The Source

Trevors Food Service is the largest wholesaler in Blackpool who supplies Blackpool council.



About Trevors Food Service

We’re a family run food service wholesaler that started originally as a supermarket offering service to hospitality. We are currently the largest wholesaler in Blackpool, with 16 multi-temperature vehicles. We get our meat from local butchers Choice Meats (Blackpool-based) and another one in Lancashire, who both get animals from Manchester and Lancashire. Our fruit and veg are sourced from Ribble Farm Fare, who supplies a range far longer than I would like to read out! They also let us know where they are sourcing it from, and you can ask for the provenance on request. Additionally, we have a variety of local cheeses we can offer, such as Lancashire Blue.

How do you supply Blackpool council?

We work very closely with them, and there’s a strong mutual understanding. We supply 34 local schools, which are all within 5 miles of our depot. During the height of the pandemic we set up an emergency outlet, distributing just over 500,000 meals and within 2 days’ time we had 18 palettes of food ingredients (long-shelf life) going out to a central hub for the council to send out to the less fortunate. Blackpool is one of the most deprived areas in the country, and the council was sending out nutritional hamper packs. That’s the kind of speed of response you can only really get from working with local suppliers like us. The fact we can offer flexibility on deliveries due to being local is one of the reasons we have won the tender for the council contract, when it comes up each time.

Blackpool Council also support us as a business. We know their procurement officers well and they point us in the direction of new opportunities to supply as they come up within the council. Blackpool Council is a fantastic partner for us and we hope to continue with them for many years.

What would you say to other suppliers interested in supplying schools?

You have to start from the bottom up and work with the community. It is important to work with the people of your home town and build a reputation of looking after your own. Social values are very important too. They are looking at what you give back to your own community. It’s also helpful to build a reputation with the private sector first. We were the first supermarket in Blackpool so we already had a strong local reputation and we’re locals ourselves. The office next to me is my aunty and the office behind is my dad – we are family owned and run, and that sets us apart, which the council takes into account. It is a service we provide that the national providers can’t – they know that in the worst case scenario I’ll be coming to them with stock in my car!