Foodservice Cateys 2024: Business and Industry Caterer of the Year – BaxterStorey

The judges agreed that this year’s winner has demonstrated innovation and financial performance. Indeed, BaxterStorey has had an incredible 12 months, during which the contract caterer retained 98.1% of its business and delivering a 27.4% year-on-year increase in revenue.

The company has surpassed its targets, taking up contracts with the likes of Gymshark, Clockwise and JP Morgan Chase. UK partnerships with Goldman Sachs and UBS have been extended into France, and Clockwise chose BaxterStorey for its Netherlands office.

But this success would not have come about without the innovation that has driven BaxterStorey over the past year. Clients enjoy much more than a typical B&I contract, with experiential masterclasses that align with its food culture, including pasta- and bread-making, as well as insights from its chef partners through counter takeovers, education on nutrition and access to its street food business Fuel, which has served more than 254,000 meals.

In fact, the caterer said the past 12 months have been “transformative”. To meet demands from clients, the company went on its own journey, starting with a rebrand that was much more than a different shade of green and instead an “entire ripping up of the rule book”.

Its new identity has been the guiding light for its achievements and has helped it focus to deliver commitments to its clients and its employees, including benefits such as increased maternity pay, birthdays off, volunteering days and more.

It has ensured its inclusion efforts are taken seriously thanks to the appointment of a head of equality, diversity and inclusion, while sustainability is also a core commitment, with its new environmental, social and governance strategy ‘Second Nature’, which focuses on four pillars: inclusion by design, progressive partnerships, step up and growing talent.

The company’s love of crafting memorable food moments has resulted in the Obsessed Food Culture programme, which makes space for innovation in kitchens. The Soup With Purpose programme, for example, in partnership with Waste Knot, saw 14,200 boxes of produce (213 tonnes) rescued and made into soups, and donations made to regional charities from their sale.

Training and development is at the heart of BaxterStorey’s business, and its Chef Academy resulted in its highest number of chef graduates last year – 89 – while 100 chefs have started their journey on this year’s programme.

From training chefs to nurturing its workforce, community initiatives and best-in-class client experiences, BaxterStorey is clearly a very a worthy winner of this year’s accolade.

What the judges said

“A standout entry, all about the successes of the past year. The rebrand went deep into the organisation and across many levels.”

John Nugent

“The winner demonstrated a great year of innovation and financial performance. BaxterStorey has managed to inspire its workforce from top to bottom.”

Chris Mitchell

See previous winners of the award here