The situation:   Sales levels were low and the client was substantially subsidising the student catering facility.   The College was frustrated that the food offer did not appeal to the students who preferred to eat in the town and the incumbent contractor was not making use of the excellent local suppliers.

The Olive solution:   Olive surveyed the students to establish what they wanted from their refectory.   We visited the town (celebrated for its fine food) to discover where the students were eating, what prices they were paying and the environments in which they preferred to eat.

Olive re-branded the refectory with their bespoke marketing and introduced a range of deli products and sandwiches to compete with the food available in town.   Olive use local suppliers including a baker, green grocer and butcher which, together with competitive pricing, has resulted in substantially increased sales and a negligible subsidy.

The client's perception:

"I was beginning to despair that we would ever be able to operate the student catering without using valuable college funds to subsidise it.   The College had used capital resources to refurbish the facility to make it more appealing but still the catering company seemed unable to get the formula right and the students were still using the town."

"I am delighted with the range of food that Olive are offering the students.   I am convinced that the use of our excellent local food businesses has been a huge part of the success.   Not only do more students use the facility but the staff will now also eat from the refectory."