The Country Range Group celebrated the tremendous work of its members and suppliers at its annual ‘An Evening with’ event, which was held on the 2nd of December in the Conservatory of the world-renowned Barbican Centre in the City of London.
The event, which was compered by award-winning comedian Russell Kane, was attended by senior team members and directors and incorporate the annual Country Range Group awards.
Country Range Group Managing Director Coral Rose said: “It’s definitely been a difficult 18 months for our members, staff and suppliers so to reunite together in a venue as stunning as the Barbican Conservatory was a fitting celebration of everyone’s hard work and success. It was fantastic to see so many friendly faces again and a huge congratulations must go to all those who picked up awards on the night.”
The 2021 Member Award Winners were as follows:
- Best Branded Supporter – Creed Foodservice
- Best Own Brand Supporter – Birchall Foodservice
- Best Digital Activation – Turner Price
- Group Member of the Year – Turner Price
The 2021 Supplier Award Winners were as follows:
- Marketing Excellence – Unilever Food Solutions
- Business Relationship – Premier Foods
- Service Performance – D’Arta
- Insight Data Champion – Nestle Professional
- Own Brand Supplier of the Year – Rich Sauces
- Frozen Supplier of the Year – Lamb Weston
- Branded Supplier of the Year – Unilever Food Solutions
There was also a charity raffle on the night which raised £5,360 for Hospitality Action.
The past year has been one of the most challenging for Country Range Group members and their customers but the Group has shown brilliant resilience in the face of adversity and still managed to increase turnover year-on-year.
Country Range Group External Chairman Ton Christiaanse, who began his role in June this year, said: “I’m delighted to be part of such a successful organisation with a great reputation and look forward to further growth as we enter our 30th anniversary year in 2022. The event was a fantastic celebration of everyone’s successes during an extremely tough year for the foodservice sector so a huge congratulations to all who won awards.”
As well as running a series of live sales webinar events with suppliers, over 20 new products were also added to the Country Range own brand portfolio to help chefs and caterers stay at the forefront of the latest food and drink trends. The brand’s sponsorship of the Student Chef Challenge, which is run in conjunction with the Craft Guild of Chefs and is widely regarded as the pinnacle for catering students, has also been maintained to help nurture the next generation of chefs looking to embark on a future career in the industry.
About the Country Range Group
With over 25 years of heritage servicing the UK & Ireland’s innovative foodservice sector, the Country Range Group is made up of 12 independent wholesalers – Birchall Foodservice, Blakemore Foodservice, Caterite Foodservice, Creed Foodservice, Dunns Food and Drinks, EFG Foodservice, Harvest Fine Foods, Henderson Foodservice, Savona Foodservice, Thomas Ridley Foodservice, Trevors Foodservice and Turner Price.
In addition to offering the leading brands from around the globe, the Group also provides over 800 products, all developed exclusively for professional caterers under the Country Range brand. Covering grocery, chilled, frozen and non-food, Country Range is widely recognised by caterers as a trusted and reliable brand delivering consistent quality and value for money without compromising on taste and flavour.
The Group also publishes its trade magazine Stir it up 10 times a year, which features the latest food, drink and industry news, Country Range brand promotions and in-depth trend reports and sector specific guides to support and inspire all foodservice caterers.
www.countryrange.co.uk