hospitals, care homes and education, were still really busy. It was a good decision to stay open to support them. We were on the cusp of developing some new products at the point when Covid struck, and one of the more radical ideas the team had was to accelerate those plans. It was the opposite of what a lot of other companies did at the time and it left us best-placed as the market reopened and has stood us in good stead since.
How does the company’s history help to make it resilient to these major events? We were founded in 1819, so Falcon is in a unique position of operating during the last global pandemic, in 1918. At the start of the pandemic, it would have been nice to look back and see how the custodians of Falcon in 1918 managed their way through the crisis, but obviously there were no records from that time. T e key to longevity is having the ability to
adapt, whether that’s to customer requirements, global events or market developments. A big part of the [Falcon] board's responsibility was to make the right decisions to ensure the business came out stronger. It's always important to look back to Falcon’s core values of quality, reliability, value for money and innovation. T at made us even more of the go-to brand for our customers. I believe we've come out much stronger than we went into the pandemic. Falcon won the Catering Insight 2020 Kitchen & Equipment Awards Supplier of the Year – Service & Support Award category for our customer service and support through the year, which was a great recognition.
Why was the time right to update Falcon’s branding and website in January 2021? T e business is evolving rapidly. We're really focusing on technology and developing new products. We're also targeting new end-users and felt we needed something visual to represent that. It's not something we took lightly. We know Falcon’s history. T e logo had only been changed twice previously, so we worked with our market research agency. At one focus group, a chef said: “When I move into a new restaurant, the fi rst thing I do when I walk into the kitchen is look for those red logos. If I see that red Falcon, I know I'm going to be okay.” Our customers recognize our brand – and what it stands for – instantaneously. So, we opted for evolution, not revolution, and
looked to modernize the existing logo rather than going for a complete change. Customer feedback has been exceptionally positive. We also launched our new website at the same time, providing a more modern and informative platform with which to engage with the entire foodservice sector.
Why is Falcon such a special company? We've been an integral part of the UK catering industry for over 200 years. Chefs know our products thrive in some of the toughest working environments in the world and are value for money. Our products suit all markets and sectors. We're a key supplier for the UK prison service. We have a partnership with Lainox, an Ali Group company, and supply their combi-ovens in the UK – they complement the products that we manufacture. In my time at Falcon, since 2018, we've re-
focused on innovation and developed a new full range of innovative products with embedded connectivity. But it’s truly the people here that make the business so special.
What new products have you developed? T e Falcon Fryer Angel is a unique, integrated safety system that raises the standard of safety and fi re prevention for commercial fryers to a new level. It has the potential to become a standard part of any commercial fryer, in the same way an airbag is part of a car’s safety system. It uses a multi-patented technology to monitor oil levels, cutting power if the oil drops to an unsafe level. Some innovations are revolutionary and redefi ne standards. Fryer Angel is revolutionary technology which sets completely new standards of safety. We have also taken our Kitchen 4.0 core principles and created T e Falcon Connected Kitchen, which delivers a step-change in HACCP, energy and kitchen monitoring. It’s a useful, low-cost, multi-brand solution that is helping a lot of operators in the UK. We developed a bulk meal delivery system targeted at the healthcare sector, called the Vario-T erm Series, which is highly sophisticated, enabling the user to control and automate functions and makes it easier to provide hot and chilled meals away from the main kitchen. T e controller is packed with easy-to-use features that make life for the catering team simple. It's important we don't forget our core products and markets, and remain at the forefront of technology.
BRAND WATCH
1819 1860
Falcon was founded in Falkirk, Scotland
Manufactured their fi rst cooking range
1915-18
Manufactured various munitions for Britain during the First World War
falconfoodservice.com
Left: The Falcon Fryer Angel sets new safety and fi re prevention standards for the industry
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