Food Chain - Issue 197 - December 2023 | Page 119

_________________________________________________________________________________________ Forrest

Fresh Foods fresh air

A BREATH OF

Through continuous investment , Forrest Fresh Foods is staying ahead of the market

Forrest Fresh Foods is an award-winning family-run business that is one of the UK ’ s largest wholesale suppliers , retail distributors , and exporters of fast-moving consumer goods ( FMCG ). Stocking over 20,000 products across categories like soft drinks and confectionery , Forrest sources directly from manufacturers , ensuring the supply of the most-loved brands around the world . It has grown from humble beginnings stocking fish and chip shops around the UK , to its current position as a successful international company with an annual turnover of more than £ 72 million .

The business was established by Nichola and John Forrest in 1996 , originally supplying potatoes to fish and chip shops and other fast-food outlets in the Northwest of England from its warehouse in Rochdale . The company grew over the following years , hitting £ 1 million turnover in 1998 , which sparked its diversification into other markets .
Specifically , Forrest evolved to supply soft drinks and takeaway packaging , becoming the renowned omni-channel , international wholesaler that it is today . In 2011 , it opened a direct supply account with Coca Cola , closely followed by a direct account with Britvic Soft Drinks in 2014 , by which time the company ’ s turnover had exceeded £ 10 million .
After extending its warehouse capacity and expanding into the confectionery market , 2018 was a key year for Forrest . Not only did the company begin its export
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