Bury based food wholesaler, Dunsters Farm, has been delivering food to customers in the north of England for nearly 60 years. The third-generation, family run business is well known for offering quality products at great prices to catering businesses, wholesalers, schools, hospitals and cafes. However, with the majority of its customers forced to temporarily close their doors, Dunsters Farm have had to act quick to safeguard their business.
For the first time in their history, Dunsters Farm has opened its doors to the general public, offering a Call and Collect service to local Bury residents. “We were getting a lot of people telling us that they were struggling to get hold of staple lines at the local supermarkets and that got us thinking; we had plenty of great quality products sat in our warehouse. So we made the decision to open the doors and offer a contactless collection service direct to the boot of your car!” explains Tom Mathew, director.
“We quickly saw that people were collecting on behalf of elderly relatives who were self-isolating and supporting friends who were unwell. We had our vans sat in the yard and we were already delivering to our hospital customers and schools that were still open so we figured we could easily deliver to homes in the region” adds his sister, Hannah Barlow.
Within two weeks, a new home delivery and collection website, www.dunstersfarm.shop was launched. This website specifically caters for residents of Greater Manchester who are looking for a locally delivered grocery supplier. Dunsters Farm have teamed up with other North West food businesses to put together a range of products to help ensure everyone has what they need to feed their families. “We are used to supplying catering sized packs but we have listened to feedback and introduced more retails size packs into our product range. We are adding new products daily” explains Mathew.
The award-winning company, located at Waterfold Park, started life back in the early 1960s as a local milk-round run by the company’s late founder, Les Ratcliffe MBE. Over the years, the company has faced many challenges and they are confident that with the support of the local community and their dedicated team, they can overcome this current business test.
“We have a great team who have supported our decisions from the very start, we are doing everything we can to repay their trust in us and to ensure job security. We have had to make some tough decisions and are having to work around the clock to pivot the business but we are positive for the future. We plan to come out of this period even stronger.” explains Barlow.
For more information regarding grocery home delivery service operating across Greater Manchester, visit www.dunstersfarm.shop.
