Absolute Taste & The Premier Group have now announced their new business venture ‘The Menu Partners’ designed to be the new leading food sourcing, procurement and distribution partner to hotels, pubs and restaurants across the UK.
In March 2020, the coronavirus pandemic decimated the industry. With UK Hospitality reporting that just 11% of businesses were able to operate normally during the COVID-19 lockdown.
The Premier Group, owned by Jason Tanner, has been supplying fresh fruit and vegetables to the catering and hospitality industry from their depots at New Covent Garden Market, Brighton and Oxford for nearly 20 years.
When the pandemic struck, The Premier Group, a supplier to Absolute Taste for a number of years, recognised immediately that, although eateries were closed, the public needed fresh food delivered to their homes. Supermarkets were struggling with the public stockpiling of food and they were trying to cope with a huge increase in demand. New systems were put in, and website adapted; food was delivered to over 5,000 households per week.
Absolute Taste, owned by Nigel Harris the former owner of a leading foodservice company, Fresh Direct, and Absolute Taste Food, the high street food production partner, faced an uncertain future. Rallying together they created a range of ready meals for a supermarket chain and, alongside a number of partners, launched ‘Salute
The NHS’ a charity committed to delivering 1 million meals to NHS workers on the COVID-19 front line.
Fast-forward 6 months: Nigel and Jason, alongside their respective board of directors launched The Menu Partners – a consolidated delivery solution of fresh, frozen, dry goods, dairy, pre-prepared and pre-cooked
food to hospitality customers across the country.
Nigel Harris commented on the new partnership, explaining how: ‘The Menu Partners has been an idea we have been contemplating for the last year and, with the current situation we find ourselves in, we feel this is
the perfect time to look at the future of foodservice. Chefs don’t have time to manage a huge number of suppliers and The Menu Partners takes that away from them, providing them with a consolidated solution and a
streamlined ordering process.’
Jason Tanner added: ‘Having worked with Nigel for over 20 years we understand the way each other’s businesses work and the challenges we both face in the future. Having combined our customers and activities into
one, we have strengthened one another and our combined facilities leave us perfectly placed to service our customers in a way we believe is the future.’
The Menu Partners will now work out of The Shed in Bicester, New Covent Garden Market and
Brighton, working to redefine the future of food supply.