A family business with three generations of experience in fresh produce, we want our customers to be inspired by our range and amazed by the quality of what we deliver. Our home base is in Skipton and our customers include leading restaurants, cafes, hotels, pubs, bars, schools and caterers across the north of England.
Class One voted number one
After a tough couple of years for the industry, we were thrilled to be named Best Wholesaler at the Taste Awards 2021 organised by Deliciouslyorkshire. The judges particularly commended us for our performance during the pandemic, saying: “Continuing to deliver their service to the highest standard throughout the toughest times over the last 18 months, Class One’s team showed flexibility and agility throughout the pandemic and proved themselves to be a progressive and forward-thinking Yorkshire firm. A fantastic entry and a business to be proud of.”
All vegetables great and small
Class One made its TV debut thanks to an invite to supply fresh fruit and veg for the sets of Channel 5’s fantastic new series ‘All Creatures Great and Small’. The period drama set in the 1940s was filmed in the Yorkshire Dales around Skipton and is on TV this autumn – with a Christmas special too. “The production company got in touch back in summer 2019 and asked if we could get them old-fashioned mucky-looking veg – carrots with tops, leeks, marrows and potatoes,” says managing director Ben Cluny. “So we did and they all look fantastic!”
Home delivery
With the impact of Covid-19 affecting both businesses and lives, we launched a home delivery service to support our local community. Delivering six days a week, we provide customers with restaurant-quality fruit and veg boxes straight to their door, plus pantry essentials like bread, cheese and milk.
Launch of ordering app
We launched our innovative mobile/online ordering app which makes the ordering process easier, monitors expenses in real time, enables efficient ordering management and helps customers stay ahead of the competition with seasonal items.
Exciting expansions
As we continued to grow our customer base, the business expanded to meet new demands. We moved all our dry goods into an adjoining warehouse to accommodate the increased range of product lines. This move meant we could increase our fridge space to keep our produce as fresh as possible.
Collecting awards
We were delighted to scoop the Best Wholesaler/Distributor at the Deliciously Yorkshire Taste Awards for the second year running. The largest and most respected food and drink awards in the region are held in high regard throughout our industry, so it was an honour and privilege to not only be recognised and shortlisted, but to take top spot. Managing Director, Ben Cluny, proudly accepted the award on behalf of everyone at Class One.
New certification opens new opportunities
With the business growing steadily, our team’s drive to deliver the highest standards in fresh produce and dairy supply saw us audited by CMi for a Due Diligence Award. This award offered new avenues of supply for Class One and set the benchmark for competitors to follow as we expanded our areas of supply into the Lake District and Harrogate area. To oversee this increased product line Class One welcomed new General Manager, Martin Holmes, to the team.
Watch us grow
We moved to a new state-of-the-art warehouse on the Snaygill Industrial Estate in Skipton, doubling our floor space and allowing us to install a custom-built produce and separate dairy fridge. This helped us to grow and expand the business while still making sure our existing customers received the best fruit and vegetables coupled with the professional service they had come to expect.
A family affair
As our business grew and developed, we specialised in providing a dedicated service to the catering and hospitality industry. The team was delighted when Chris and Diane’s son, Ben, an AA rosette chef, made the decision to step out of the kitchen and brought first-hand knowledge and experience of the industry to the business. With Ben on board, the core team of Class One was now complete.
Chris and Diane team up
After 4 years of looking after both chefs and market stall customers, Diane decided that hospitality and wholesale catering was the way forward. Husband Chris – a fresh produce wholesaler in Bradford Market – joined Class One bringing over 20 years of wholesale knowledge and experience to the fast-growing business.
On the High Street
Class One started life as a market stall on Skipton High Street in 1990. Run by Diane, her ethos then was quality at the right price, values which are still at the heart of Class One today. The reputation started to grow and local chefs asked for direct delivery.
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