Our Ethos

1:  Executive Summary

Rowlands & Co Ltd is a local family owned fruit and vegetable wholesaler established in 1894. The current working family members are 4th generation and have a combined trade experience in excess of 75 years.

Our client base is drawn predominantly from the following areas:

  • Private and self funded schools         
  • State funded schools
  • Hospitals
  • Nursing Homes
  • Hotels
  • Restaurants and Inns
  • Outside Caterers
  • Other wholesalers

We are a very successful local business and our growth, particularly in the past year during the difficult economic climate is due to:

  • Good business planning
  • Strong management
  • Dedicated staff
  • Knowledge of our business and the local area
  • Excellent service
  • Quality product
  • A ‘real’ person at the end of a telephone
  • We have been serving many of our customers for decades

2: Organisational Structure

  • A copy of our organisation structure has been attached

3:  Account Contact:                        

Peter or Ian Rowlands, Directors
Tony Gower, Sales 

4:  Supplier/Client Relationship 

  • We would consider the working relationship we forge with our customers is very solid, a relationship built on trust and understanding
  • Any complaints, then they are dealt with within 24 hours of receipt and always authorised by Ian or Peter Rowlands
  • All calls during trade hours are answered by a member of staff, we prefer to use the personal touch
  • Due to Rowlands & Co Ltd being a ‘hands-on’ family run business the current directors are continuously monitoring their performance and reacting immediately to any perceived shortcomings or necessary changes
  • We circulate a regular newsletter giving details of seasonal products and awareness of local produce availability
  • At no time do we sub-contract work 

4: Purchasing Policy

  • We purchase approximately 37% of our products from local sources. They are primarily potatoes and root vegetables, salad leaves, pumpkins, greens and strawberries
  • All our products are bought to order and are purchased by one of our experienced managers or from well established companies and farms
  • To ensure we can offer a full service to our customers we also purchase complementary products from global conglomerates such as Heinz, Unilever and John West
  • As part of our due diligence we request all our suppliers provide us with self-assessments which are scored. Those suppliers who do not pass our benchmark score or fail to provide a safe and legal service are de-listed 

5: Implementation Plan

  • We do require a 5 working day timetable to set up any new accounts prior to contract start
  • We do require all orders are received by 11.30pm the day before delivery is required, email orders need to be received by 5pm. This ensures our buyers are able to purchase your goods and avoids disappointment
  • We do not make a charge for delivery
  • We do not require a minimum order
  • We accept orders by phone, fax, post, or email
  • We have a strict returns policy for products damaged or not required and that is to raise a credit against invoice. Should the item be required it will be re-invoiced
  • We run our own fleet of delivery vehicles, all refrigerated and fitted with EU 4 and 5 engines
  • We use plastic re-usable boxes for all deliveries. Should it be necessary to use cardboard boxes they are collected and compacted on site for recycling 

6: Contingency Planning

  • We have sufficient trained staff to provide the quality of service required to manage the contract
  • We have ample local sources to always have access to sufficient ‘basic’ fresh produce to offer in the event of an emergency
  • Dairy and fresh produce is delivered into the depot overnight, should there be a problem we are able to source the goods either locally or at market
  • We are a local Company with excellent road links to each corner of the county
  • Our drivers are local and have an in-depth knowledge of our area and the area of our suppliers
  • Should we experience a problem with any shortages or indeed if goods were required that had been missed off the order we would endeavour to liaise with you, our customer, to ensure we minimise your inconvenience
  • Should we incur a supply shortage we would offer an alternative

7: Management Information

  • Our software systems are bespoke to our business and produce clear, legible invoices, credit notes and statements.
  • We can provide any back-up paperwork necessary for you to manage our account
  • We aim to respond to requests or queries within 24 hours of receipt
  • Any complaints received will be addresses by either Ian or Peter Rowlands
  • Any Account queries will be dealt with immediately on receipt and no later than 1 working day after receipt

8: Other Relevant information

Food Hygiene

  • We are STS (Support Training and Services plc) accredited; current certificate Number: 100333860. A copy of our current certificate is available on the web site or from our offices
  • We have implemented a Quality Management system
  • We have a rigorous and workable trace-ability and recall procedure that we test bi-annually
  • We take and record temperatures on a daily basis for the following:

Goods Received                      Cold Room
Chiller                                     Walk-in Freezer
Distribution Vehicles
And we calibrate our thermometers on a quarterly basis

  • We check and record our scales weigh accurately on a daily basis. Scales are checked and certificated annually
  • We have a detailed cleaning schedule in action
  • We have a strict health policy in-situ
  • We assess our suppliers and will not trade with  any supplier who does not provide us with satisfactory compliance with safe and acceptable work ethics
  • We currently audit ourselves on a quarterly basis to ensure our systems and procedures are working satisfactorily and are audited annually by STS
  • We have a Health and Safety working group that meets bi-annually to review our risk assessment

In essence we feel, as a company, more than capable of providing you with the quality service required for the supply and distribution of both greengroceries and complementary products; indeed we are confident that as a local company with a proven track record for both efficiency and responsiveness to our customers needs it would make economic sense to use us as your local supplier for all your fresh food services.

We have an established healthy business with strong growth, despite the current economic climate, which is due entirely to our experience and commitment to service.

We have a loyal workforce, well trained and committed to doing a professional job. We have smart, liveried vehicles, all well maintained, clean and within EU standards.

Finally, we have a proven track record with the quality and service we have provided the local food and retail outlets in and around Shropshire for the past century.