Meet the finalists: Employer of the Year 2025

Six manufacturers have made it through to the grand final of the Food Manufacture Excellence Awards, with one of them set to take home the Employer of the Year 2025 title.

The finalists not only managed to impress in stage one of the competition (online written entries), but also a second Dragon’s Den style stage 2 interview.

The successful candidates each presented to the judges and were then faced with a Q&A. From there the finalists were chosen.

Charlie Bigham's Ltd

Charlie Bigham’s is a certified ‘Great Place to Work’ with its engagement score keeping it listed as a top employer for 4 years in a row. It has also recently been recognised for gender equality.

The firm says it ‘believes each individual, across every team, plays an essential role in delivering the kind of food that delights’ its customers and supports them with tools and opportunities to grow.  

This is reflected in its flat structure leadership style and lack of head office title; rather than assigning prominence to one location in particular, the business is divided into two ‘kitchens’ and encouraged to think of itself as one unit.

“We have two kitchens in Charlie Bigham’s and we use that word very deliberately. We're about beautiful, delicious homemade food and you make homemade food in the kitchen. So we have two kitchens, but we also don't have a head office. And in some ways, I think that is so symbolic as to why we are such a brilliant employer because what that means is there is no sort of ‘us and them’ mentality. We are all part of Charlie Bingham's,”​ explained people director for Charlie Bigham’s Pam Schmid.

Among the perks offered at Charlie Bigham’s, there is a monthly king/queen nominated within each kitchen by their peers, as well as a celebration of the best performing teams, who enjoy a night out paid by the company. Long service employees are also recognised through its Long Service Suppers hosted by Charlie.

The company also holds regular employee engagement activities across both its kitchens including free family fun days, summer events and Christmas parties.

A particular standout feature for the judges was its ‘hardship’ fund – a pot for those in need of financial assistance.

Every new joiner in production or support, receives induction training, covering basic compliance in food, and health and safety, as well as in brand and company values.

Moreover, the company holds monthly meetings with employee representatives via its staff councils to get their say on wellbeing initiatives.

Finnebrogue

Finnebrogue has renewed its people strategy, which has seen it focus on career pathways, talent development and inclusivity. The new strategy has seen a 22% reduction in staff turnover, a 43% decrease in absenteeism, and a 31% rise in job applications over the past two years.

The company offers above-national-living-wage pay and enhanced rates for night shifts. Finnebrogue also provides initiatives like the ‘Food Shack’, giving weekly food bundles to support financial well-being and reduce waste.

Finnebrogue’s wellness programmes encompass gym memberships and 24-hour counselling services, with additional on-site mental health support via Insula Wellbeing. The company fosters an inclusive environment with enhanced family leave policies and flexible working options, including the ‘Returner’s Programme’ for those coming back after extended breaks.

The workplace features a roof garden with subsidised canteen, and a wellbeing and development hub for training, mentoring and social activities. Finnebrogue also celebrates employee achievements through annual awards ceremonies, recognising long-service and performance.

In the last 12 months, the company has been working with charities to develop a programme to provide employment opportunities for neurodiverse individuals and those with disabilities.

It has also recently launched a mental health programme which has been expanded to night shift workers and offers confidential one-on-one support from trained counsellors on site each week.

The judges were impressed by its move towards flexible working and how technology was being introduced via apps with a view to using tech to support flexibility for operations colleagues in the future.

The company has also partnered with institutions such as Queen’s University Belfast to offer employees further training and development. A notable programme is the ‘Executive Future Leadership Programme’ with Toward Ltd, designed to prepare future senior leaders.

These and other initiatives have earned Finnebrogue bronze Diversity Mark Accreditation.

“You’re not a number, you're very much a colleague that's respected and there's opportunity for career progression. We have career pathways, so if you come in as an operative, you know what you need to do to become a factory manager. Development and innovation are very much supported,” ​Melissa Mackey, Finnebrogue’s head of talent, told the judges.

Fresh Olive Company T/A Belazu Ingredient Company

The Belazu Ingredient Company is a small but growing business, employing around 230 people.

It is going through significant change as a business, rethinking much of what it does to ensure quality and integrity whilst scaling up in ambition. The company places its success in its team who has committed to its growth journey. It describes them as ‘resourceful, passionate and customer focused’.

Product, people and planet have been the focus of Belazu since its beginnings and that remains so today as a subsidiary business of the William Jackson Food Group (WJFG).

The team’s efforts have resulted in 113 Great Taste Stars, a reduction in food waste in its production process of more than 8 tonnes in the past year, the removal of 11.9 tonnes of plastic from its product packaging, and B Corp certification.

