JACK COULBECK JOINS JCS FISH

Jack Coulbeck has joined JCS Fish as commercial manager, strengthening the company’s commercial function in a year when the business is anticipating continued growth and the launch of a number of new products in its Big Fish Brand salmon range.

As the son of JCS Fish founders, Andrew and Louise Coulbeck, Jack also adds another generation to the family business.  A first class honours graduate in accounting and finance, he is a part qualified CIMA accountant and for the past three years has been gaining experience of the seafood industry and commercial finance in a graduate role at Young’s Seafood.

Managing director, Andrew Coulbeck, says, “We were delighted when Jack chose to develop his career in the seafood industry and even more delighted when the opportunity arose this spring for him to join us.  We are proud of what we have achieved so far for JCS Fish as an independent family firm and Jack brings some very useful skills to the company.”

Jack says, “Since graduating I have concentrated on broadening my business experience and working towards my Chartered accountancy status.  It seemed like a natural next step to come into the family business although in some ways working for the family will probably prove harder than working anywhere else!”

Andrew adds, “As an undergraduate Jack earned his stripes in various production roles at JCS during the summer holidays so he is already familiar with how the business works and well known to the rest of the team.  He can look forward to excellent support and mentoring not just from myself and Louise but from everyone else in the business.”

www.bigfishbrand.co.uk

 

Get a Slice of the Action with New Chicago Town Pizzas

Posted on by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

Get a Slice of the Action with New Chicago Town Pizzas

Bakery and pizza specialist, Dr. Oetker Professional has expanded its Chicago Town Pizza range with three exciting new toppings which will help operators satisfy the consumer hunger for pizza out-of-home.

Reflecting the latest flavour and food trends – including street-food, heat, BBQ and indulgence – the new pizzas joining the popular Chicago Town line-up are:

  • ‘Limited Edition Pulled Buffalo Chicken’ – tender pulled chicken, red onions and melted mozzarella on buffalo spiced sauce, with Chicago Town’s signature tomato sauce stuffed crust.
  • ‘Barbeque Feast’ – a satisfying combination of Chorizo, melted mozzarella, red & yellow peppers, red onions and barbeque sauce on classic thin crust.
  • ‘The Chocolate Dessert Pizza’ – delicious chocolate pizza topped with gooey chocolate sauce, dark chocolate chips, white chocolate chunks on Chicago Town’s signature sweet crust.

Speaking about the latest additions Emma Haworth, Senior Brand Manager, Dr. Oetker Professional (UK) Ltd said;
“The beauty of pizza is its versatility and wide appeal; working well across a range of dining occasions from main menus to takeaway, in-room or on-the-go – it’s little wonder pizza has topped the menu polls as the most popular dish out of home!*

“As demand has grown so does the pressure to stand out from the competition, our latest pizzas not only keep operators one step ahead of the latest pizza trends, but the reassurance of  the Chicago Town brand means operators can offer excellent quality and a real takeaway taste straight from the oven.”

New Chicago Town ‘Takeaway’ Pizzas

Chicago Town ‘Takeaway’ Pizzas are made with a unique rising dough base that’s not pre-cooked to deliver that great, fresh baked taste, as well as consistent result. They also oven cook from frozen in just 6-12 minutes, making them ideal for busy kitchens where a quick turnaround is essential. With no chef skills or special ovens required, operators can start getting a slice of the action straight away.

Emma adds; “Our ‘Takeaway’ Pizzas can be sold whole or by the slice, and with a holding time of 45 minutes can be pre-prepared ready for service. The fact there’s no special skills or equipment needed means operators can rest easy when it comes to quality, as well as continue to drive sales once the main kitchen has closed. This is ideal for hotels offering late night room-service or pubs looking to tap into the profitable takeaway market. Fully branded Chicago Town Takeaway pizza boxes are also available as a perfect solution for operators looking to create an even more authentic takeaway experience.”

Other epic flavours in the current ‘Takeaway’ Pizza range include: Cheese, Pepperoni and Chicken & Bacon Melt. They are available now in cases of 8.

The Chocolate Dessert Pizza

“We’re really excited to be bringing our award-winning^ ultimate chocolate indulgence pizza to the out-of-home market for operators to add to their menus” says Emma. “This choc-o-licious treat is expected to be a huge hit with diners and is the ideal sharing dessert to enjoy as a decadent sweet finish to a main meal.”

The pizza combines Chicago Town’s signature chocolate crust, smothered in gooey chocolate sauce, sprinkled with a variety of milk, dark and white chocolate toppings. Chefs can even add their own additional sweet toppings for individual personalisation.

The Chicago Town Chocolate Dessert Pizza is available in cases of 7.

A leading family baking and pizza business, Dr. Oetker was founded in 1893 and has a dedicated professional range working to provide quality solutions that add excitement to menus with total ease and reassurance.

