Olive Catering Services
Olive Catering Services is an independent UK contract caterer founded in 2004, providing bespoke workplace dining to approximately 150 business and industry sites through roughly 850 team members, serving enterprise clients with restaurants, hospitality, street food, and sustainability-led catering services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersWarwick, United Kingdom
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Olive Catering Services does
Olive Catering Services is a privately held, UK-based contract catering company founded in 2004 by Sally-Ann Bradley, Damon Brown, and Andrew Norrie. The business provides bespoke workplace dining solutions — including restaurants, hospitality, vending, grab-and-go, coffee, and live cooking stations — to business and industry clients across approximately 150 sites in the United Kingdom, employing roughly 850 team members. Its go-to-market is a direct enterprise field sales motion targeting head offices, distribution centres, call centres, and manufacturing plants, with named clients including Eaton, Samsung, Tate & Lyle, Capital One, Euro Car Parts, B&M Retail, Ideagen, and Veolia.
The company operates a multi-product platform centred on its core Workplace Dining service, augmented by The Van street food concept, a bespoke Click and Collect mobile app for pre-ordering, the Olive at Home meal kit service, and a dedicated Food Innovation Team that drives menu development. Underlying technology is modest and not deeply disclosed: a bespoke pre-order app and website serve as the primary digital surface, with no public APIs or developer-facing integrations. Revenue is generated primarily through long-term, bespoke B2B catering contracts using per-head and managed-services pricing, with quotes negotiated directly via the in-house sales team rather than publicly listed rates. The company is the only independent UK contract caterer to hold the Sustainable Restaurant Association's Three Star Food Made Good accreditation and ranks as the highest-ranking contract caterer in the Financial Times' UK Best Employers 2025 list.
Olive Catering Services firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Olive Catering Services
- Legal name
- Olive Catering Services Limited
- Website
- https://olive-catering.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Olive Catering Services is an independent UK contract caterer founded in 2004, providing bespoke workplace dining to approximately 150 business and industry sites through roughly 850 team members, serving enterprise clients with restaurants, hospitality, street food, and sustainability-led catering services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Olive Catering Services industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Contract Catering Services
- NAICS
- Food Service Contractors (72231)
- SIC
- Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Contract Foodservice Management (Outsourced Catering) (THAFAIAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Corporate & Office Catering (THAFAIAA)
Keywords
Where Olive Catering Services is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Warwick
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Olive Catering Services business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Contract Catering Services: Olive generates revenue through long-term contract catering agreements with businesses across the UK. These contracts provide workplace dining services including restaurants, hospitality, vending, and food services. Revenue is generated through per-head pricing, transaction fees, and service agreements with corporate clients.
- Workplace Dining Solutions: Comprehensive catering services including design and build support, restaurant and hospitality services, live cooking stations, grab-and-go options, and coffee services delivered to enterprise clients.
- Food Innovation Services: Premium food concepts and culinary innovation delivered through The Van street food concept, signature sandwich ranges, and specialty menu offerings that differentiate the service offering.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Bespoke workplace catering contracts |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Olive Catering Services product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Olive Catering Services is an independent contract catering company that delivers bespoke workplace dining solutions to UK businesses across 150 on-site contracts. It provides freshly prepared food, restaurant management, hospitality, vending, grab-and-go and coffee services, complemented by its Food Innovation Team for menu development and street food concepts such as The Van.
Product overview
Olive Catering Services is an independent contract catering company offering a unified workplace dining platform centred on bespoke catering solutions. The core offering comprises Workplace Dining services with 150 contracts throughout the UK, supported by the Food Innovation Team for menu development and culinary excellence. Additional products include The Van street food concept, the Olive at Home meal kit service, and a Click and Collect App for pre-ordering. The company's sustainability initiatives are unified under the Ethical Olive Framework, targeting Net Zero by 2035. The Complete Service Offering encompasses design, build, restaurant operations, hospitality, finance transparency, and communication support.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- The Van: Street food concept bringing international flavours to workplace dining, featuring Mediterranean Fusion and Dirty Deli concepts
- Ethical Olive
- The Kerb
Products and services
- Workplace Dining Bespoke workplace catering service providing freshly prepared food on-site for UK businesses including head offices, distribution centres, call centres and manufacturing plants, operating across 150 contracts.
- The Van Street Food Concept Mobile street food concept bringing international flavours to workplace dining, featuring Mediterranean Fusion, Dirty Deli loaded sandwiches, Caribbean, Vietnamese and Latin American cuisines.
- Olive at Home Meal Kits Meal kit service providing easy-to-follow recipes with pre-measured ingredients for employees to cook evening meals at home, distributed through Olive's workplace restaurants.
- Click and Collect Mobile App Bespoke mobile application enabling employees at client workplaces to pre-order food at the start of the day ahead of breaktimes, so meals are ready for collection without queues.
- Complete Service Offering Comprehensive workplace catering package including design and build support, restaurant setup, menu development, hospitality services, financial transparency and client communication support for enterprise clients.
- Ethical Olive Sustainability Programme Sustainability programme structured around three pillars (Human, Environmental, Economic) that underpins Olive's Net Zero 2035 goal and includes ethical sourcing, waste reduction, plant-based cleaning products and 100% EV/hybrid car fleet.
