At Brasserie Bar Co (BBCo), we are driven to do the right thing, not the easy thing. It is in our DNA – from our Chef Patron, Raymond Blanc downwards.
To this end, we have put a policy in place to ensure that our procurement is as sustainable as possible. We update this policy annually to ensure that our business is evolving.
This policy sets out the core initiatives we undertake and the guard rails in place to protect our brand, our people and the environment.
Objectives.
- 1) To assess our full supply chain to ensure that our minimum standard of sustainability practices is met.
- 2) To help to identify the correct partner suppliers to BBCO to fulfill its overall sustainability objectives.
- 3) To deliver a set of purchasing practices to protect the business as we grow.
- 4) To protect our employees, suppliers and overall brand from detrimental behavior and poorenvironmental practices..
Key BBCO Procurement Personnel
• Raymond Blanc (Chef Patron):
o Two Michelin Start chef and President of the Sustainable Restaurant Association.
• Mark Derry (Executive Chairman):
o Founder of Loch Fyne Restaurants and Brasserie Bar Co.
• Richard Ferrier (Managing Director):
o An employee of 11 years and MD of the business since 2020.
• Helen Melvin (People Director):
o An employee of 11 years and previously CFO of Loch Fyne Restaurants.
• Sam Wood (Operations Director):
o An employee of 13 years and responsible for the Group’s activities within sustainability.
• Manoj Prasad (Head of Food Development):
o An employee of 20 years and responsible for the Group’s food since 2022.
Key Procurement Principles.
1) Seasonal:
- All products should be purchased when in season, whenever possible.
- When products are season, they are in plentiful supply which means they should be attheir best value.
- Where a UK product is available, this should be procured over a foreign alternative inorder to limit the transport miles associated with it.
2) Responsible:
a. All suppliers must comply with all applicable international laws including the Modern Slavery Act.
3) Traceable:
a. All products and their raw materials should be fully traceable to each farm or end producer and accredited by all key industry bodies.
4) Consolidated:
- Deliveries and suppliers should be consolidated where ever possible to reduce transport miles of products.
- Delivery schedules should be reduced to the minimum number required to stock the business effectively.
5) Supportive:
a. All suppliers must pay their employees the National Living Wage and have benefits in place to support them beyond headline pay.
Key Food & Drink Suppliers.
We select our supplier partners on the basis of their sustainability credentials. We have outlined our main food and drink suppliers below.
• Aubrey Allen:
o The Group’s meat supplier for over 25 years.
o Aubrey Allen currently supply all meat and cheese products to Brasserie Bar Co.
o Established in 1933, Aubrey Allen currently hold the Royal Warrant as the butcher to the
King and his household.
o Aubrey Allen are committed to only selling sustainable meat and cheese and have
many long standing relationships with producers, primarily in the UK.
o Each animal is traceable back to farm level.
o Aubrey Allen only sell BBCO British, pasture reared beef from suckler herds. We only
purchase beef from R4L classification beef (Angus, Hereford & Devon Reds).
o The beef we purchase is dry aged for 30 days in a specialist chamber and we aim to
acquire [80%] of available cuts from each beast to ensure carcass balance and
reduce wastage to an absolute minimum.
o All beef purchased by Brasserie Bar Co is transported less than one hour to abattoirs to
reduce stress on the animal.
o We purchase coarse cut burgers from Aubrey Allen utilizing leftover chuck from the
cows that are used for our cuts of steak.
o Aubrey Allen supply us with South West Lamb where the quality of product has been
recognized with PGI status.
o We utilize as much as [80%] of each carcass and work with Aubrey Allen to reduce
wastage of lamb to a minimum.
o We purchase only free-range pork from Aubrey Allen. We only purchase young,
females (gilts) from Jimmy Butler’s Blythburgh Farm in Suffolk.
o Sandy soil at the farm, enables the pigs to roam free and live happy stress-free lives. o We only purchase ‘Winter Garden’ chicken from Aubrey Allen. This is sourced from
Janze, Brittany in North Western France and provides very high welfare for the chickens
with space to roam indoors and outdoors.
o They have been specifically selected to supply BBCO as they are able to ethically rear
much larger flocks at the highest welfare standards.
o These welfare standards are to be in line with Red Tractor assurance levels, and a
dedicated Animal Welfare Officer is observing site at all times during production
o Each chicken is grown for [56] days as a minimum and we purchase whole birds and
utilize all aspects of the animal.
o Aubrey Allen work closely with Planet Mark to ensure sustainable practices across its
supply chain.
o On packaging, Aubrey Allen utilise:
- ▪ FSC sustainable paper pulp compostable gastro trays, which are kerbside recyclable and compostable.
