Prepared fruit specialist PrepWorld recently marked 10 years in business with the opening of a new production facility in Northfleet, Kent.
In conversation with FPJ editor Fred Searle, the company’s CEO and founder Ben Olins sets out the opportunities the move will bring the business in terms of increasing capacity, expanding into new products, and offering a better working environment.
When PrepWorld entered the prepared fruit sector back in 2012, the market was already mature, and Olins explains that “kind of by necessity” the company has focused on doing things differently to its competitors and offering shoppers something new – an approach that has yielded rapid growth, with PrepWorld now accounting for more than 20 per cent of the UK market in prepared fruit.
This fast growth has brought significant challenges, notably the need to keep investing in new equipment and expanding capacity.
According to Olins, the company sees itself as a fruit company rather than a manufacturer, giving PrepWorld a point of difference within the marketplace, Olins says.
He emphasises the company’s closeness to its grower base and says growing up in such an influential fresh produce family has given him a passion for the industry and a better understanding of the challenges faced by producers.
