Taywell’s turnover rose 70% in the last financial year (ending 31 October 2011) and is on course to double in the current year on the back of many new business wins over the past 12 months.  These include a nationwide contract to supply wholesaler Costco and the manufacturing and distribution rights for the hit ice cream for dogs – Billy+Margot (www.billyandmargot.com).

In response, Taywell has kitted out its factory in Paddock Wood, Kent, with new facilities that will enable the company to service rapidly growing numbers of orders from current and future customers.  It’s the second major expansion for Taywell in the past two years, coming after the completion of a new £100,000 kitchen in November 2010.

The latest re-fit includes the installation of a new 600-litre mixing plant, a rotary filling machine, a continuous freezer and fruit feeder, and increased pallet freezer space.  Further investment to the tune of £20,000 is planned soon.

Taywell managing director Alastair Jessel said: “In spite of the continuing economic downturn we continue to see incredible growth in sales of our premium ice creams and sorbets, particularly in the out-of-home and restaurant sector.  It demonstrates that, even when finances are stretched, demand for high quality and affordable treats – such as our products – remains robust.  Our £200,000 investment in new machinery and storage will ensure we can keep providing a high level of service to our existing customers – and new ones, too.”

Taywell produces a wide range of luxury ice creams and sorbets made using the finest, local ingredients.  They include the recently launched Kent Cobnut ice cream, which is hand-made by blending crushed, end-of-season Kent-grown cobnuts (the tastiest) with Wealden milk and cream.

Its award-winning, 50%-fruit Raspberry sorbet, meanwhile, is produced using Kentish raspberries, some of which are grown on Taywell’s own farm in Sissinghurst.  The fruit is de-pipped by hand and the juice cooked with natural sugars to produce a rich, creamy taste and texture.

Alastair said: “We’re very proud of our artisan ice creams and sorbets, and we believe our growing order book is testimony to their quality.  This latest investment in new manufacturing and storage capabilities will ensure we can keep supplying our customers with sufficient amounts of the high quality products for which we are quickly becoming renowned.”

Download this news release as a PDF

The event was held at theUKheadquarters of KIMBERLY-CLARK PROFESSIONAL* inReigate,Surrey, from 30 April to 4 May.  It was designed to engage employees and encourage them to take ‘small steps’ to improve their personal ecological footprint.

Ahead of the week, KIMBERLY-CLARK PROFESSIONAL* staff completed a survey to establish their own ecological footprint.  Then, during the course of Sustainability Week, KIMBERLY-CLARK PROFESSIONAL* staged a series of activities designed to provide staff with ideas on how to reduce their environmental impact.

A big favourite was the EcoDriving simulator, which challenged players to drive as fuel-efficiently as possible.  Also popular was the Water Explorer, a quiz-based game designed to help people make the link between water, climate change and their own everyday habits.

KIMBERLY-CLARK PROFESSIONAL* staff were also given the opportunity to try a selection of sustainably-produced food in the company’s canteen.  In addition, employees were promised a bag of free sustainable Kimberly-Clark branded products if they made a personal sustainability pledge.  During the week, staff were able to win numerous prizes for participating in various events, including hampers of Fairtrade food and £50 Visa vouchers.

Lori Shaffer, Sustainability Marketing Manager at KIMBERLY-CLARK PROFESSIONAL*, said: “By staging Sustainability Week, we hoped to demonstrate that sustainable practices run through our entire organisation, affect all of our sites, and involve all business functions”.

“As a company we are committed to building sustainability into every aspect of our business and Sustainability Week was a fantastic reminder to all of us of this important promise, and an acknowledgement that sustainable practices begin with proactive, small steps taken by individuals.  It means our customers can trust KIMBERLY-CLARK PROFESSIONAL* to deliver innovative, high-quality products made with respect for our planet’s resources and people.”

Download this news release as a PDF

The visually striking Great British range has been designed specifically to enable cafés and coffee shops to capitalize on the anticipated swell in national pride during the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in June and the eagerly awaited London Olympic Games, which begin on 27 July.

Tri-Star’s special edition Great British range includes a Union Jack-clad version of the award-winning 4-cup PortaDrink® carrier, which has earned plaudits for the way in which it has transformed the customer experience at numerous major entertainment events.  Also sporting the national flag are a new 12oz cup, suitable for hot and cold beverages, and a medium-sized paper carrier bag, which is ideal for carrying food and beverages.

