Drywite Young Fish Frier of the Year James Ellams organised another successful industry trip this week, visiting the Kerry Foods factory in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire.
James was joined by friers from Donington Fish & Chips, Burton Road Chippy and Carvers Fish & Chips, as well as range supplier KFE.
The visit included an introduction to Kerry Foods from site manager Angie Grocock, who gave the group an overview of the company’s history and growth, followed by a documentary charting its development over the past 60 years.
“I had no idea Kerry Foods was so big,” explained James. “They’ve been operating for around 60 years, having started out producing milk before growing into one of the world’s major food producers. The company now has more than 19,000 employees and 119 manufacturing locations, with Kerry ingredients used in food eaten by around 1.5 billion people around the world.”
The group then headed onto the factory floor for a tour of the flour mill, where they saw batter brands Henry Jones and Goldensheaf being manufactured.
“That was really interesting because we followed the different stages involved in turning wheat into flour, including a visit to the control room,” said James. “Here operators can monitor the process in considerable detail, including the number of grains of wheat in each batch.”
National account manager Alan Pearce also gave a presentation on Kerry’s approach to sustainability, including its work with regenerative farming and its efforts to reduce its carbon footprint by sourcing its wheat within a 50-mile radius of factory.
The group discussed how the fish and chip industry has changed and modernised over the last 10 to 20 years, with topics including online ordering, diversification of menus and the growing role of social media.
Explaining the significance of the trip, James added: “We’ve used Kerry products at Fish & Chips at Weston Grove for as long as I can remember, so to visit the factory and get an appreciation for how they are produced was a great opportunity. These are things you wouldn’t normally get to see standing behind the range in a fish and chip shop.
“It was great to share the experience with other people in the industry and for us all to get a better understanding of Kerry as a company, and the scale of what they do. They don’t just supply the fish and chip industry, they supply the whole world!”
