Food Manufacture Company of the Year: Raynor Foods - FoodManufacture.co.uk

Describing the origins and benefits of Rosemary Gardens, the hydroponic farm that had reduced food miles and impressed the Food Manufacture Excellence Awards judges, Raynor said: “What it gives us is control. It’s hyper-local. The produce that we grow in Rosemary Gardens has to travel less than 50 metres over the road and end up straight in our sandwiches.

“The food that we grow at Rosemary Gardens is fresher than fresh. Literally within an hour of being picked, the produce is in the sandwiches and in 24 hours sitting on the shelf.

Cut down on chlorination

“In addition to that we’re able to massively cut down on chlorination and cleaning the produce because we grow it in a high-care environment. It also makes a fabulous centrepiece for anybody that pops into the factory and wants to see how we do it.”

Asked whether he saw that as a model for food manufacturing in the future, Raynor said: “I think it has to be.”

Raynor shared his surprise after the company was named the Food Manufacture Company of the Year at the Food Manufacture Excellence Awards 2020 on 13 February.

The sandwich business took home five awards, including Chilled, Fresh & Dairy Manufacturing Company of the Year, The Food Technology Partnership Award and Small Manufacturing Company of the Year. Raynor Foods’ employee Karina Glusczyk was highly commended in the Apprentice of the Year category. Among the projects she worked on, she contributed heavily to the development of Rosemary Gardens.

In this exclusive video interview, filmed on awards night at the London Marriott Hotel, Raynor said he was completely bowled over with his company’s success on the night.

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