Juniper Ventures secures catering contract with 26 primary schools in London

Education and public sector caterer Juniper Ventures has secured a catering contract with 26 primary schools in London’s Waltham Forest.

It comes after a successful Waltham Forest aggregation tender, which saw several schools joining up to tender for a foodservice provider.

Following the Easter break, pupils at these schools will be served dishes created by Juniper’s development chefs, who will work closely with local and sustainable suppliers.

Later in the summer term, students will also partake in taster events to give feedback on menus and meet the chefs behind the food.

All staff at Juniper’s Waltham Forest schools will be paid the London Living Wage.

Philippa Terry, chief operating officer at Juniper Ventures, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with 26 primary schools across Waltham Forest. When schools choose to come together in this way, it reflects a shared ambition to raise standards and create something positive for their communities.

“For us, this is about more than delivering meals. It is about creating dining experiences children look forward to, building strong kitchen teams within each school and working alongside leaders to support wellbeing, sustainability and pride in school life.”

Juniper Ventures is led by chief executive Michael Hales, who has been in public sector catering for over 30 years. He received the Public Sector Caterer Award at the 2022 Cateys.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.