The Caterfood Buying Group

What The Caterfood Buying Group does

The Caterfood Buying Group (CFBG) is a UK foodservice wholesale buying group founded in 2012 and operating as a collection of independently-run regional foodservice wholesalers, aggregating procurement, marketing, and supplier relationships under a single umbrella. The Group is owned by and backed by Bidcorp UK (which also owns Bidfood), though CFBG operates as an entirely separate business with its own central team, products, and vision. As of mid-2024, CFBG comprised eight member businesses: South Lincs Foodservice (East Midlands & East Anglia, 1,000+ customers), Caterfood (SW) (Devon, Cornwall & South Coast, ~2,000 customers), Elite Fine Foods (London, Sussex, Surrey & Kent), Nicol Hughes (Northwest England and North Wales), Thomas Ridley Foodservice (East Anglia & London, hospitality/healthcare/education contracts), Harvest (Hampshire, fresh produce), and Turner Price (Midlands and North of England, 2,500+ customers). Each member retains its own Managing Director, fleet, and local customer relationships, while benefiting from group-level procurement power, exclusive own-brand products, and shared knowledge.

CFBG's core product is the Caterfood Collection, a three-tier own-brand range (Basics, Select, Premium) spanning meat & poultry, seafood, bakery, desserts, tinned goods, cupboard essentials, sauces, fruit & veg, cheese & spreads, potato products, ready meals, and non-food items, plus exclusive brands such as Auresco Fine Coffee, Devon Ice Cream Co, and a recently introduced New York bagel brand. The Group also publishes Infuse Magazine (quarterly, professional caterers), runs an Annual Winter Conference and Awards, and operates structured Meet the Buyer supplier engagement events. In February 2026 CFBG extended into own-label fresh produce with British-sourced, regeneratively farmed, carbon-neutral potatoes.

CFBG operates a transaction-fee wholesale model: revenue is generated through product sales by member businesses to professional caterers (restaurants, hotels, pubs, care homes, schools, healthcare facilities) across England and Wales. The go-to-market is channel-partner driven — customer acquisition flows through member businesses' regional relationships, while CFBG grows its own reach by acquiring or welcoming new member wholesalers, who gain collective purchasing scale, exclusive own-brand SKUs, and knowledge sharing. Pricing is B2B wholesale and not publicly disclosed. Central oversight sits in Sutterton, Boston, Lincolnshire (c/o South Lincs Foodservice Limited, the parent/registered entity).

Name

The Caterfood Buying Group

Legal name

South Lincs Foodservice Limited

Website

https://caterfoodbg.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Caterfood Buying Group is a UK foodservice wholesale buying group that aggregates eight independently-run regional wholesalers across England and Wales, providing professional caterers with collective procurement power, exclusive own-brand Caterfood Collection products, and shared marketing under Bidcorp UK ownership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Foodservice Wholesale Distribution

SIC

Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products (5140), Wholesale-Groceries, General Line (5141)

akta.pro primary industry

Private-Label / Own-Brand Broadline Distributors (AFAIAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Institutional Foodservice Distribution (Education, Healthcare, Government) (CRAOABAM)

Keywords

• Foodservice wholesale distribution
• Buying group procurement
• Own-brand foodservice products
• Catering supply chain
• Wholesale food distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Foodservice Distribution: Member businesses operate as independent foodservice wholesalers, selling and delivering food and drink products to professional caterers (restaurants, hotels, pubs, care homes, schools, etc.) across England and Wales. Revenue is generated through product sales, with collective buying power enabling better supplier pricing.
2. Own-Brand Product Sales (Caterfood Collection): The group develops and supplies its own private-label product range (Caterfood Collection: Basics, Select, Premium tiers) through member businesses, offering brand-quality products at discounted prices. Revenue is generated through wholesale product sales of own-label goods.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Caterfood Buying Group is a UK foodservice buying group that unites eight independently-run regional wholesale businesses under one umbrella, providing collective purchasing power, shared industry knowledge, and national geographic coverage across England and Wales. The group develops and supplies its own-brand Caterfood Collection product range (three tiers: Basics, Select and Premium) spanning frozen, chilled and ambient categories, and offers exclusive brands, supplier engagement events and the Infuse Magazine to professional caterers via its member businesses. Backed by Bidcorp UK, CFBG operates a central team handling procurement, marketing, technical and supplier engagement functions on behalf of its regional members.

