Member Article

Luxury ice cream secures trio of contracts

Oldham based, family-run ice cream manufacturer Grandpa Greene’s has secured contracts with El Capo, Pier 8 and Notcutts Garden Centre following support from the Business Growth Hub, part of Manchester Growth Company.

Located in Diggle, Grandpa Greene’s flagship canal-side ice cream manufacturing and distribution facility is built on a family tradition of ice cream production that extends back to the 1920s.

Managed by the Oldham Business Awards Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2014, sales director Rick Scholes (aged 24), his sister Lizzie and mother Carole, Grandpa Greene’s uses local ingredients to supply outlets including farm shops, delicatessens and restaurants. Using artisan techniques, the company has concocted a range of creative, and occasionally eccentric, ice cream flavours which include crème fraîche, beetroot, and beans on toast.

Mick Hadfield, business growth advisor at the Hub worked with Rick to develop a new sales and marketing strategy resulting in several new clients including Pier 8 at The Lowry, Salford Quays, El Capo in Manchester’s Northern Quarter and Notcutts Garden Centre in Ashton. The company is now in negotiations with a number of food distributors and luxury hotels and restaurants. They’ve also launched a new mobile trailer for event hire, complete with a retro design and a variety of their luxury ice creams.

In order to meet this new level of demand, Grandpa Greene’s have recruited two new chefs and invested in state of the art kitchen equipment.

The company have also taken part in the Hub’s Recipe for Success programme. This series of workshops gives food and drink manufacturers the skills and confidence to break into new markets and the opportunity to pitch their products to retailers.

Rick Scholes, sales director at Grandpa Greene’s, said: “Business Growth Hub put us in touch with major food service providers, allowing us to expand our reach considerably. Our new client contracts have been a massive step in repositioning Grandpa Greene’s in this highly competitive market. Now, with negotiations ongoing, we can look forward to getting our unique, handmade ice cream in front of a much wider audience.”

Mick Hadfield, Business Growth Hub Advisor, said: “The demand for artisan, bespoke foods is growing and so too is the opportunity for SMEs to make their mark in the luxury produce sector. Grandpa Greene’s is an excellent example of a local, passionate family-owned business that has carefully refined its product over almost 100 years.

“The recent successes are a testament to Rick’s hard work and the quality of his ice cream. It has been a pleasure to work with Rick and I look forward to seeing much more of Grandpa Greene’s ice cream in restaurants and hotels across Greater Manchester in the near future”.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Jasper Stone .