Three experienced food businesses, including food ingredients supplier North Star Foods based in Leicestershire, have joined forces to launch a new frozen ingredient supply venture that will offer a huge amount of product knowledge and sourcing solutions to food manufacturers and providers.

Known as REMS Frozen Foods, the business has a trading office in Market Harborough and is the brainchild of three food industry veterans: Adam Shepherd, managing director of North Star Foods; Steve Humphrey, managing director of Hessle-based fresh produce trader The Tuber Group; and James Kempley, group managing director of leading vegetable, salad and mayonnaise producer Troy Foods in Leeds.

The new company will import frozen food ingredients from around the world, specialising in Individually Quick Frozen (IQF) fruit, vegetables, spices and herbs for further processing by UK and Irish food manufacturers. Complete with BRC certified technical and supply services and backed by a secured funding facility, REMS will provide a field-to-factory service. It will manage all aspects of the import and delivery of a wide range of produce from IQF strawberries, blueberries, mangoes and melons to onions, garlic, ginger, chillies, tomatoes, potatoes, peas, carrots, mushrooms and peppers.

With its head office in Hessle, the business will be headed by Adam Shepherd as managing director and will initially have a six-strong team. The operation also benefits from offices in China, the USA, Eastern Europe, Spain and Egypt.

“Having worked in the sector for the last 13 years, I believe that the frozen food ingredient supply market is ready for a shake-up. This collaboration between our three complementary businesses makes us ideally placed to use our expertise and resources to create a high performance, specialist business that will really meet the needs of food manufacturers, food service providers and retailers by supplying top quality products at competitive prices,” comments Adam Shepherd.

“With our extensive international raw material factory base, we will be able to source and supply a wide range of ingredients from artichokes to zucchini, for use in a vast array of products including ready meals, sausages, sauces, marinades and soups. Our aim is to provide a full-service offering, taking care of all aspects from the sourcing, quality control and importing of products to finance, currency exchange, purchase and customs. Given the added complexity of importing following Brexit changes, taking away the hassle of import issues and giving customers complete peace of mind is more important than ever.”

Adam Shepherd concludes: “We plan to be established as a fully stand-alone business by the end of 2021 with a team of up to a dozen people, and to be the supplier of choice to all major UK and Irish food manufacturers. As well as serving the UK food industry, we also have plans to expand into European markets with ambitions to move further afield too.”

To find out more, visit www.remsfrozenfoods.com