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KK Fine Foods, Savouring innovation

Manufacturing in Action, Source : The Manufacturer
Zone : Design and innovation
Published : November 2007

Graham Jackson, chairman of KK Fine Foods, told Jayne Flannery that superior quality and innovation will always shine through

KK Fine Foods, based at Deeside in North Wales, is a leading supplier of quality ready frozen meals. This description though does little justice to the company’s output, which emphasises outstanding quality at every stage of the sourcing, preparation and presentation process. This is top quality restaurant food, based on mouth-watering recipes such as Green Lentil & Butterbean Halloumi Cassoulet or Thai Red King Prawn Curry with Kaffir Lime – both of which have attracted major catering awards.

Chairman Graham Jackson explained that the British and European customer base is drawn mainly from the foodservice, leisure and brewery sectors. “We have made a clear decision not to go extensively into retail. We would rather put cost into quality as opposed to packaging. Only the finest combinations of ingredients and flavours are good enough to be sold under our name, as the satisfied and discerning customer always comes back,” he stated.

The company was launched by its current managing director, Leyla Edwards, in 1987 as a cottage kitchen business to produce a range of meat free dishes. Steady growth led to a move in 2003 to a purpose built 40,000 sq ft factory in North Wales and an expansion into meat, fish and poultry dishes. Recently the facility has doubled in size to 80,000 sq ft and there are plans for a further extension of 20,000 sq ft, which will become operational in March of next year.

The expansion has been backed by a £2 million investment in new equipment and plant. Pride of place goes to a new French thermo-mix machine, which has enabled the company to tackle sous vide, the French term for ‘under vacuum’. This is a method of cooking that maintains the integrity of ingredients by heating them for an extended period of time at relatively low temperatures. The result is exceptional tenderness and flavour, and the method is used in a number of top restaurants under chefs like Thomas Keller, Paul Bocuse and Joel Robuchon.

The company currently offers 360 different ready meals – that is one for just about every day of the year – using a total of 600 different ingredients. “Our greatest challenge is being able to secure raw materials at the right price and at the right quality to deliver a product that no one has tasted before or enjoyed as much,” he explained, adding that taking deliveries of perishable items on a just-in-time basis adds another layer of complexity to the operation, but that “the supply chain is firm and transparent.”

Two years ago, the company spent £150,000 with Ross Systems to upgrade its ERP system and take away some of the headache of monitoring and managing these supply chain issues. Now there is real-time, data-driven decision-making. “It means we can drill down to the last pinch of salt. There is total traceability for every product. We also receive advance warning of impending supply chain issues, which we need to maintain our margins. If part of the supply chain is buckling because of a frost in Brazil or local flooding in the South of England we will get to know about it straight away. Similarly, has the price of milk gone up or the price of cheese fallen?” Key issues require key decisions.

“With this system we know instantly if we are not getting the aspirational return we want on a product. It may be just a seasonal swing, but we have to be able to drill down to constantly check and analyse our raw material costs. So far, it has proved a huge success in keeping our costs under control, which is reflected in our competitive price and efficient service,” he said.

The quality proposition that is at the centre of KK Fine Foods begins with the finest raw materials – 80 per cent of which are bought in the UK. Sourcing the best ingredients has been elevated to something of an art form within the company. “There are more than 20 different types of salt, for example, and as we strive to reduce the salt content of our products as a health factor, we may even use a particular kind of sea salt to achieve this goal. Then consider that there are over 300 different types of tomatoes, each with their own distinctive qualities in terms of shape, juiciness, on the vine/off the vine, skin type and flavour that makes them suitable for different recipes. We always go that extra mile to get it just right,” he added.

Each dish that leaves the facility must have a distinctive homemade appearance, quality and taste. “We never just throw everything into a pot. The emphasis here is on traditional and small batch cooking methods. Neither do we want to give the appearance of being a fish finger manufacturer, so we typically have eight to 14 persons on each line dedicated to making sure that the final product and its presentation is just right.”

The recent expansion has seen the launch of a new Innovation Centre within the facility. Here five new product development chefs, supported by technical advisers to check nutritional balances and content, work on constantly refining, testing and expanding menu options. Only the most original and innovative dishes will find their way onto consumers’ plates. “Innovation and quality have driven this business since Leyla first started, and will always shine through,” he stated.

Similar levels of care are taken with the workforce. Although the company has embraced many lean initiatives, such as change and pipeline management, preparing food the KK way is labour intensive. There are currently 200 staff, many of whom are Polish and Croatian migrant workers. “These workers are part of the new economic reality for British manufacturers and we have to be aware of their aspirational needs and reward requirements in order to get the best out of them and our own workforce,” he said.

Handbooks and instructions have been meticulously translated and the company has worked intensively to understand its new workforce and develop appropriate reward strategies. There is also the question of integrating new workers with the indigenous workforce and this too has been given careful thought, with workshops bringing the different cultures together.

The attention to detail at every level, which sets the company apart, is starting to pay rich dividends. Jackson predicts that revenues will grow by 20 per cent over the next year to reach the £12 million mark. “We will revisit our strategy when the next extension is complete. One possible option might be flotation on the AIM, which would give us the capital base to take another big step forward as more and more people seek out our production,” he concluded.

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