Bank comes up with right recipe for success

Lloyds TSB Commercial is vital ingredient for food firm (October 2001)

Backing from Lloyds TSB Commercial, the mid-corporate arm of the High Street bank, is helping a new business bring a fresh flavour to the food industry.

Tonbridge-based importer Specialised Food Ingredients, launched this summer, supplies the recipe essentials to manufacturers of supermarket ready meals.

The firm’s three founders, Steve Thompson, Nick Brown and Mark Palmer are all experienced food industry professionals who, until the launch of Specialised Food Ingredients, worked for the same employer. They have raised all the capital for the venture from their own resources.

Customers already include industry giants Heinz, Geest and Northern Foods which supply major supermarket chains such as Tesco, Sainsbury's and Marks & Spencer.

"The opportunities for growth are fantastic," said Steve. "We have started with a new approach that our customers have not been used to before - nothing is too much trouble for us! We are very knowledgeable in many product areas, keep abreast of changing tastes and are willing to share that knowledge with customers wanting to modify, revamp or renew their products."