The Redwood Wholefood Company transfers its warehousing and distribution contract to Culina

Specialist vegan food producer The Redwood Wholefood Company has transferred its warehousing and distribution contract to Culina, the market leading provider of logistics services for food, drink and perishable produce companies. The contract is managed out of the Culina depot in Milton Keynes.

"We liked the complete package offered by Culina and we’ve already begun to see a number of benefits following the switch," says James Olechnowicz, Buyer at The Redwood Wholefood Company. "Their service levels are good and we have access to their online systems which provide us with stock visibility that allows us to provide a better service to our customers."

Based in Corby, Northamptonshire, The Redwood Wholefood Company produces an extensive range of foods that are totally free from animal ingredients, making them suitable for vegans, vegetarians and people with special dietary requirements. The products are stocked by many of the leading multiples as well as numerous independent retailers. The company had been with its previous distribution partner for some time and decided to switch service providers after it identified a number of operational issues. In particular the company wanted to improve service levels and ensure that consignments were delivered at the correct times agreed with retailers. Missed slots were leading to increased costs incurred through additional transport and delivery requirements.

The company approached Culina following recommendations from retailers. Culina provides a combined stock holding and cross-docking service. The stockholding operation enables products stored at the Milton Keynes depot to be distributed to a number of multiple retailers to match their own supply chain requirements and support flexible operations. The cross docking service supports multiple, independent and online retailers by forwarding full pallets. In both parts of the operation Culina utilises its highly efficient vehicle fleet, shared user distribution model and network of 14 depots to minimise vehicle movements and delivery lead times.

Following the switch to Culina, not only have missed delivery slots decreased significantly, The Redwood Wholefood Company has real-time, online access to stock control information. This allows the company to check the status of orders and consignments which in turn enables it to provide better service to its customers and resolve issues before they impact on the business.

"This contract is relatively unusual in combining stockholding and cross-docking operations," says Dave Lowe, Group Commercial Manager at Culina. "It adds volume to our existing network but, more importantly, provides the customer with the flexibility and efficiency to ensure their products are delivered correctly to their customers."