Last Friday evening jellybeanwon the 2016 CIPR Gold Award for the Best Corporate and Business Communications Campaign for ‘Wrap Smart’, an integrated campaign developed for our client Wrapmaster. I couldn’t be more proud of the agency, of the team who conceived this strategic and creative idea and of the client who put absolute trust in us to deliver against their tough target. As an integrated foodservice marketing agency dedicated to the foodservice industry this success story really showcases our extensive talent and deep-rooted understanding of the industry we have worked in for nearly 30 years.
Truly life changing little berries that, when blended into a smoothie along with other exotic fruits, poured into a bowl and topped with cool coconut yogurt and chunky granola is simply life changing.
On a cold and frosty Thursday morning myself and fellow ‘bean’ Gemma made our way to the M by Montcalm hotel in Shoreditch to hear the latest insight on the UK hotel market from MCA. As the leading foodservice agency, representing a number of clients for whom the hotel sector is a key market focus, we were there ready to take it all in. Simon Stenning and his team took it in turns to run us through every aspect of the report including quantitative market data, consumer insight and even decision maker opinion, but here are our top ten take-outs…
Whether it’s thanks to my aversion to cooking, or the fact I’m lucky enough to work for the leading foodservice agency and some of the industry’s top brands (let’s go with that one), I eat out A LOT. Thai, Indian, Mexican, Italian, Japanese – if the food’s good, I’m not fussy when it comes to cuisines.
The 1st November 2016 saw the movers and shakers in the industry come together for the annual Eat Out Awards and as the leading foodservice marketing agency, jellybeanof course was there to find who are the operators making waves in this amazing industry of ours.
School caterers are often the unsung heroes of our industry, but this was certainly not the case on Monday evening as The Royal Garden Hotel played host to the annual EDUCatering Awards. The evening saw the great and the good of the school meals industry gather to see who would walk away with these coveted awards.
Having been to Greece on a work trip a few years ago and loving it, when it came at looking for a holiday this year, we decided we would try one of the Greek islands.
After looking around, we decided that Crete would be the best option for us as it’s the most southerly of the islands and therefore the hottest – going in October that was very important to us.
I was lucky enough to spend a week in Barbados and one of the highlights was the Friday night Oistins Fish Fry. Oistins started out as a fish market but then someone came up with the bright idea of setting up a stall to fry and sell the freshly caught fish and now it has developed into THE way for locals and tourists alike to spend their Friday night in Barbados.
Despite searching the back of many cupboards as a child, I never found it but I came close one time. The journey starts with an innocuous walk into a dark, sullen lift. Intriguing as this may be, it also seeks to squash your expectations of what is on the other side. The only clue of what is to come is a single Took Took which stands there somewhat juxtaposed to the darkness of the night and the sullenness of the lift, with its radiant colour. As you tentatively step into the lift, you scan your eye up and down the numbers to find the floor. The poorly lit digits reveal nothing until you reach the top one. The Thai Terrace. You may chance to look around at this moment and notice the exotic pattern of plants and wildlife from another land, carefully splashed on the back wall of the lift. The lift ascends and you hold your breath in anticipation.
School caterers are often the unsung heroes of our industry, but this was certainly not the case on Monday evening as The Royal Garden Hotel played host to the annual EDUCatering Awards. The evening saw the great and the good of the school meals industry gather to see who would walk away with these coveted awards. With contract caterers – big and small, local authorities, individual schools, food and drink brands, and of course the leading foodservice agency represented, the night honoured every aspect of the sector, from primary to secondary, innovation to marketing, CSR to newcomers, and everything in between. The awards were judged by a panel of 21 industry professionals from the world of school catering with one notable exception – the Innovation Award, which was judged on the night by the audience via their key pads. But this wasn’t the only technological touch to the evening. At each end of the room was a Twitter wall screening tweets using the hashtag #EDUAwards and included a leader board of most influential accounts tweeting, helping to drive the social media amplification of the event (nice one!).
When it comes to fundraising events, blending good food, good wine and good company with a generous smattering of sporting celebs is a clear recipe for success. The annual Hospitality Action Sporting Legends Luncheon took place on Friday 7th of October at the Lancaster London and as a loyal supporter of the charity and the leading foodservice marketing agency we were of course there. Joined by some of our lovely clients we gathered at the drinks reception where the beans could be found propping up the bar whilst scoping out the gathering sporting celebrities.
The best thing about a city weekend away for me, is discovering new places to eat! A jellybeanthrough and through…everything is about food! And on a recent weekend to Manchester with friends, being based in the popular Northern Quarter meant that we had no shortage of fantastic restaurants and bars to try out.
It has to be said that Michelin starred cuisine and zoos are not likely bedfellows, but when it comes to fundraising for Hospitality Action anything is possible! So last week we hot-footed it down to ZSL London Zoo to be greeted by llamas (would you believe?) to enjoy a fabulous menu devised and cooked by Michelin stared chef Ollie Dabbous of Dabbous London. We arrived and made our way through the zoo to mingle with other diners surrounded by the zoo’s enclosures and their resident wildlife within. As the leading foodservice agency we are lucky enough to go to all sorts of fabulous events and meals, but never before had we been entertained in a zoo, so this was a first for us!
As the leading foodservice agency we make sure we get along to as many Arena networking events as possible and certainly never miss the annual Face 2 Face with Alistair Stewart. This year it was held at the stunning Landmark London Hotel with a line-up including the headline interview with Dennis Hogan MD of Compass Group UK & Ireland, as well as a panel discussion on the impact of Brexit on the hospitality industry.
Having just passed the 3 month mark at Jellybean, I jumped at the chance to attend my first industry event. Specifically designed for those new to foodservice, the Horizons Key Club and Study Tour seemed right up my street.
In the creative world, we all want to create that winning piece of work that has impact, gets recognised and delivers on the objectives. As the leading foodservice agency, here at jellybeanwe strive to do this for our clients every day. However, to deliver outstanding creative you have to start with a killer brief – one that drills down to the fundamental proposition and steers the transformation of your thinking and your business.
One of the perks of the job is the trips, and this one was extra special because it was a competition prize for this year’s Tilda Chef of the Year winner, Lee Warren, who works for Compass. Another ex-winner and now judge of the competition, Danny Leung of Lexington Catering, joined us along with new Tilda Head of Foodservice, Craig Dillon and BigH journalist, Sophie Witts.
The Universal Cookery and Food Festival – now in its fifth and arguably most high-profile year – is the Craft Guild of Chefs’ love letter to food, farming and the harvest. The recipe seems simple but the final result is so unlike any other foodservice event in the calendar; take a bunch of innovative suppliers, throw in a band of leading chefs, add growers, foragers, farmers, beekeepers, bands, beer, about two-and-a-half tons of hay and cover with a corrugated tin roof until done.
