It’s one of the biggest events on the food calendar, that time of year when the Association of Catering Excellence brings together the top chefs from the UK’s leading contract caterers for another cook-off. This year, food production, packaging and distribution company, Peterborough-based Delicious Ideas Food Group (DIFG) will be sponsoring the event for the first time.
Says Chris White, DIFG’s Foodservice channel controller, ‘We’re excited to be involved with this year’s event at Canary Wharf. Many of our existing clients attend and have chef teams competing, so it’s a great opportunity for us to lend our support and also showcase some of our ranges, many of which are best sellers in foodservice channels. We also get to reveal products from the new, trailblazing snack firms we work with.
DIFG, a well-established supplier to the contract catering and foodservice industry, has been in business for 25 years, offering up a blend of own-brand products, while also working with key third-party brand partners, providing sales and marketing support and acting as their route to market. DIFG also has its own BRC AA accredited private label packing division and works closely with many of the UK’s best-known retail outlets.
Says company CEO, Jonathan Potter, ‘The fact that we have the capacity and capability to produce in-house products means we’ve always been able to offer excellent value for money and quality, whether that’s our healthy snack range or confectionery.’
‘We also champion a large number of innovative brands that we support with our centrally based team. Above all, our aim is to make the lives of busy chefs and buyers easier by presenting them with carefully curated selections of snacks drawn from the many hundreds of products launched each year.'
In addition to providing sales and marketing support to established brands – for example, Eat Real, Kind, Eat Natural, Perk!er and others - DIFG also provides entry into the market, for disruptive new brands with their own communities, giving them deeper access to unrealised markets. Recent partners to join the DIFG distribution stable include TRIBE, Wholesums, Bepps, Olly’s Olives, Indie Bay, Retrocorn, Deliciously Ella, The Curators, Fuel 10k, Seed and Bean, Spare Snacks, and many others.
‘We’re always on the lookout for new stars to work with, particularly artisanal, vegan, and free-from snacks,’ says Jonathan, ‘and we
never rule anything out as the markets are always changing. Plus, our internal teams love the taste testing days!’
For companies out there looking for added exposure through their own snack brands, DIFG can also help them take a concept from a sketch and an idea through to an attractively packaged product ready for the outlet shelves.’
‘Over the last two decades, we’ve worked with many retailers, launched thousands of products, helped companies gain exposure through private label and have built up truly excellent relationships with the UK’s leading contract caterers,’ says Jonathan.
‘Our diverse offering, all under one roof, is the reason DIFG is attractive to so many organisations—particularly those within foodservice.’
He adds, ‘We’re excited to be sponsoring Ready Steady Cook hosted by the Association of Catering Excellence in 2019. The event has been running for 21 years, and we’ve been in business for 25, so it feels appropriate. We’re keen to see many of our existing clients and to show them what we have on offer, and also to develop some more strong and fruitful working partnerships through our attendance there.’