Product overview

The Caterfood Buying Group is a collection of independent foodservice suppliers working together, offering extensive product range, industry knowledge, and geographical coverage across England and Wales. The core offering includes the Caterfood Collection own-brand product range with three quality tiers (Basics, Select, Premium), spanning frozen, chilled, and ambient categories including meat & poultry, seafood, bakery, desserts, tinned goods, cupboard essentials, sauces, fruit & veg, cheese & spreads, potato products, ready meals, and non-food items. Additional exclusive brands include Auresco Fine Coffee and Devon Ice Cream Co. The Group also publishes Infuse Magazine for professional caterers and organizes Meet the Buyer events and Annual Winter Conference for supplier engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Caterfood Collection: The own-brand range of Caterfood Buying Group offering three tiers of quality: basic, select and premium. Products include meat, poultry, seafood, bakery, desserts, tinned goods, cupboard essentials, sauces, fruit & veg, cheese & spreads, potato products, ready meals, and non-food items.
• Auresco Fine Coffee
• Devon Ice Cream Co
• INFUSE

Products and services

• Caterfood Collection Own-Brand Range

Quantifiable outcome

• CFBG acquired Turner Price in July 2024, becoming the eighth member and expanding coverage to the Midlands and North of England.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• JJ Foodservice: Multi-channel foodservice wholesaler (online, cash-and-carry, delivery) with strong digital ordering and own-brand ranges. Competes with CFBG members on price and digital experience for independent caterers.

Broad incumbents

• Booker (Tesco): UK's largest cash-and-carry operator, owned by Tesco, supplying small caterers, pubs, and restaurants. Competes with CFBG members on price and convenience for SMB catering customers.
• Bidfood: The UK's largest foodservice wholesaler and a sister company under shared Bidcorp UK ownership. Direct overlap in product range and customer base, but Bidfood operates as a single national broadliner rather than a federated buying group.
• AF Blakemore: Family-owned foodservice and wholesale distributor with SPAR convenience stores. Tom Workman (CFBG Commercial Director) previously worked at AF Blakemore; the company operates as a broader food distribution incumbent rather than a pure buying group.
• Brakes Group: UK's second-largest foodservice wholesaler (Sysco-owned), serving restaurants, pubs, healthcare, and education with nationwide distribution and a broad own-brand range. Competes head-to-head with CFBG members for institutional and independent customers.

Direct peers

• Today's Group: UK foodservice buying group aggregating independent wholesalers with collective procurement and own-brand ranges. Closest structural analog to CFBG's federated model and member-acquisition strategy.
• Country Range Group: UK buying group of independent foodservice wholesalers, structurally analogous to CFBG. Operates an own-brand portfolio (Country Range) and provides collective procurement to member distributors across the UK.
• Minster Group / Minster Wholesalers: Independent UK foodservice wholesaler group with multiple depots supplying hotels, restaurants, and pubs. Comparable to CFBG members in customer mix and independent-operator positioning.
• JW Filshill: Independent Glasgow-based foodservice and retail wholesale distributor serving hotels, pubs, restaurants, and convenience stores across Scotland and Northern England. A comparable regional wholesaler to CFBG's Turner Price and South Lincs.
• Creed Foodservice: Independent foodservice wholesaler supplying pubs, restaurants, hotels, and care homes across the UK. Tom Workman (CFBG's Commercial Director) previously worked at Creed, and the firms compete for the same hospitality and catering customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/caterfood-buying-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Caterfood Buying Group