Profile
Harvest Fine Foods Ranking: 245
Overall, the company’s turnover dropped from £19m in 2019 to around £15m in 2020 and, as with many privatelyowned businesses that entered the pandemic with strong balance sheets, has also depleted much of its accumulated cash reserves. “We are now looking to rebuild revenue. The home delivery service provided an important revenue stream and connected us to a new audience, but we are now focusing on supporting our main customers as the country re-opens for a critical summer in the leisure and hospitality sector,” he said.
Mountain to climb
Strongman describes a “mountain to climb” in terms of repairing the financial damage caused by the pandemic that could take 18 months to two years.
A strategy of organic growth is being broadened to acquisitive ambitions, with wholesalers in mind. “Pre-pandemic, we had enjoyed several years of strong growth following our relocation to Totton in April 2017 by virtue of our much larger warehouse and our membership of the Country Range Group buying group.
“This enables us to carry a much broader range of products, and the collective purchasing power of the group also means we can compete with the big national players. But we’re also looking at possible geographic expansion. One option would be to open a sub-depot outside the region,” he said.
Family values
Harvest is a second-generation family business set up by Strongman’s father in 1988 and he is keen to keep that family-feel about the business. He is also acutely aware of the potential for the business to have a positive impact on society and their local community through its corporate social responsibility initiatives. “We use our empty vans to collect produce from local farmers and producers as they return from their delivery routes most days.”
Having endured the toughest of times through the pandemic, Strongman feels optimistic that they can turn the fortunes of the business around. “I’ve not yet fulfilled my ambitions for the company,” he said.
Reflecting on the discussion, Tetley observed: “Harvest Fine Foods is a perfect example of how, through the quick thinking and hard work of management teams across the region, many businesses within the Solent community have acted decisively, transformed their business model overnight, and managed to survive a really challenging period – emerging the other side having accelerated change within the business, further embraced technology and explored new routes to market – or indeed new markets”.
harvestfinefoods.co.uk
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