- ▪ A crate system on their fleet vans to eliminate the use of external packaging.
- ▪ RPETburgerandcheesetrays,madeoutofrecycledcontentandrecyclablein kerbside schemes.
- ▪ Purchasing whole carcasses that arrive with no packaging and are brokendown on site by our butchers.
- ▪ All labels and peach paper is FSC approved and recyclable.
o On transport, Aubrey Allen:
- ▪ Have their own fleet of Aubrey Allen vehicles that deliver to their customersnationwide.
- ▪ Use intelligent software that allows them to plan routes, use the minimummileage, reduce carbon emissions and improve efficiency.
- ▪ They use courier partners to areas that are not viable for our fleet and workclosely with them to provide us with statistics and update information on theirsustainability processes.
- ▪ They have invested in two vans and four electric company cars with EV points
on site.
• Wellocks:
o Wellock’s have supplied BBCO since 2016 and have been in business for over 60 years. o Wellock’s supply all produce, dairy, bakery and wholesale items to BBCO.
o The business works directly with farmers growers (primarily in the UK) which enables full
traceability for BBCO.
o BBCO receive six deliveries per week from Wellock’s but purchase over 1,000 SKUs
which ensures as few deliveries as possible.
o Wellocks are part of William Jackson Food Group (WJFG), a major food wholesaler and
manufacturer and engage in extensive sustainability operations.
o WJFG reduced carbon emissions per tonne of product sold by 18%, exceeding our
target of 3%, and measured their full carbon footprint and started reviewing reduction
pathway.
o By 2030, WJFG will be able to trace 100% of ingredients or products over which they
have direct control back to their origin in all their businesses.
o WJFG have put a plan in place to pay all their employees the ‘Real living wage’ as
defined by the Living Wage foundation by 2030.
o WJFG have a plan in place to reduce food waste by half by 2030.
o Brasserie Bar Co recognises the importance of having a responsible sourcing policy for
Palm Oil. As such BBCo will evaluate annually Wellocks Palm Oil Policy, as our nominated supplier
- ▪ The Wellocks Palm Oil Policy details RSPO Certification is required for any products supplied through their value chain
- ▪ Where palm oil is used in non-Wellocks branded products, it must be sustainably sourced as certified by RSPO or other sustainable accreditation, such as POIG
o Chocolate is sourced via Wellocks from Callibaut – a Cocoa Horizons certified producer
o Sugar is sourced locally, from British Supplier Tate and Lyle’s, a Red Tractor certified producer
o Milk is sourced from Yew Tree Farm, whom carry a Red Tractor assurance certification o Ice Cream is sourced from Judes.
- ▪ Judes purchase all mike from Red Tractor accredited farms.
- ▪ Judes are a certified B Corp Business with clear Sustainable Developmentgoals – which have been made available to BBCo
o On packaging, Wellocks:
- ▪ Utilise multi-use plastic crates that avoid the need for other packaging.
- ▪ Crates are returned to Wellocks and cleaned before being re-used for thefurther deliveries.
o On transport, Wellocks:
▪ Wellocks have complex route planning in place with their 1,200 customers to ensure that deliveries are as efficient as possible, reducing milage and emissions.
• Direct Seafoods:
o Direct Seafoods have supplied fish and seafood to BBCO since 2018.
o Direct Seafoods currently hold the Royal Warrant as the butcher to the King and his
household.
o They have worked with several Non-Governmental Organisations in both the wild and
seafood sectors.
o They have adopted the guidelines from the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI). We have
aimed to comply with the ETI base code and require all our suppliers to complete
ethical questionnaires and sign up to this base code prior to approval.
o They work with key suppliers to ensure they have certification wherever possible. For the 5 core lines consumed in the UK (cod, haddock, salmon, tuna and prawns) they
have access to sustainably certified seafood in those areas, or if not certified, they work with suppliers who achieve best practice within that part of the industry.
o They take guidance from the MCS as to promoting sustainable species wherever possible and suggesting alternatives to those which are rated 5/red rated as fish to avoid.
o Traceability is key, and the MCS ratings list is a valuable tool for suppliers to assess the best fisheries to source from. They work with suppliers to ensure traceability at all times and to offer customers the confidence of a robust supply chain.
o Aquaculture is a key part of seafood consumption. 10 years ago aquaculture represented 30% of consumption and now represents 50% – a figure which we will see continue to grow. As part of this, it is key to look for rigorous certification schemes, of which there are 3: ASC (Aquaculture Stewardship Council, GAA-BAP (Global Aquaculture Alliance – Best Aquaculture Practice), and Global GAP (Good Aquaculture Practice).
o In addition to certification, a great way to encourage use of sustainable species is to source more unusual / less common / under utilised alternatives. They work with local fisheries and suppliers, wherever possible to source from small day boats, trying to maximise the use of the full catch rather than only the prime fish.
