Wanting to do things differently at Caterfood Buying Group (CFBG), creating its own-brand range, The Caterfood Collection, has been no exception. The process has followed a unique and collaborative approach, focusing first and foremost on quality.
The strategy behind the range has been to source the best products on the market and bring them to CFBG Members at a competitive price under The Caterfood Collection label.
Making its mark in the industry, CFBG aims to champion exceptional food and drink and plans to achieve this by developing a top-quality and reliable own-brand range. As well as by working with the best suppliers in the industry to offer a diverse, exciting and high-quality product range overall – bringing new products and brands into foodservice where possible.
Products for The Caterfood Collection are tried, tested and selected at bi-monthly CFBG Tasting Panels, attended by key Buying and Sales representatives from across the CFBG Central Team and its eight member businesses. This ensures a detailed, collaborative and democratic process is followed when choosing each product. Currently, there are 150 Caterfood Collection products available, with new lines added as soon as they are ready.
The range is designed to have three tiers – Caterfood Basics, Caterfood Select and Caterfood Premium, offering customers a Good, Better and Best option. CFBG is aiming to have up to 400 own-brand products commissioned by the summer, including adding more lines in bakery, patisserie, juices, seafood and butchery.
Gavin Scott, Business Development Director for CFBG, said: “When it comes to our own-brand offering, put simply, we don’t want to stock the same products as everyone else just with a different label on it. Instead, we’ve put a lot of time and effort into comparing different suppliers, taste-tasting hundreds of different products and selecting items for The Caterfood Collection based on the quality and flavour of the products. Then securing that product at a good deal for CFBG.
“It’s not a quick process, but we believe it will definitely be worth it in the long run. The most important thing is that the Buyers from all of our Member businesses have been involved in the process; so the products have the backing of the whole Group.
“We want the customers of our members to get a great product which stands up to the competition – at a great price – knowing that they can buy with confidence from The Caterfood Collection. We’ve also not just stuck to the same tried and tested producers, often opting to work with smaller, more artisan producers, if we feel the product is right. Whereas other buying groups may overlook a smaller producer, we’re willing to be more open-minded.
“Covering all the must-have items from tinned tomatoes to chips, to scones and cakes to ready-to-use sauces, we’re really proud of everything in the range so far. To put it bluntly; if we don’t like it, we just won’t list it. Soon, The Caterfood Collection will be well-known in the industry for its quality.”
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