Since 1991 Caterforce has sourced the finest products from leading suppliers and supported its members with smart buying and innovative marketing solutions.
Gary Mullineux, managing director, Caterforce spoke to Wholesale Manager.
How many members do you have and what is their combined turnover?
Caterforce represents nine independent foodservice wholesalers across the UK and Ireland with a combined turnover of £870 million – a year-on-year growth of 10%. Since 2019, our collective growth stands at an impressive 62%, significantly outpacing the market’s 25%. These figures highlight both the ambition and long-term stability of our members.
What benefits do you offer members?
There is no membership fee to join Caterforce and our income distribution to members increased by 13% year on year. Our members get all the commercial advantages of being part of a buying group, such as competitive buying prices through economies of scale. Our central team manage multiple commodity tenders throughout the year to guarantee the best prices and ensure the highest quality products are always available to our members.
We host six Supplier Presentation Days each year, offering opportunities for members to discover new products and list new suppliers. Our members also have access to five exclusive, award-winning own brand ranges, giving them a competitive edge in their offerings.
What makes your group unique?
With just 9 members and a turnover over £870m, Caterforce is the most cost-effective route to reach 46,000 foodservice customers across the UK and Ireland.
Our bespoke Price Hub provides full pricing transparency for all members, while significantly reducing admin for suppliers and improving overall accuracy and efficiency.
Our head office data team ensures we maintain best-in-class, clean data. This means the reports available from our Sales Hub offer suppliers uniquely accurate insights into the performance of their products.
Collaboration is at the heart of everything we do. With no competition clauses in our constitution, members openly share best practices and knowledge, creating a truly supportive group environment.
Our members are regional champions, each proud of their heritage and independence. Every member has a seat at the Board table and actively participates in decision-making, ensuring that all voices are heard and that the direction of the group is shaped by its members.
Do you have an own brand range? How many products are in the range? Do you have any new extensions to the range at the moment?
We offer over 400 products across five exclusive own brand ranges with a turnover of £85m. Our brands include Chefs’ Selections, Premium Collection, Eden Grove, Roast 440 and Clene Guard.
This year, we’re expanding our own brand range even further with the launch of an additional 50 new products. We are committed to continuous improvement, with our in-house technical team regularly reviewing and enhancing our products — from refining ingredients to reducing salt and sugar levels — all while making sure our range aligns with our sustainability goals.
Sustainability is a key focus for us, and in 2025, all our outer packaging will be 100% unbleached cardboard, reducing environmental impact while maintaining high product protection standards.
We also work closely with a development chef to bring our quarterly food trend guide to life using our own brand products.
Do you run promotions? What kind of promotional offers do you have?
Monthly promotions are managed through our bespoke Price Hub platform, with new deals shared with our members every month. Our in-house creative team also produces promotional brochures for members to share with their customers.
Do you run events for members?
We host a diverse calendar of events throughout the year, including six Supplier Presentation Days dedicated to discovering new products and forging relationships with innovative suppliers. Our Sales Team Roadshows help educate members’ teams on our exclusive own-brand ranges, while our marketing events—such as food study tours—are designed to spark inspiration and fresh thinking.
Every two years, we bring the industry together for our flagship Conference and Awards Dinner, a much-anticipated highlight on the sector’s calendar.
What news do you have to share with us?
We’ve had a strong start to 2025, beginning with two well-deserved promotions within our central Buying Team. This has further strengthened the department, and the impact is already clear—in Q1 alone, we’ve expanded our supplier network by welcoming eighteen new suppliers, who now have access to 46,000 independent foodservice customers, significantly boosting their market potential.
We’re also continuing to invest in the development of our central team, supporting growth from within.
In line with the Championing Change report by Women in Wholesale, we’re actively working with our members to spotlight the incredible women driving success across our group.
We are also delighted to welcome our new Chairman, Graham Jenkins, Managing Director of Pioneer Foodservice, whose leadership and experience will be instrumental as we continue to grow and evolve. It’s an exciting time for our organisation, and we’re proud to be building momentum on all fronts.
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