Henderson Wholesale has been named Wholesale Fruit & Veg Supplier of the Year at the FPC Fresh Awards, which are hailed as the Oscars of the fresh produce industry in the UK. 

The Henderson Group company won the title after being shortlisted against nine other wholesalers from across the UK, with judges commending the company’s passion and commitment to its local suppliers and supply chain in Northern Ireland. 

Judges commented; “Passionate about produce, local sourcing and its local communities, Henderson Wholesale has set itself apart as a deserving recipient of this award thanks to the Group’s ongoing commitment to quality, innovation, sustainability, community support, customer satisfaction and technological advancement in produce wholesaling.” 

The award comes after a multi-million-pound investment of Henderson’s state-of-the-art wholesale warehouse in Mallusk, which supplies to over 500 SPAR, EUROSPAR and ViVO branded stores across Northern Ireland. 

The company was also praised for its “impressive agility in catering for the individual fresh produce needs and shifting trends of a broad range of different sized stores”. 

Neal Kelly, Category Development Director at Henderson Group added; “We are absolutely thrilled to have picked up this award in London, which firmly positions our wholesale operation as the best in the UK for fresh produce. We have worked tirelessly over the past decade to invest in our fresh wholesaling logistics, our fresh warehouse facilities and our local suppliers. 

“Local sourcing is at the heart of everything we do at Hendersons. We have built relationships with 180 local suppliers and 20 local growers to provide our retailers with that fresh and local produce that both they and their shoppers are demanding. We have a thriving local food sector in Northern Ireland and as the fastest route to market for our suppliers, we work with them closely to achieve consistently high-quality produce, solid availability and promotional success and we will focus on growing that even more in the coming years.” 

The FPC Fresh Awards are organised by the Fresh Produce Consortium, recognised as the voice of the UK fresh produce industry, playing a unique and crucial role in supporting the growth of all aspects of UK domestic and global supply chains of the fruit, vegetable and flower industry.  

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