*Horizons 2017 ^ Frozen Dessert category Product of the Year 2017 Awards

For more information on Dr. Oetker Professional please email CRT@oetker.co.uk

 

ADBA calls for AD to be recognised in manifestos

Posted on by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

ADBA calls for AD to be recognised in manifestos

With a snap election on the horizon and all parties now scrambling to pull together manifestos, the Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association (ADBA) is calling for the value of AD to be recognised in these important statements of intent.

Commenting, ADBA Chief Executive Charlotte Morton stated:

“The performance of local authorities and politicians on the ground can have an impact on how people vote nationally. There are levers that the Government can pull to make their job on the ground easier, and this is true when it comes to supporting the AD industry and sorting the problem of food waste collections in England.”

In order to lock in the progress that this innovative industry has made over the last few years, ADBA is calling for three policies that all parties should include in their manifestos:

  • Re-introduce the legislation on the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) as soon as possible in the next parliament, and commit to increasing the RHI budget so we can continue to produce clean, green energy and useful products like biofertiliser.
  • Commit to legislation introducing separate food waste collections in England, to divert waste away from landfill, helping meet our carbon commitments.
  • Support UK farmers by restoring viable tariffs to the Feed-in Tariff (FIT) scheme and remove the AD capacity cap.

Local problems on what to do with food waste, as well as national ones on meeting our energy needs and cutting carbon emissions will come to a head in the next Parliament. With the right targeting support, AD can help solve many of these domestic issues, while boosting our exports abroad.

ADBA will be taking these messages to the new Government as soon as it is in place, and helping our members lobby their prospective parliamentary candidates over the coming weeks.

Double Queen’s Award Celebration for Oakland International

Posted on by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

Double Queen’s Award Celebration for Oakland International

Confirmed as a ‘double’ award winner, Oakland International has won two Queen’s Awards for Enterprise, for International Trade and Sustainable Development 2017.

Oakland International CEO and Co-Founder, Dean Attwell, stated: “I’m absolutely delighted and honoured for Oakland to be a Queen’s Award winner; but to receive two Queen’s Awards is mind-blowing and is a fantastic endorsement for the great team we have operating within our business models here in the UK and abroad.

“I would like to thank our entire team for helping make this possible as winning is positive recognition of all their hard work and dedication. Winning the Queen’s Awards for International Trade and Sustainable Development is the greatest compliment and the ultimate acknowledgement as a UK business we can receive.”

Operating in 11 countries with facilities in the UK, Ireland and a partner in Spain, Oakland International won the Queen’s Award for International Trade for Outstanding Short Term Growth for its support of overseas customers entering the UK market, doubling overseas sales growth and for their strategy and new market research.

Winning the award for Sustainable Development, Oakland’s goals regarding sustainable development and ten year strategy to become the first carbon-neutral business within its sector were acknowledged together with their commitment to building strong communities through their charity the Oakland Foundation, which supports local disadvantaged young people, and of their support for overseas communities via Aquaid.

In 2016 Oakland International was recognised as being a Top 100 Local Employer, amongst the UK’s 100 fastest growing private companies and ranked in the London Stock Exchange report as being in the Top 1,000 Companies to Inspire Britain.

The Queen’s Award for Enterprise is the UK’s highest tribute of business success, awarded to businesses for outstanding achievement in one of four categories; innovation, international trade, sustainable development and for promoting opportunity through social mobility.

Dean added: “The Oakland team is passionate about our core values of growth through sustainable innovation, for delivering value offerings, for our strong ethical stance and social conscience – these values sustain, invigorate and assist in our ability to grow in the UK, Ireland and Europe.”

KARA’S NEW WEBSITE LEADS THE WAY IN FOODSERVICE

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KARA’S NEW WEBSITE LEADS THE WAY IN FOODSERVICE

Kara; the Foodservice brand of the Finsbury Food Group, has proudly unveiled a new fully responsive website. Designed to specifically support customers by providing them with great features and tools; such as a new product guide builder where customers can create a bespoke brochure with their Kara stocked products.

Kara has also created a new customer portal available exclusively to Kara customers. The portal provides stockists with access to download Kara’s mouth-watering product photography, product information, point of sale plus the latest Kara Market report.

Another great feature is the Kara distribution map, allowing smaller customers and end users to easily pinpoint their closest wholesaler.

Jane Deegan, Kara Marketing Manager said ‘The new website creates a distinct customer experience, customers can now easily navigate through Kara products on the website and utilise the resources available to help promote the latest on trend products.  Being able to communicate our product support, such as Karas Doughballs ‘how to videos,’ which show how to handle Kara doughballs and also give recipe ideas is another welcome addition to the website.

With Kara’s commitment to foodservice, and there dedication to supporting the trade, the website is a great tool of communication, also being accessible on mobile phones and tablets. The features of the website have been designed to both inspire and support customers, allowing them to stay ahead of the competition with Kara.

To see the new website visit www.karafs.co.uk or for more information call 0161 351 2399 to speak to a member of the Customer Care team

Keep up-to-date with Kara’s latest news by following us on Twitter @karafsbakery