New Catering Division to Add Bite to Workplace Lunches
Posted on 05/02/2016
A major investment by a Bristol-based firm could change the way large manufacturers and businesses think about the way they feed their staff.
Total facilities management firm Almeda has launched a new catering division that will see it re-vamp and re-invigorate the staff restaurant and food area, as well as changing perceptions around food and drink in the workplace.
International building materials company Hanson UK is already working with Almeda to completely renovate its in-house restaurant, with the family-run firm not just building the space but also providing and cooking the food.
As part of the process, Almeda surveyed staff on the types of food they want and has created a menu around this, which is rich in vitamins, minerals and iron.
Brady George, Managing Director of Almeda, is a long-term advocate of healthy eating, and in 2015 built a vegetable patch at his offices, so staff could grow their own food.
He comments: “A lack of nutrients from too many processed foods and not enough fruits and vegetables can leave people feeling as if they’re working at only a fraction of their capacity. But not only that, fresh food tastes better. There has been a real drive towards eating more healthily at home, so why not at work?
“For us as a business it makes sense – as we are already managing every aspect of our customers’ buildings, so why not their in-house food provision.”
The current UK market size of the food service management sector is estimated at £4.1bn, an increase of 3 per cent over the past year.
Almeda has appointed Gordon Cox to oversee the launch and hired a team of food and drink experts and branding professionals to work on the project.
Almeda will be running a June open day and is inviting food bloggers to sample first-hand the types of food which will be available under the new and improved menu offering.
Brady: “It’s a major investment for the business, but it will be game-changing. We are now calling on businesses to get in touch and see what we can offer, and how it would benefit them.”