The complete range will be on display at Caffè Culture on Stand A33a, which Tri-Star is sharing with Rapid Action Packaging (RAP).  The two companies have teamed up to produce special Union Jack-emblazoned editions of RAP’s standard and deep fill Dayfresh sandwich wedge packs and its Flexible Food Wraps for baguettes.

Kevin Curran, managing director of Tri-Star, said: “The Diamond Jubilee and the London Olympics are very important events for cafés and coffee shops, creating huge one-off commercial opportunities.  Our new Great British range will help businesses supplying food and beverage products out-of-home to add to the sense of fun, excitement and patriotism that will be experienced by consumers taking part in these occasions.  The packaging is perfect, too, for celebrating other major events such as Wimbledon Fortnight (25 June-8 July) and football’s Euro 2012 (8 June-1 July).”

He added: “These products are based on high quality packaging, which means they will offer excellent performance as well as a point of difference at times when ‘Britishness’ will be at the front of everyone’s minds.”

Caffè Culture takes place at London’s Olympia, on 16 and 17 May.

Download this news release as a PDF

Research also told us that not only do men receive fewer cards; they also send fewer with 81% of women in the UK buying the lion’s share of greeting cards in UK households. So this year, why not buck the trend and check out the wide range of Father’s Day cards at www.silverstamp.co.uk.

Silverstamp is a unique greeting cards website, which has a built-in calendar system to ensure you never forget a birthday, anniversary or special occasion. Once you have entered all the important dates which matter to you, the state-of-the-art application reminds you throughout the year ensuring you don’t forget anyone again.

You may find that you have more than one card to send for Father’s Day – for your own dad, from your children to your partner, for a father-in-law or even for grandfathers as well. Silverstamp has a wide choice of Father’s Day cards to suit everyone’s individual needs. The website allows for the creation of up to five signature templates allowing cards to be personalised by family members. In addition, you can create your own unique card using your own images on the front page or on the inside and of course your own personal message.

Father’s Day cards from Silverstamp include cute options, ideal for sending from your children, funny options and, of course, the ubiquitous cards with images of cars and sporting activities such as golf.

So this year, make sure that dads don’t miss out with Silverstamp, the greeting card website that means you never forget again.

Copyright is owned by Advocate Art.

From a young age watching films such as Honey I Shrunk the Kids and The Incredible Shrinking Woman, Christopher was interested in size disparity and the idea of small children living in a large adult world. Silverstamp saw the ‘Big Appetites’ collection when it launched in 2011 and felt this would be a perfect fit for the website.

Silverstamp is an innovative and intuitive website, which has a unique calendar alert system so users never forget an important birthday, anniversary or event again. Users can create five different signature templates allowing them to send cards from mum and dad, the children or the entire family depending on the recipient. Cards can also be customised with images not only on the front page but also on the inside along with your own texts.

Co-founder of Silverstamp, Per Selbekk comments, “We knew as soon as we saw Boffoli’s work that we wanted it for the website. It is quirky, fun and different to any other card designs that we offer. We are constantly expanding the range of worldwide artists that we work with and Boffoli is a notable addition to this portfolio.”

Seattle-based Christopher Boffoli, comments, “It means a lot to me that my work has been so warmly received in the UK and I’m looking forward to my forthcoming show in London this spring. But for people who can’t come and see my work at events like this, they now have the opportunity to take home and share the range through Silverstamp.”

Copyright is owned by Christopher Boffoli.

Download this news release as a PDF

LONDON, England – Coffee Kids offers a unique, direct and powerful programme that allows coffee businesses to invest in their supply chain while helping farmers in Latin America improve their quality of life. A Strategic Alliance Agreement, also known as a Commercial Agreement, links the sale of a specific product or line of products to a contribution to Coffee Kids and grants donors the right to feature the Coffee Kids name and logo in all publicity surrounding that product including websites, packaging and other marketing materials.

Coffee Kids has already developed Strategic Alliance Agreements with numerous supporters in the UK. The organisation recognises these companies for their long-term commitment to coffee farming families and for their investment in the idea that quality coffee can only come from communities that are healthy, prosperous and are able to pursue quality of life issues on their own terms.

“We are impressed with the forward vision of these extraordinary companies in the UK. Recognising the investment in quality of life issues for their companies sets a standard for the rest of the coffee industry. Investing this way assures continued supplies of high quality coffee for these businesses. We hope others will follow their lead,” said Carolyn Fairman, executive director of Coffee Kids.