Three percent of its annual profits go to the Belazu Foundation, giving back to the communities it works with at home and within its supply chain. The focus of the charitable support ‘at home’ is in food education and food poverty.

The business has worked with local charities such as Chefs in Schools, School Food Matters, and the Iffley Academy.

Further down its supply chain in Morocco, it has worked with the Zakoura Foundation. Since 2003, when the two begun collaborating, Belazu has helped support the education of more than 1,200 women and children in the communities it sources olives from.

The business offers two volunteer days per year, either for a charity of the individual’s choice or aligned to its charity foundation. It also provides long service rewards, finance wellbeing support with access to loans, advances and financial education; a monthly appreciation wall and annual awards; and biannual whole business socials and team events throughout the year.

The business also has an overarching ‘Commitment to Care’ initiative, which offers crisis line support to all colleagues, generally supporting financially in difficult situations, with particular focus on carers and victims of domestic abuse.

The business also provides a range of learning opportunities such as emerging leader training programmes, aspiring manager training, and food and wine tastings, to name a few.

Moreover, it boasts a self-selecting ‘JEDI (Justice, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion) Committee’, which shines a light on areas that need business support.

“There will always be that one corner of the business that you feel you haven’t got to. But as a business we are always trying – we’re constantly trying to get into those corners and make sure everyone’s got an opportunity to find their voice,” ​Vicky O’Hare, head of people for Belazu, told the judges.

Noble Foods

Noble Foods returned to family ownership in 2019 under Sarah Dean, as it set to shift away from what it described as a ‘profit-drive mindset’ to one that ‘prioritises people’.

This transformation began with rebuilding its leadership team, including the appointment of CEO Duncan Everett in 2020, and was further driven by the creation of the Noble Leaders Group (NLG). This group of 40 influential colleagues from various sectors of the business has played a pivotal role in driving cultural change, developing the company ethos ‘To better nourish people, animals, and planet’.

These efforts have led to impressive improvements, including a reduction in employee turnover from 62% to 35%, a significant decrease in absence rates, and a 38% reduction in lost-time accidents between 2022 and 2023.

Noble Foods’ values have been built from the ground up, with its diversity, equality and inclusion strategy focusing way beyond just gender. The real-life examples presented in the interview were a big highlight and demonstrated the impact the company has had on its people.

“Our values come under the acronym ‘To Care’ - but these [values] didn't originate from the family, nor did they originate from the leadership team. They came from our people,”​ explained Louisa Hogarty, Noble Foods group HR director.

Over the last year, the business has also been focused on advancing social mobility within the workforce. To this end, it has introduced its first ‘Social Mobility Manager Development Cohort’, aimed at creating pathways for talent from diverse socio-economic backgrounds. Additionally, it has enhanced DE&I training for all staff and is continuing to build partnerships that will allow it to support upward mobility and inclusion in agriculture.

Among its perks, the company offers annual health checks, life assurance, free eye tests, and discounted health plans and gym memberships. It also provides enhanced parental leave policies, flexible working options, and part-time opportunities.

Moreover, the annual colleague survey ensures that every voice is heard, allowing employees to actively contribute to the workplace culture.

Noble Foods has also launched its ‘Future Leaders Program’, an initiative aimed at developing the next generation of leaders. This programme includes fundamental leadership training to address skill gaps, followed by an innovative, digitally supported development journey. It focuses on building confidence, enhancing self-awareness, and fostering strong networks among our leaders.

A standout feature of the Future Leaders Program is the company’s collaboration with the charity Magic Breakfast. Participants engage in real-world projects, such as optimising logistics for breakfast deliveries to children and strategising the charity’s geographical growth. These projects challenge its leaders to think creatively, solve complex problems and coach others, all while contributing to a greater cause.

One the business’s goals for the future is to hit a 40% goal of female managers by 2030. To support this, it has launched targeted initiatives such as ‘Women in Leadership’ in partnership with Raise the Bar, and created development content based on feedback from the ‘Women at Noble’ group.

The company has great retention levels, with a particularly lovely tough being its ‘This is your Life’ book – a collection of memories team members help put together which is gifted to those who reach 25-year milestone at the business as a keepsake.

The company has had continued recognition in the ‘Best Companies’ survey, where it has been maintained as ‘One to Watch’ for three consecutive years.

Sleaford Quality Foods

Sleaford Quality Foods company’s headcount has increased exponentially over the last four years as a direct result of business growth.

