Our Suppliers

Bidfood are our main preferred food service supplier, offering access to over 430 south west products. Through Bidfood we order delicious artisan products including MC Kelly meat, crisps from Burts and vegan and gluten free tray bakes from Honeybuns. Bidfood have many yearly environmental goals and targets that include engaging communities, offering healthier choices and managing impacts.

Sustainability has been a key part of the Bidfood business strategy since the business began in 1999 and since then, they have implemented a three-year strategy which combines everything from reducing fleet emissions and supporting beekeepers across the country, to reducing paperwork through the use of apps and striving to source responsibly, minimise their consumption and waste as much as possible.

Other sustainability headlines from Bidfood include:

• Introducing plate2planet.co.uk, their leading online initiative dedicated to creating positive change for sustainability in foodservice. plate2planet.co.uk acts as a central hub, bringing organisations together to share best practice and to help take the industry’s sustainability agenda forward.
• Signing up to the WRAP Courtauld Commitment 2025, which aims to reduce the resources needed to provide food and drink in the UK by 20% in 10 years.
• Supporting WRAP’s Guardians of Grub campaign https://www.guardiansofgrub.com and the Food Waste Reduction Roadmap.
• Being part of the Planet Mark sustainability certification programme, which requires evidence of measurable reductions in carbon footprint.
• To have an industry -leading approach to the management of modern slavery and exploitation of food chains.
• The CEO is involved as a panel member for the National Food Strategy, and is also a commissioner on the Food, Farming & Countryside Commission.

Booker Group supply many of our products to the Market Place shops. They share our commitment to sustainability and can boast the following environmental achievements:

• They have recently achieved four certifications to the Carbon Trust Standard for the second time, recognising reductions in carbon emissions, waste output, water use and the achievement of zero waste to landfill status. Booker Group is the only wholesaler to hold these four certifications.
• They have made year-on-year reductions to their carbon emissions, water use and waste emissions.
• In the last five years, they have seen an electricity saving of 42 gigawatts.  Since starting their LED project, they have saved enough energy to power 42 average size Booker branches. 
• The latest round of audits confirm that Booker Group has delivered twelve years of absolute carbon emission reductions.  During those twelve years, the Group has saved almost 14,000 tonnes of carbon, equal to a family driving for 44 million miles.

You'll spot Trewithen Dairy products on the shelves in our Market Place shops, from bottled milk to clotted cream. We also use their ingredients in our cafe products and menus and in the Fresh Ideas delivered food service.

All Trewithen Dairy products are from herds farmed by families local to the Glynn Valley in Cornwall. Environmental responsibility is a top priority for the dairy, including the following objectives:

• They have a team of engineers who help to ensure that their waste materials are disposed of in the correct ways.
• They have a goal of zero to landfill by 2020.
• All their milk bottles, caps and labels are 100% recyclable.
• Plastic remains a viable material for their milk bottles, as it is very light and allows them to transport more milk on fewer vehicles. Their bottles are also currently made with 15% recycled plastic, helping to reduce waste and sustain the recycling chain.

Based locally in mid Devon, MC Kelly is a catering butcher and fine foods supplier who work closely with a select range of local farmers and well established producers, to ensure that they consistently supply the best products. We use their meat across our outlets and in catered Halls.

Based in the South West, with the famous Brixham fish market right on their doorstep, Kingfisher supply locally sourced fish and seafood. They believe in promoting the best sustainable seafood and work with a range of Non-Profit Organisations such as the MSC to develop and market sustainable alternatives.

We have worked with Taste of the West for many years on various events, and have recently started stocking some of the award winning local products in our Market Place Forum shop. Products include chutneys from Otter Vale, peanut butters from Butter Bike Co, drinks from Luscombes, salsas and relishes from Ginger Beards Preserves, sauces from Mezzesoul and wrapped cakes from Foxcombe Bakery.

Suppliers of sausage rolls, pasties and turnovers to our cafes and our Market Place shops, Proper Cornish are based in Bodmin, Cornwall and take practical action to reduce their environmental impact:

• All metal cans, waste paper and 150 tonnes cardboard recycled every year
• All food waste converted to energy through anaerobic digestion
• Low energy lamps and equipment progressively installed
• Highest efficiency rating spiral blast freezer installed with non-ozone depleting gas
• Refrigeration heat recovery system to power bakery hot water system installed

Real Wrap are award winning food suppliers and supply sandwiches, wraps and paninis to our outlets and Fresh Ideas service. They have a huge plant-based range and focus on sustainability, having won many awards in this area.  They get involved in many projects such as the safe water project in Uganda, have recently made all sandwich and wrap boxes plastic free, and also become the first food-to-go manufacture in the world to achieve carbon negative status.

Focusing purely on the power of plants, Clive’s Pies was set up in the 1970’s by one Devonshire man and has evolved into a range of pies, tarts and roasts that are 100% vegan and organic. They focus on creating free-from food which tastes incredible and all their pies are now dairy free and made using either gluten free or wholemeal pastry.

Clive’s pies have been supplying the shops on campus for around 15 years. They are proud to be 100% organic and their packaging is recyclable and mostly compostable.

We stock local Burts Crisps in all our campus cafes and shops and on our Fresh Ideas menus.
Their environmental credentials include:

• A commitment to be a zero to landfill site
• Their 30,000 ft warehouse has been installed with the latest energy efficient light system
• Their cardboard and wooden pallets are all recycled
• They were the first crisp producer to meet Red Tractor standards

Find these delicious pastries in our shops, cafes and catered residences. They pride themselves in sourcing quality and natural ingredients and supporting the environment to reduce their impact. For every vegan pasty slice and roll they sell, they make a donation to their partner charity, The Word Forest Organisation, to plant trees and support communities in building classrooms in Kenya. They are also a Food For Life and Soil Association supplier.

Dorset-based artisan bakery Honeybuns is renowned for indulgent handmade cakes of exceptional flavour, quality and texture. They pride themselves on baking their products in small batches through a slow process, using carefully sourced ingredients to create delicious 'free from' and vegan-friendly tray bakes.

Honeybuns also try to leave a light footprint on the environment, with their green achievements to date including the creation of a 5 acre nature reserve and installation of 5 beehives at the bakery.

They are also conducting ongoing research into compostable film and are committed to extensive on site recycling. The installation of solar panels provides up to 40% of the bakery’s electricity needs.

Enjoy their sweet treats in our campus catering and retail outlets and on the Fresh Ideas refreshments breaks menu as the gluten free, vegan tray bakes option. 

Find the cakes and traybakes of this family-run local bakers in many of our campus cafes.

Being based just down the road in Kingsteignton means getting their products to the University has a relatively low carbon footprint. Truly Treats themselves are committed to reducing their environmental impact, so by sourcing their ingredients from local farmers, as well as supplying their products to other local businesses, they are able to keep their food miles to a minimum.

This family-run business have been producing delicious ice cream in Devon for over 30 years, using the finest ingredients.

We have worked with Taste of the West for many years on various events, and have recently started stocking some of the award winning local products in our Market Place Forum shop.