“By signing a Strategic Alliance Agreement with Coffee Kids you tell your customers that your investment goes beyond quality coffee to quality of life. This lets your customers know the depth of your commitment to the coffee farmers who work hard to bring us our daily cup. By marketing your support this way you also help Coffee Kids in its mission to educate consumers about the origin of coffee and the critical issues we are addressing together,” said Elisa Kelly, Coffee Kids’ development liaison in the UK. She adds, “I’m really looking forward to developing relationships with new strategic partners in the coming year and urge anyone who is interested to get in touch!”

Coffee Kids also welcomes companies to become involved in the efforts to ensure a better coffee future through memberships, fundraising drives, and advocacy. For a complete list of our current members and Strategic Alliance Agreement holders, please visit http://coffeekids.org/businesses/.

Download this news release as a PDF

Kent-based Taywell only began trading with Costco at the beginning of this year, but already the cash & carry chain has asked the company for a range of new flavours and formats to complement the products it currently sells.

Costco, which operates 22 warehouses across Britain, will introduce a range of mixed variety Taywell ice cream and sorbet multipacks sold in quantities of 12 x 125ml single-serve tubs.

The ice cream multipacks will contain four each of Vanilla Madagascar, White Malt Choc and Strawberry flavours.  The sorbet multipacks will feature Raspberry, Lemon and Mango.

Alastair Jessel, Managing Director of Taywell, said: “Costco’s faith in Taywell demonstrates that demand for premium artisan ice creams and sorbets is riding high at the moment.  Our strawberry ice cream is 25% fruit and our raspberry sorbet 50% fruit, with the berries used in both grown exclusively in Kent.  We offer both quality and provenance – two of the major trends in ice cream right now – and Costco’s decision to place a larger order with us is testament to that.”

The past year has been a highly successful one for Taywell.  In spite of the continued economic slump, it increased sales of its premium ice creams and sorbets by two thirds in the last financial year and has doubled employee numbers.  Customer numbers have also doubled and several large restaurant chains have recently committed to begin serving Taywell-branded products.

The company is forecast to increase its turnover by more than 100% in the current year, and to keep pace with this growth has built another kitchen at its headquarters in Paddock Wood and invested heavily in new equipment.

Download this news release as a PDF

The British Olympic Association provoked a flurry of news headlines last week when Team GB’s Chief Medical Officer, Ian McCurdie, advised athletes to avoid shaking hands with rivals at this summer’s games in case they contracted bugs that could lead to illness. It later emerged that the BOA would be issuing competitors with portable sanitizers to help keep their hands germ-free before and after events.

But KIMBERLY-CLARK PROFESSIONAL* says it isn’t only elite sportsmen and women who should be concerned about the spread of bad bacteria when ‘pressing the flesh’. Every day, millions of people in offices up and down Britain greet their colleagues, clients and suppliers with a handshake and, says the company, they are just as much at risk from exchanging germs as the athletes in Team GB.

“Hand-to-hand contact is one way to transmit colds, flu and stomach bugs, and this means shaking hands does carry a certain amount of risk of passing on an infection,” says Richard Millard, Platform Leader for EMEA at KIMBERLY-CLARK PROFESSIONAL*. “This is just as much the case in an office environment as on the sports field. But whereas athletes stand to miss out on a medal if they fall ill, in the office absenteeism costs companies more than £1,000 per employee, per year, adding up to billions of pounds in lost productivity every year.”

To help businesses minimise the spread of infection in the workplace, and in turn reduce absenteeism caused by illness, KIMBERLY-CLARK PROFESSIONAL* has launched the HEALTHY WORKPLACE PROJECT*. This ground-breaking new initiative is designed to show businesses how taking a few simple steps to eradicate harmful germs from the office environment could cut absenteeism and raise both staff satisfaction and productivity levels.

Businesses who sign up to the HEALTHY WORKPLACE PROJECT* will be offered the opportunity to receive a free comprehensive assessment of their whole working environment, from reception desks to individual workstations, conducted by a specially trained KIMBERLY-CLARK PROFESSIONAL* Wellness Consultant. Following this visit, the Wellness Consultant will make tailored recommendations on where to place hygiene products such as hand sanitizers and desk wipes.

Richard added: “In sport, as in every day office life, shaking hands is an important part of how we interact with people. As such, we think it’s important that people understand that while it can result in the spread of germs, a few simple steps can minimise the risk of catching an infection. We fully endorse the British Olympic Association’s decision to issue hand sanitizers to athletes at the Olympics. Our HEALTHY WORKPLACE PROJECT* will help businesses see how they, too, can take proactive steps to make sure their own teams stay healthy and happy in the workplace.”

