With more people returning to the office full time and our lifestyles getting ever busier, shoppers are increasingly looking for good quality, healthy and convenient food options to grab and go.
Bridge Cheese’s commercial manager Monica Chauhan says latest figures show that the food-to-go sector is likely to grow by 3.5 per cent this year and could be worth a whopping £23bn by the end of 2024, so wholesalers need to make sure they are stocking what the customer wants.
She said: “After years of working from home due to covid restrictions, the migration of workers back to the office is in full swing. According to research by Virgin Media O2, 40 per cent of companies are now asking staff to return to the office five days a week and 92 per cent are enforcing some mandatory time back in the office.
“With people back at their desks, we are seeing the return of the office lunch, and this is driving growth.
“Consumers today are demanding different options for lunch, whether that’s something that is high protein or high fibre, or something to really excite their tastebuds with flavour inspiration drawn from around the world. Breadth of range is key to bringing in more customers and keeping them coming back for more.”
Monica said cheese was always a firm favourite for customers looking for lunch options, with Bridge Cheese’s mozzarellas and cheddars firmly in the best sellers list – although mozzarella cheddar blends are increasingly popular.
She said customers want consistency and choice and, increasingly, healthier options. She said: “There will always be a demand for healthier food, as taking care of yourself never really goes out of fashion.
“Many food products that wholesalers stock are available in lower calorie or reduced fat options, whether it’s fresh lunchtime ingredients or pre-packaged items, so it’s worth offering customers flexibility so they can meet consumer demand for healthy lunches.
“Price is also a consideration. Consumers are not seeing a drop in food inflation yet, so retailers need to ensure lunch and food-to-go products are pitched to cater for all price points.
“To support customers who need to make some of their products more cost-effectively to lower the cost to consumers, wholesalers should consider stocking better value options, particularly for food service businesses.
“From a cheese perspective, for example, this could be a blended product which mixes flavourful mature cheddar with low-cost mild cheddar to reduce the cost of the final product without compromising on taste.
“In recent years, our value products have also become best-sellers for us as customers look for cheeses with functionality but at a lower price point, such as the fat-filled products which we make in-house.
“Consumers also want authentic flavours and recipes and it’s for food service outlets and retailers to deliver that. In our industry, there is definitely provenance when it comes to cheese – for example, we know that some customers specifically order West Country mature cheese, Italian parmesan or French brie.
“However, with the cost of raw materials increasing, this can be problematic as it reduces buying options and doesn’t allow customers to be as competitive on price.”
She advised wholesalers to offer a variety of core products alongside limited edition products and ingredients to allow customers to vary their menus to keep consumers interested. For cheese, this could be adding different cheese blends to the wholesale range.
Quality and consistency are key for businesses providing fresh food, and wholesalers need to get to know their customers well to maximise sales.
Monica said Bridge Cheese worked closely with its wholesale customers on an individual level. Flexibility on case sizes and minimum order numbers also helped remove some issues for wholesalers.
She added: “We work with our customers to understand their problems and come up with products to solve these issues. As part of improving our responsiveness, we are in the process of installing a pilot plant at our manufacturing base in Shropshire. Once up and running, this line will enable us to create a variety of functional cheese products and help our customers meet the needs of their customer base.
“We look at their customer base, what lunchtime and food-to-go products their customers are making and what price points the wholesalers need.
“It really is all about finding the right solution for each individual wholesaler customer, rather than a ‘one size fits all’ solution.”
