South West food products marketed to hundreds of commercial caterers

Small food producers in the South West have received a welcome boost with the news that their products are to be marketed to hundreds of commercial caterers in the region.

The move follows the takeover last year of Saltash-based food wholesaler Foodsmiths by the Chadd family from Bude. Foodsmiths sources quality foods directly from around 50 local farmers and small food producers in the South West including cheeses, meats, bakery products and raw ingredients.

These products will now be carried by the Chadd family's other business, Chadd’s Food Service, which supplies catering products to organisations such as hotels, schools and factories across North Cornwall and Devon. The company is now looking for additional producers to supply the two companies.

Director Nigel Chadd said: “The joint ownership of Foodsmiths and Chadd’s Food Service opens up massive new markets for small food producers in the South West. Chadd’s Food Service currently supplies some of the largest caterers in the region… if only a small proportion choose to buy quality local foods from the Foodsmiths range, that could have a huge knock-on effect for our local suppliers.”

Chadd’s Food Service, which began trading in the 1940s, is known throughout North Cornwall and North Devon for its range of staple catering products including frozen and chilled lines, janitorial goods and groceries. Meanwhile Foodsmiths, which was previously known as Osborne’s, has customers including fine dining restaurants and gastro-pubs, food retailers such as delicatessens and high-end hotels.

The Chadd family, which has been in the catering industry for almost 60 years, took over Foodsmiths last year, safeguarding the future of the business and contributing to the success of small suppliers across the South West. As well as marketing high-quality, local foods to commercial caterers, the common ownership of the two firms also allows Foodsmiths to sell a wider range of basic commodity food products and non-food ranges.

Nigel continued : “We have spent some time putting Foodsmiths on a firm financial footing. Now that job is complete, we are using the joint ownership of Foodsmiths and Chadd’s Food Service to benefit both customers and suppliers. This is a match made in heaven in so many ways. Chadd’s Food Service customers can now source a wider range of high quality, local products, while Foodsmiths will be able to meet more of the day-to-day needs of the commercial kitchen or food retailer.”

Foodsmiths is keen to hear from producers of high quality ingredients or processed foods. The company can be contacted on 01752 841500 and more information on Chadd’s Food Service is available at www.chaddsfoods.co.uk

ENDS

Notes to editors: For more information, interviews or high resolution images, please contact Tim Bowcock at Black Cat Public Relations on 084500 9 10 23.