Goosemoor Foodservice: adapting and evolving in changing times

From home deliveries to the post-pandemic trade

In 2020, during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting lockdowns that crippled the hospitality industry, we virtually met with George Pritchard and Jamie Walsh from Goosemoor, who had quickly adapted their business model to provide home delivery services almost overnight. This pivot was crucial for their survival and staff retention; it enabled them to return to business-as-usual post-pandemic.

This week, Fleur Lewis and Louise Putt caught up with George again to hear about recent business developments and the new “business as usual.”

Rebranding and New Ventures

Now rebranded as Goosemoor (previously known as Dart Fresh), the company has undergone considerable changes. With the hospitality sector reopening, Goosemoor phased out its home delivery service and launched a new company; “Educatering” to sit alongside it’s current foodservice offering.
 

Educatering

Educatering enables “schools to use the best locally sourced, restaurant quality products to provide exciting, child-led, nutritionally balanced meals.”

All account managers in the Educatering team are trained chefs, and they work with the kitchen managers to produce menus tailored to each school's specific needs and tastes. All Educatering meals use top quality, local produce, such as Dartmoor Farmers beef, Goosemoor’s own pork sausages, and UK Red Tractor assured chicken, which is worlds apart from some current school kitchen offerings.

Despite the high quality, local ingredients, Educatering are able to provide the ingredients, menus and support to schools for £1.10 per meal, which includes both main and dessert. This enables schools to generate surplus funds from their catering provision which can be reinvested elsewhere, which is needed now more than ever for the education sector.

The Educatering team assists with regulatory requirements, including compliance, allergens and HACCP, which have historically been challenging in school kitchens. Goosemoor can also provide relief chefs to ensure seamless kitchen operations, mitigating the risk associated with key staff absences in school kitchens.

“From our family to yours”

Goosemoor is a family business that began in 1957. It’s now run by John Pritchard, who celebrates 40 years in the business this year, alongside the next generation of George, Ben, and Jamie.

George emphasised their commitment to sourcing local food, and supporting local businesses is a core value for Goosemoor and noted that it is “just what we think is the right thing to do”.
 

Customer Service and Flexibility

In the evolving hospitality industry, where customer loyalty has waned due to businesses facing increasing cost pressures, Goosemoor stands out for its competitiveness. As a family-run business based in Clyst St George, customers and suppliers can contact any director directly, ensuring quick issue resolution and seamless service. 

Goosemoor operates 24 hours a day, six days a week, with no cut-off time for last orders, providing exceptional flexibility. This means customers can sometimes receive their orders within hours. 

Environmental Commitment

Goosemoor's focus on sourcing local food ensures low food miles, appealing to environmentally conscious customers, especially in larger tenders. George noted that they have noticed increasing pressure from an environmental standpoint, and their commitment to supporting local has put them in good stead for these changes in customer demands. 

They are always looking for local food producers and constantly reviewing their lines to reduce the food miles on their produce wherever possible. 

They minimise waste by reusing anything possible, such as their boxes. Whilst they have minimal food waste, anything they do have, where possible, is fed as animal feed for neighbouring farms.

Goosemoor Foodservice continues to evolve, underpinned by their strong family business values and dedication to providing its customers with top-quality local produce—certainly one to watch! If you would like to find out more about Goosemoor Foodservice, visit their website.

See how we can elevate your food and drink business

Navigate the ever-changing food and drink industry with our specialised team—offering tailored support and advice for your success.