It’s fair to say that longevity and commitment is something that is common in the fresh produce industry, but Chef’s Connection’s journey towards its second Re:fresh gong in three years is a particularly intriguing one.
Headed up by managing director Danny Murphy, the company was very much his brainchild and its establishment - following work as a porter on the market, running unlicensed stalls in the West End of London where he “used to get nicked all the time”, setting up London’s first Café Rouge and running a greengrocer in Essex - has been followed by 20 years of growth and prosperity for Chef’s Connection.
The firm’s distinctive mauve fleet, which flits in and out of its base at the heart of NCGM, proudly carries the distinctive Re:fresh logo, following its first triumph - as Foodservice Supplier of the Year 2007 - and Murphy says he “might have to get some bigger vans”, due to scooping this year’s MVS Regional Foodservice Supplier of the Year gong.
“Awards like the Re:fresh ones are really great for us to show to our customers as a benchmark,” Murphy tells FPJ. “For me, they are much like standards and accreditations - it’s a validation of your work and something we are immensely proud of. It is always great to receive an award and we are honoured to have entered and won - obviously, we are a very busy company so it is important that we take the time out to enter these things, as they do give you an incentive to improve going forward. It is always good to go to our customers and show them that we have won and they know we strive to be the best in our field; it has been a great experience to win twice and to be recognised by your peers.”
With a focus on high-end restaurants, Chef’s Connection has progressed from its roots in 1989, sourcing from the market, to a position where it sources from NCGM, as well as New Spitalfields, Milan, Barcelona and Rungis, among others. Carving a niche as the “specialist’s specialist” has allowed Chef’s Connection to serve some of the top names in the capital, including MasterChef’s John Torode, Herbert Berger and Paul Gayler, executive chef at The Lanesborough hotel.
Gayler, who has used Chef’s Connection for 20 years, says: “I was thrilled by Danny’s passion for food and that continues. I use them for service as they are a very dedicated firm - if you want something, they will go out of their way to get it for you. They don’t close the door at 2pm like a lot of firms do.”
The company has diversified its range in recent years to include peeled and cut vegetables, fresh-cut chips, fresh-cut fruit, fruit salads, ready-to-eat prepared salads and fruit juices. “Having our own on-site kitchen has really helped add to the service,” says Murphy. “We have had a back-up dry store and dairy for the last seven to eight years, which has really added to our service.”
Murphy is magnanimous about the company’s success, and says that its current customers remain the priority: “We wouldn’t want to get any bigger now; I think we are just the right size. If we got bigger, we would risk damaging the quality of service we offer to some of London’s best hotels and restaurants, so we have to maintain our ideals. I insist on our staff being polite and helpful - it has never just been about a way of making money. We all really enjoy the challenge of being a 24-hour operation and, having worked in a kitchen, I understand the pressure these chefs are under. I actively encourage our staff to spend some time in a kitchen to help them understand - chefs will suffer mistakes once, maybe twice, but it really is an immense pressure.”
Chef’s Connection has 80 staff, with 18-20 working on the packing and loading side, 20 drivers, six loaders and the rest of the staff made up of family and office workers. Flanked by directors Miles Browne and Paul Murphy, with Stuart Busby as operations manager, Murphy has a strong team that has helped the company remain stable during the recession.
“It has obviously been a tough time in the foodservice game,” he says. “But we have acted quickly and carefully. Everyone has had a couple of hard years and it has made us leaner, meaner and tighter - we were complacent before and we will never go back to that. We used to carry extra staff but now there is a reason why we can’t have them, so we have to stay sharp and, obviously, the first cost you look to cut is staff. We have also taken vehicles off the road to combine deliveries and save on expenditure - you have to keep your eye on the ball.”
Despite this, Murphy is looking to capitalise on the company’s 24-hour operations by using the few free hours it has in the afternoon to develop into home delivery. It is an offer already practised by some in the industry. However, Murphy is looking to target affluent areas including Kensington, Knightsbridge, Chelsea and Fulham, but maintains it needs to be done well. “I know some companies do it, but tell people the produce and volume they are going to get - we would make it a lot more about choice and offer the full range on a local basis to give them a first-class service,” he says. “We are looking at leaflet drops and local magazines to raise awareness for the scheme. Using produce that also goes to three-star Michelin restaurants should be extremely attractive.
“We are also looking to expand our cooked division, as having a kitchen on site has given us a real edge and it is something that has been very well received by our customers.”
Despite a recent HEC Paris survey that revealed just four per cent of respondents used the NCGM name in targeting their customers, Murphy believes it is vital. “We stand a great chance of standing out from the crowd with our home deliveries because the New Covent Garden name is synonymous with quality and people have heard of it,” he says.
On the controversial subject of the market’s long-term redevelopment, Murphy admits he has some reservations. “It is my main concern for the business,” he says. “When you have invested as much as we have and your business is so minute-to-minute, I worry about working in premises that are transferred. We are very tidy and clean at the moment and are British Retail Consortium-accredited to the highest level, although I must admit that aprons that would enable us to load directly onto lorries would be an advantage. Luckily, we have a great tenants’ association chairman in Gary Marshall and the committee who make sure our voices are heard and push the authority all the way.”
With a ripening room used for pears, mangoes, avocados and bananas and a range of herb storage facilities, it is clear that Chef’s Connection is willing to invest to bring a rounded service to the customer. Added to this, staff collateral is also highly important, with staff regularly attending food handling training days and a clear sense of care and attention pervading the outfit’s preparation and loading areas.
And will Murphy be shelling out for bigger vans in case of further Re:fresh triumphs? “Even though we are looking to cut expenditure, I think we can stretch to that,” he says.
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