Quantifiable outcome
- 25% increase in canteen usage within 3 weeks of Olive taking over a distribution client site
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Olive Catering Services
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Olive Catering Services technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Olive Catering Services partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Birtwistle's ButcherscoreFour-generation family butcher business with over 100 years of experience in the meat and farming industry. Northern support team visited Birtwistle's for training. Partnership includes training days, chef training modules on speciality cuts, 'Meat the butcher experiences', and farm visits featuring sausage making demonstrations.
- Love Joe'sminorChicken supplier partner. Midlands team spent a day learning about chicken with Love Joe's who believe sustainability is about people and communities they serve. Partnership supports sustainable future within the poultry sector.
- Vegetarian ExpressminorPlant-based specialist supplier on a mission to fill plates with plant-based goodness. Southern team experienced live cooking demonstration with vegetarian specialist supplier's Chef and were presented with newly sourced ingredients for Olive's new menus.
- 200 DegreescoreOlive partnered with UK coffee roasters 200 Degrees to take workplace food and drink to the next level. 200 Degrees, founded in Nottingham in 2012, provides premium sustainable coffee with taste notes of chocolate, hazelnut and caramel. Their sustainability ethos aligns with Olive's Ethical Olive framework, working with trusted importers supporting small farmers. The partnership brings the Brazilian Love Affair signature blend to Olive sites.
- Tough To TalkcoreOlive partnered with men's mental health charity Tough To Talk following the tragic loss of a male team member to suicide. Together they plan to raise awareness and funds to reduce the chances of such tragedies happening again. The partnership aims to support men's mental health within the workplace.
- VeoliaminorUK's leading provider of environmental solutions served as first trial partner for Olive's bespoke mobile app designed to help workplaces manage mealtimes with pre-ordering capabilities.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Olive Catering Services competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Elior UK: Subsidiary of French contract caterer Elior Group operating B&I, education and healthcare catering across the UK. Direct competitor for many of Olive's workplace contracts.
- Baxter Storey: UK independent-style contract caterer serving B&I, financial services and premium workplace clients with bespoke menus. Closest comparable to Olive in scale, positioning and bespoke service model.
- Wilson Vale: UK independent contract caterer focused on workplace and hospitality dining with similar bespoke positioning to Olive. Direct competitor for independent B&I pitches.
- CH&CO: Independent UK contract caterer focused on workplace, hospitality and venue catering. Comparable to Olive in bespoke B&I proposition and UK contract portfolio.
- Lexington Catering: London-focused independent contract caterer serving corporate workplace clients with bespoke fresh-food offerings. Comparable independent B&I proposition at city-head office end of the market.
- Gather & Gather: UK workplace catering brand (part of CH&CO) competing head-on with Olive in B&I food services with comparable workplace restaurant propositions.
Regional players
- Caterlink: Independent UK contract caterer with strong education sector presence but also competing in workplace dining. Comparable in independence and bespoke model, with adjacent vertical exposure.
Broad incumbents
- Sodexo UK & Ireland: Global contract catering and facilities services major with significant UK B&I presence. Competes for larger national workplace contracts that Olive targets at the upper end.
- Compass Group UK & Ireland: World's largest contract caterer operating through brands such as Chartwells and Eurest in the UK. Dominant incumbent in B&I and workplace dining against whom Olive competes on bespoke service.
- Atalian Servest (Food Services): UK facilities management group including food service contracts for workplace clients. Broader incumbent offering bundled FM and catering services that compete for B&I tenders.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Olive Catering Services social profiles
Digital presenceOlive Catering Services compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
Olive Catering Services financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Olive Catering Services leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles15 records
Olive Catering Services funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Olive Catering Services M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Olive Catering Services
What does Olive Catering Services do?
Olive Catering Services is an independent contract catering company that delivers bespoke workplace dining solutions to UK businesses across 150 on-site contracts. It provides freshly prepared food, restaurant management, hospitality, vending, grab-and-go and coffee services, complemented by its Food Innovation Team for menu development and street food concepts such as The Van.
Is Olive Catering Services a public or private company?
Olive Catering Services is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Olive Catering Services founded?
Olive Catering Services was founded in 2004. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Olive Catering Services based?
Olive Catering Services is headquartered in Warwick, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Olive Catering Services make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Contract Catering Services are the primary driver. The others are workplace Dining Solutions and food Innovation Services.
Who are Olive Catering Services's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Elior UK, Baxter Storey, Wilson Vale, CH&CO, Lexington Catering and Gather & Gather. Caterlink is listed as a regional player. Broad incumbents are Sodexo UK & Ireland, Compass Group UK & Ireland and Atalian Servest (Food Services).
Does Olive Catering Services have an API?
No public API is recorded for Olive Catering Services.
What industry is Olive Catering Services in?
Olive Catering Services's product category is Contract Catering Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFAIAH, Contract Foodservice Management (Outsourced Catering), with a secondary code of THAFAIAA, Corporate & Office Catering. Its NAICS code is 72231 and its SIC code is 8744.