• C&C Group;
o C&C Group supply us all liquor products except coffee via Matthew Clark (beers, soft drinks and spirits) and Bibendum (wine).
o They have supplied Brasserie Bar Co since 2014.
o We have several direct relationships with wine growers and have arrangements in
place with Bibendum to ship the products to our sites.
o They have consolidated all liquor items (except coffee) into two deliveries per week
per site to reduce transport miles.
o In terms of renewables, 100% of the electricity across C&C’s main sites in the UK and
Ireland comes from renewable sources, covering around 98% of the company’s
electricity use.
o C&C has also installed a rooftop solar array at its Clonmel manufacturing site in Ireland,
reducing the site’s carbon emissions by 4% and saving approximately 290 tonnes of CO2 annually.
▪ Bibendum is committed to reducing Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions by 35% and its Scope 3 GHG emissions by 25% by 2030 (versus FY2020). The company has also pledged to be a carbon-neutral business by 2050.
o On packaging , Mathew Clark:
▪ Deliver products in re-usable kegs (which they collect) and insist that all
suppliers provide spirit and packaged products in recyclable cardboard. o On transport, Matthew Clark:
• Illy Café;
- ▪ Across more than 90% of their fleet are now using Euro VI vehicles which make use of efficient engines to deliver lower emissions.
- ▪ They have also installed solar technology on the roofs their trucks, which proactively reduces the fuel and emissions of each vehicle by utilising the harnessed energy to power vehicle equipment.
- ▪ Matthew Clark also utilise a ‘hub and spoke’ delivery model to ensure that products are transported in the most cost and time efficient way.
o Illy Café are a certified B Corp and engage in a vast number of sustainability initiatives as a Group.
o They are Brasserie Bar Co’s coffee supplier and have worked with the Group since 2017.
o Illy have been awarded with being in the ‘2023 world’s most ethical companies’ by Ethisphere.
o This includes high quality education to young people in Nicuragua, cleaning ground water and restoring native vegetation in Columbia and supporting women in Rwanda.
o Illy have put together an initiative called ‘Viveiro de Atitude’ which is a programme to build a nursery capable of housing over 100 plant species.
o On packaging, Illy:
- ▪ Use pods and a patented capsule that is certified compostable.
- ▪ The box for the pods is made from recycled cardboard.
o On transport, Illy:
▪ Utilise electric vehicles to deliver products to restaurants.
Due Diligence & Assurance.
- We undertake a vast amount of due diligence of new suppliers and existing ones to ensure that sustainability is at the forefront of their business models.
- We visit each supplier a minimum of once per annum and inspect their manufacturing facilities.
- Paperwork is provided on site and inspected and each aspect of the supply chain is reviewedfor full traceability.
- We receive written evidence of an up to date Modern Slavery policy from each supplier andreview it to ensure that it is compliant.
- We sample products at source to ensure that they meet the highest standards.
- We receive written confirmation that allergen risk assessments and health & safety riskassessments have been carried out and that all items are carefully moved through the supplychain.
- We receive written confirmation that all employment legislation is followed including
- We review Scope 1 carbon emissions from the most recent annual report as well as a full creditcheck.New Supplier Evaluation.
- When introducing a new supplier, we carry out a full evaluation of them and their supply chain to ensure that it meets the highest standards of sustainability, safety and quality.
- We undertake a full product review at the manufacturing facility and sample each item and review traceability documentation.
- We undertake a full audit of legal documentation to ensure compliance in all the key legal aspects including Modern Slavery.
- A written undertaking is received that demonstrates that the new supplier has risk assessments in place for allergens and health and safety and all relevant employment legislation is being followed.
- Sustainability credentials are reviewed including packaging used and transportation to ensure chosen businesses have sustainability at the forefront of their model.
- All product origins are reviewed with UK based products prioritized over foreign items.
- Delivery schedules are agreed with the aim of reducing deliveries to a minimum.
- Contract and service level agreements are put in place that reference our sustainabilityrequirements.
- KPI tracking and reporting is put in place to hold suppliers to account.
- Board level sign off is received to ensure any new supplier aligns with the Group’s overall ESGstrategy.Measurables.
- We measure ‘On time & in full’ for each of our key suppliers based on a percentage of products delivered within an agreed window and a percentage of products that
- This is managed via a ‘purchase to pay’ system called Procure Wizard.
- We are able to lock down products with agreed specifications and pricing.
- Credits can be raised via the platform.
- We are able to measure a variety of other Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) via ProcureWizard.
- For larger suppliers, we have a service level agreements in place.