Consequently, the business has introduced a second shift during 2024 to run various lines with its production facility to support the continuous growth and ensure customer service is maintained. Not only has this resulted in an increase in production colleagues but also the supporting functions such as quality assurance, warehouse and hygiene.

Sleaford prides itself on being a flexible business, supporting a variety of working patterns. This also extends to the consideration of phased working hours following medical intervention. Moreover, in 2023, the business trialled a ‘welfare hour’ across the business whereby all colleagues benefitted from a reduction in working hours without the loss of any salary. This proved successful and became a permanent fixture.

Sleaford is aiming to be ‘an employer of choice’, and in 2022 it partnered with Best Companies to measure, recognise and improve workplace engagement.

Based on feedback, it has introduced initiatives such as the ‘Passport to Success’ programme for new starters, a values-based performance appraisal, and a company charity day. The business is now preparing for its third survey.

The business gained accreditation from the Living Wage Foundation in September 2023. It also has a number of mental health and well-being initiatives in place and offers non-contributory membership to a ‘Health Scheme and Employee Assistance Programme’.

The company actively supports its local community through sponsorships, partnerships with schools and charities, and by collaborating with an environmental consultancy to achieve the ‘Net Zero Standard’. It also promotes total transparency to all colleagues in respect of company performance via yearly company meetings which provides information on the business’ financials, key priorities, continuous improvement projects and wellbeing initiatives.

One highlight for the judging panel was the weight placed on the art of listening.

Managing director James Arnold stressed the importance of this at Sleaford in this interview: “I don't sit here and pretend to have all the solutions or answers. It's all about engagement. Listen to people who do the job day in and day out; you may have ideas how you can do it better yourself, but equally they may have some great ideas. You’ve got to listen – and I think we do,”​ he told the judging panel.

The Compleat Food Group

Back in 2021, a new business, The Compleat Food Group, was created from two companies, Addo and Winterbotham Derby, with an ambition to become the UK’s leading chilled prepared food company.

To do this, Compleat wanted to bring together its expansive team of more than 5,000 employees across multiple together to create a ‘connected’ culture.

It started by creating a single HR team, appointing its first chief people officer and gathering feedback from all its sites across a variety of roles.

During the interview stage, Lisa Thompson, The Compleat Food Group’s head of HR, emphasised the fast-paced nature of the business, which has been growing exponentially with several more acquisitions made this year.

“It's critical that we move at pace, but we always have to keep the quality there,”​ Thompson said, highlighting the importance of creating a unified, strong and nurturing company culture.

A big part of creating and maintaining this culture has been the inception of the company’s ‘Club Compleat’, a portal which brings together a range of perks and learning resources, as well as being a communication platform to share good news.

To ensure all employees engaged with the new platform, the business launched Club Compleat with a three-week roadshow which turned the rollout of the new system into a celebration at every site. Senior leaders kicked off each event, delivering speeches that expressed gratitude to colleagues, alongside games with prizes, breakout training sessions, and a buffet lunch featuring a range of products from each site to further reinforce the brand’s identity.

Over the last 12 months, the business has launched the ‘Future Talent Network’, a community designed to nurture the development of young professionals within its organisation through networking events, skill-building workshops and group wide projects.

The business is also engaging young people through its ‘Youth Advisory Board’, which brings together young people from across the country to discuss issues around sustainability and careers in the food industry.

It has also introduced a ‘Group Leadership Programme’, designed to support and cultivate the talents of its leaders. The programme covers presentation skills and a deep dive into participating employee’s strengths and behavioural profiles. A confidence programme for women led by its chief people officer has also been rolled out in the last year.

In addition, a wellbeing team has been established to raise awareness, provide resources and offer support. To date, this team has delivered webinars and wellbeing packs on topics such as suicide awareness, alcohol awareness and stress; as well as sharing employee stories and hosting roadshows wherein the members have visited sites to share resources and information.

More widely as part of Club Compleat, colleagues can access resources on mental health topics in one place, as well as hundreds of on-demand exercise classes, recipes and discounts on gym memberships to support their physical wellbeing.

It also home to a number of communities led by colleagues at all levels in the business. This includes the nature group, who promote biodiversity at its sites through litter picking, the installation of bird boxes and bug and bee hotels; as well as a LGBTQIA+ Network, menopause community group, and neurodiversity group.

The Food Manufacture Excellence Awards 2025 are kindly supported by headliner Menzies​​​ and event sponsors Niras​​​, Quor​​​, and Watermill Press.​​

Click here to see the full breakdown of finalists for 2025's awards.​​