Download this news release as a PDF 

The company, which has depots in Glasgow, Manchester, Bury St Edmunds and Enfield, scooped the highly coveted FPA National Distributor Award after topping a poll carried out among the FPA’s manufacturer members.

Kevin Curran, Managing Director of Tri-Star, said: “To be voted the best national distributor in the country by our peers in the industry is simply fantastic.  Nobody is better placed to judge the quality of our service and it demonstrates how we have kept on raising the bar over the past 21 years to ensure we are second to none in this respect.”

Tri-Star, in conjunction with its partner Kobusch, also won the FPA Product Innovation Award for its Deli Pot Topper, a new deli pot designed so that the pot can be filled with the main ingredient, while the lid – or topper – is filled with a further ingredient to be added when the customer is ready to eat the product.

Judges were glowing in their praise of the Deli Pot Topper, stating that it was “very practical, a better solution than I’ve seen previously” and that it was a concept that “opens up new product combinations, possibly a new market”.

Kevin said: “Winning these two awards means a lot to us, because it endorses our twin philosophy of providing excellent service at all times and offering genuine innovations that make a real difference to our customers’ businesses.”

He added: “Nevertheless, we won’t be resting on our laurels.  We constantly set ourselves new targets and we will continue to find fresh ways to offer our customers the very best service levels and the latest in out-of-home packaging solutions.”

The Foodservice Packaging Association Awards took place at the Grand Hotel in Brighton on 8 March.

Download this news release as a PDF 

It’s part of a long term effort to persuade installers, specifiers and end-users to give more thought to often ignored but absolutely vital gas systems.

“Every time an engineer installs a new system we will ask them to take a picture of themselves having a cup of tea with our equipment in shot,” says Intelligas Director Andy Dickenson.  “We’re looking for the best ones.  They might be funny.  They might be arty.  We hope it’ll be a chance to get the creative juices going.”

“We’ll be supplying the tea, coffee and biscuits with every system and all you have to do is get the picture and post it on our facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/intelligas,” he says.  The winner will have access to an account funded with £500 to spend on Dewalt tools. 

Andy is hoping that a light hearted approach will make people think about gas interlock systems.  “We started Intelligas because we felt very strongly that the industry was not taking advantage of the reliability of modern solid-state technology,” he says. “Let’s face it, modern electronics are massively reliable.  We can all see that at home.  It’s rare to have a television set or a stereo or a microwave go wrong these days.  There’s no sense at all in sticking to old technology where gas systems are concerned, particularly when you think how vital gas interlock systems are for safety.”

The other important thing is to make life simple. “We realised that we could use up-to-date technology to make life simpler for the installer and simpler for the end-user,” he says.  “Simple things like clearly labelled switches make it straightforward to set up our systems and easy to use them.”

“All the user sees are a couple of switches and an easy-to-understand display,” he says.  “In a busy commercial or school kitchen people haven’t got time to read a lengthy manual.  They need to be able to see straight away how to make the system do what’s required.”

Flexibility is another advantage of modern systems.  “Every one of us is now familiar with PCs that can perform an incredible range of tasks,” he says.  “We can build much more flexibility into gas systems.”  It’s meant, for example, that Intelligas can produce systems with multiple functions like the MSC101, which is a microprocessor based multi services & multi function controller.  “As soon as Building Bulletin 101 on carbon dioxide levels in classrooms came out we were able to produce a system which would help schools comply,” he says.  “It provides an integrated system to control a range of building services.”

Intelligas systems are built in theUK.  “We’re very proud of that fact, but it’s not just about patriotism,” says Andy.  “It helps us to provide a fast service.  We can supply systems quickly and we can supply any parts that are needed quickly.”

Andy Dickenson wants installers to play the evangelist for top quality systems.  “Make it plain that it’s not all about getting the very cheapest system,” he says, although he stresses that Intelligas is competitive on price.  “Make sure they think about the cost of unreliability.  If the system shuts down your kitchen unnecessarily that can mean more than an afternoon’s lost trade.  It means loss of reputation and loss of business in the long term.”

If you want gas safety equipment that gives you the highest specification with highly competitive prices and straightforward installation, then Intelligas has to be the choice.  Visit the Intelligas website for more details on how to get the best in gas control and safety systems: http://www.intelligas.co.uk

Download this news release as a PDF