Touring Hazeldene’s modern, high-tech facility in Wigan, it is hard to believe that the company started life in 1976 as the brainchild of a family radish-growing business in Tarleton, Lancashire.
In 1990, the firm established itself under the name Hazeldene Foods and in the latter part of the 1990s its focus switched entirely to processing salads.
A decade later and the business is quite a different beast from its humble roots. Today, Hazeldene is a member of the William Jackson Food Group and a brand-new management team operates from a sparkling facility that is not even three years old.
“There was a lot of growth in the early 2000s at our original site in Tarleton, which is right in the middle of the growing region,” says managing director Simon Ball. “By 2004, it became evident that the business required a significant level of investment if it was to move forward. As a result of this, the business became part of the William Jackson Food Group in January 2005.
“This site in Wigan was purchased two months later and the next few months were spent turning the facility from a curtain factory into a salad processing unit, with an investment of around £11 million. All of our production and processing was transferred here from our old Tarleton site in 2006.”
The facility is not yet at full capacity, with 80,000sqft in operation and room to expand. But, despite having new owners, a newly recruited team and a new facility, Hazeldene remains true to its roots, working with 11 UK growers and sourcing 72 per cent of its programmed leaf volumes from a 20-mile radius around the factory. One of the original suppliers to the firm from the 1970s remains a key source to this day.
It is this ethos, with its combination of longstanding agricultural values and modern, dynamic thinking, that Hazeldene is keen to get across with the updated brand it unveiled in October.
“We are incredibly proud of our roots and our agricultural heritage, but the business today is entirely different,” says Ball. “The factory move and acquisition have been disruptive but were absolutely required.”
Hazeldene has spent the last year getting its name into the limelight, culminating with the launch of a fresh, modern logo under the strapline ‘naturally fresh’, developed in conjunction with Edinburgh-based consultancy threebrand design ltd.
“The re-brand is very much a statement of intent and is about re-introducing ourselves to the trade,” says Ball. “We wanted an identity that is contemporary and fresh and that is supported by fundamental brand values.
“Re:fresh was the perfect way to kickstart that process and the first stage of showing what we have achieved. Winning meant a lot to us and we had representatives from across the business at the ceremony.”
The new brand has so far been well accepted, and feedback from customers is really positive. “People think the new brand is much fresher,” says commercial director Finlay Dawson. “Our customers love it. Our new brand reflects the fact that we see ourselves as produce people who understand the business. Simon has worked in the industry for 20 years now, for example.”
Along with Ball and Dawson, the new management structure is completed by Richard Fulwell in the role of finance director and Simon Hendry as technical director.
“We understand what it takes to get the product through the right processes and we care about seasonality,” says Dawson. “We also, however, have a clear focus on regionality. Out of the UK season we use product from the most appropriate sources, mainly Spain, where we have an office in Murcia, the Canary Islands for tomatoes, Italy and France.”
Produce is also sourced from Israel, Morocco and the US when necessary, ensuring Hazeldene has year-round supply of more than 30 different salad leaves, tomatoes, peppers, onions and carrots, among other lines. Major clients include Somerfield, Iceland, Greggs and Subway. Indeed, following on from its Re:fresh success, Hazeldene has become a regular on the awards circuit, recently scooping the Subway Supplier of the Year 2008 gong at the restaurant chain’s annual ceremony.
The rest of the company’s portfolio comprises manufacturers, bakers, quick-serve restaurants and other foodservice and delivered wholesale clients.
Andy Gater, factory manager, explains how flexibility is key on the factory floor when it comes to meeting the full range of clients’ demands. “We are very flexible and have contingencies should anything go wrong with one of the lines,” says Gater. “We supply small bags for retail and foodservice and also larger bags for foodservice and food manufacturing.”
The factory employs 200-300 people depending on the time of year and can process up to 360 tonnes of salad a week in the height of summer. “Investment into the facility is ongoing, with a bespoke line for handling baby leaf recently installed, along with a new dryer and a colour sorter using infrared technology to sift out extraneous matter from the salads,” says Gater.
Recycling, water recycling and cutting down energy usage are also key priorities. “We try to save energy and each department has got a switch-off champion to make sure the machines aren’t on when they don’t need to be,” says Gater. “We are also involved in water recycling projects.”
Some of Hazeldene’s customers have incredibly demanding microbiological specifications, says Gater. “Our experience in this area positions us well to supply the food manufacturing sector, where our product comes into direct contact with proteins.
“In addition, we understand the importance of service levels. If we don’t make the delivery in full and on time we disrupt our customers’ production runs. We pride ourselves on our ability to provide a high-quality supply in full.”
Hazeldene has turned its decision not to supply the big four multiples into a unique selling point. “Our business is about focus and we don’t believe you can give foodservice and food manufacturing customers the service they require if you are a key supplier to the big four,” says Dawson.
But the firm is looking to expand its reach into the wholesale and independent retail business, and the company’s new image will be backed up in January with the launch of a range of Hazeldene-branded bagged salads aimed at these sectors.
“It is far too easy to underestimate the importance of wholesale,” says Ball. “The wholesale sector feeds into the independent retail sector and that is an area our product is not going into at the moment. I think wholesale is still an exciting opportunity and Marcel Roberti has joined us from Redbridge to develop that side of the business.”
Hazeldene is also looking to secure new business among food manufacturers and is confident there will be no drop-off in demand from that sector. “Quick-serve restaurants such as Subway are doing well in this climate and we are well placed to benefit,” says Dawson. “We have a mix of clients and a steady base to rely on. There are, of course, seasonal peaks and troughs, but most of our customers are fairly recession-proof.”
“At the end of the day, people always need to eat,” adds Ball. “The health trend has been here for some time now and that benefits salads. Convenience is also still a strong trend.”
Ball is certainly confident that Hazeldene is well placed to weather the economic downturn. “The William Jackson Food Group is a privately owned business with a great history and a positive financial situation,” he says. “That gives us a level of financial security and foundation that I think will be incredibly important over the next few years.
Building up the right team with the right experience at its fingertips is crucial to Hazeldene’s success. “When we bring people to the business they have to fit in with our value set - we want our customers to enjoy dealing with us. We are very grounded,” says Ball.
So what next for the up-and-coming firm? The next 12 months will be all about firmly establishing the updated brand in the wholesale and foodservice sectors, says Ball. “The real momentum kicked in from last year with our new senior team and new owners in place. It is important to us that we have a blend of people with produce backgrounds and manufacturing expertise.
“If anything, we have only just got going,” he adds.
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