How Hunt’s Food Group is serving exclusive products, bespoke technology, and ambitious growth plans
For a business that began on a working dairy farm in 1912, bespoke software isn’t something it would ordinarily be associated with – yet Sherborne-based wholesaler and food producer, Hunt’s Food Group, has spent the past year re-writing this narrative.
Hunt’s Operating System (HOS) is a system that takes any order, prices it against enforced margin rules, picks it in conjunction with LFS, routes it, delivers it with proof, invoices it and reports on it. It has replaced the separate commercial products an independent would normally buy for transport management, pricing control, product-data syncing, service desk, quoting and marketing automation, and it welds them to SAP Business One and eCommerce – in a way no ‘off-the-shelf’ combination does.
HOS has replaced eight core operating systems and is developed and supported in-house, reducing costs and allowing greater flexibility. Chief Executive Officer Thomas Hunt expects the group to become “the first wholesaler in the UK to be fully end-to-end scanning”, a milestone he tells us will benefit customers. According to Thomas, the motivation behind this upgrade was independence. “We wanted to build our own systems so that we weren’t reliant on third parties,” he explains. “Many of our previous platforms had been in place for more than two decades, and we had the opportunity to develop something bespoke for Hunt’s Food Group, embrace modern technology, and offer a better platform to our customers.”
The new system offers stronger imagery, richer back-of-house data and analytics, and the flexibility to introduce loyalty points, multi-buy offers, and targeted promotions. Customers who order through EDI via tills can now connect directly with Hunt’s systems, while others can place orders via WhatsApp.
Remarkably, online and app ordering has increased from 50 percent to 85 percent since the changeover. “That’s evidence the systems have improved significantly,” states Thomas. “We’re convincing people to move across and they’re happy using the app because it works so well. We soon expect the figure to reach 90 percent.”
The shift is also changing how colleagues spend their time. Rather than keying in orders, sales and customer service teams can concentrate on relationships and range development. “It’s far more exciting for our colleagues and it’s better for us as a business, if the team build relationships with customers, look to upsell more products, and talk about our new ranges,” reflects Thomas. The group is also incorporating AI to absorb routine administration with HOS running six AI capabilities to perform operational work rather than just answering questions. This allows colleagues to upskill into higher-value roles.
Thomas is forthcoming about the transition, revealing that it had its challenges. “Being completely transparent, it was tough trying to maintain the same levels of service to our customers during the changeover itself,” he admits, recalling a difficult April and May. “However, we’re already seeing the benefit of what the new systems can offer.” Regarding the wider backdrop of the business, he notes that customers face the same pressures as the group, with labor and overhead costs rising alongside food inflation. “It’s a difficult time to be running a pub or a coffee shop,” he points out. A hot summer brought a feel-good factor and more UK day-tripping, but it also stretched supply: ice cream and certain varieties of soft drinks went on allocation, while issues at a third-party logistics depot complicated inbound deliveries.
Organic growth
On a positive note, growth has come through acquisition for Hunt’s Food Group. In July, it acquired Forest Produce – a South Devon fine food wholesaler and formerly a customer of the group’s Fine Food Company. Specializing in premium produce such as truffles and morel mushrooms, and with its own Forest Originals range of chutneys, herbs, and spices, the £8 million turnover business sits neatly alongside the group’s more everyday offering. The family-owned business has kept its senior team, and sales are already around eight percent up on last year. “It’s a great fit for us on the fine food side,” highlights Thomas.
Closer to home, the company has developed a 2.2-acre site about 800 meters from its Sherborne headquarters, which it bought in 2017. Previously home to the Sherborne Food Hall, which relocated last year to Blackmarsh Farm – the working dairy farm where the business originally started – it now houses a food production facility and warehouse. Smaller-run, more artisan products, including ‘Something for Supper’ ready meals, Scotch eggs, cakes, and tray bakes, are made at this new site, leaving longer, heavier-volume runs to its existing production facility in Pylle, Somerset.
The move supports Hunt’s Food Group’s own brand ambitions, with own-brand sales rising by around five percent in the past 12 months. Quality is proving the point too, with four of its brands winning gold at the Great Taste Awards, including its charcuterie, dairy, and butchery labels. The Black Rock Bakery range has broadened beyond sausage rolls and pasties to include water, cookies, tray bakes, and slices, and a new bacon range has launched under the Elm Farm label, taking its name from the group’s Somerset dairy and beef farm, and is already winning over customers.
Furthermore, infrastructure investment has extended to the road. Last September, the food group acquired SMV Commercials, a MAN dealership in Yeovil that has since rebranded to HFG Commercials. Membership of the MAN network brings more competitive vehicle pricing, and the group has bought around 25 multi-temperature vans and 15 HGVs, split between 16 and 18 tons. Replacing older vehicles and the hire fleets inherited through acquisitions is central to the strategy. “Having our own vehicles that we can maintain and take care of within the business is incredibly advantageous for us,” elaborates Thomas.
At the Sherborne headquarters, a new gatehouse, a new canteen and upgraded site security are all complete, with a large office extension under way. Warehouse colleagues can benefit from a free meal every day, and Thomas describes new chef Antoinette as “the most popular person in our company by a mile!” The extension will include a development kitchen where suppliers can cook products and customers can meet the group’s development chef.
Focusing on the future, service levels are a priority for Hunt’s Food Group, as it plans end-to-end scanning through its LFS warehouse system – from goods receipt and targeted replenishment through to picking, loading, and scanning out of the vehicle. With company values of caring for its team and communities guiding decisions, Thomas is excited about the business moving forward. “We’ve achieved a great deal and put in a lot of hard work, but we’re only scratching the surface of what can be done,” he concludes. “There’ll be further emphasis on improving our offering for all stakeholders, including customers, suppliers, and colleagues. Continual improvement is what we’re aiming for over the next 12 months or so.”
