Bakkavor and Greencore rivals join forces

“We came from competing businesses and joined forces to become a powerful force,”​ Jones told FoodManufacture.co.uk. Jones worked for Greencore, while Bingham was previously employed by Samworth Brothers and Bakkavor.

In addition, they have run, owned and worked at critically acclaimed Michelin-starred restaurants and transferred those skills into product development.

“We have worked for separate blue chip suppliers of supermarkets and throughout our careers have had wins and losses against each other,” ​Jones said, explaining how he came to team up with Bingham.

‘Twist of fate’​

“However, a twist of fate saw us working together on a project and it soon became clear we were not only on the same page, but also that we were each other’s better side. This meant that any idea one of us had would be augmented by the other.”​

Jones claimed they had already received tremendous support from the industry for their new venture. “I can’t believe the positive response we have had. We have had endorsements from Morrisons, Tesco and Bakkavor.”​

As a team they could tackle development projects “in a more concentrated time frame” ​than standard development chefs, they said.

“Not only that, but while either Bingham or Jones are in the test kitchen, the other can be handling the costings, the packaging, the sensory bookings and the critical path of the products,”​ said Jones.

‘Higher strike rate’​

“We would then be able to come together and look at the development and make the necessary changes before we put them in front of clients’ teams. This allows us to achieve a higher strike rate of ‘right first time’.”​

The business partners, who both boast broad experience of own-label and branded product development, promise their speedy turnarounds would save firms cash and enable clients to work more efficiently to deadline and budget.