Queen’s Award delivered to The Home of Hot-holding

The Lord-Lieutenant of Leicestershire has visited Flexeserve to present a Queen’s Award for Enterprise, the most prestigious award for UK businesses, given only to those who are outstanding in their field.

The world-leading hot-holding manufacturer received its second Queen’s Award for Enterprise: Innovation, this time for its flagship heated display, Flexeserve Zone, which transforms how people consume hot food around the world.

The presentation of the Queen’s Award was marked with a reception and formal ceremony attended by Guest of Honour, Michael Kapur Esq OBE, His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Leicestershire, at Flexeserve’s global headquarters in Hinckley, Leicestershire, UK.

Last year, Flexeserve’s Global CEO, Jamie Joyce visited Buckingham Palace with fellow Queen’s Award winners, where he was received by HRH The Princess Royal and the now monarch, HRH King Charles III.

“An exceptional achievement”

The ceremony itself saw the award presented by Mr Kapur and the Grant of Appointment read by his Deputy Lieutenant, Eileen Perry MBE. Flexeserve was one of seven East Midlands recipients of the Queen’s Award for Enterprise: Innovation. In the words of Mr Kapur, this highlighted Flexeserve’s “success as an exceptional achievement within the local business community”. Significantly, this ceremony marked the very last of the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise, as they move forward under the new name of the King’s Awards.

Guests were invited to Flexeserve’s Foodservice Innovation Centre for a toast by Technical Director, Mick Steele, who first identified convection as the optimum method for maintaining food temperature and quality. The entire Flexeserve team of Partners and members of the founding Nuttall family were treated to a truly Great British menu created by Billy Eatenton, Head of Culinary. Served from Flexeserve Zone units, hot dishes ranged from traditional Fish & Chips to Vegan Shepherd’s Pie with root vegetable topping and Yorkshire Pudding Wraps!

Words on the day

In a passionate speech, Jamie thanked all Partners and guests for their dedication and support, which had made “Flexeserve’s greatest achievement” possible.

Jamie Joyce said: “I’m incredibly grateful to and proud of all our Partners and overjoyed that we could join together today to receive and celebrate this award.

“I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Lord-Lieutenant of Leicestershire for kindly presenting us with the Queen’s Award for Enterprise: Innovation on behalf of His Majesty, King Charles. It is a great honour for us to receive the most prestigious accolade for UK businesses again, and we are incredibly proud to be recognised for continuing to advance within our industry.

“Our pathway to get to this point has been a long but incredibly exciting one. Our first Queen’s Award for Innovation for the TurboServe in 2005 set us on a revolutionary journey. Eleven years since we developed our groundbreaking hot air recirculation technology in Flexeserve Zone, this innovation has led us not only to create a brand, but to build a focused business that has grown beyond our wildest dreams.

“However, a sad part of today for me personally, and for the entire business, is that our Founder Alan Nuttall is not here to join us. I know he is here in spirit and would be immensely proud of what we have achieved together.

“He was a true innovator and pioneer, and always believed that Flexeserve Zone would be a huge success. Alan’s legacy lives on through our innovation and determination to succeed.

“Our innovations have had a seismic impact on food culture, changing the way people here in the UK and, increasingly, around the globe consume hot food out of home. We will continue to strive for excellence and to make a positive impact on the world of food-to-go.”

Selling more, wasting less – everywhere, every day

Used by major global operators, the industry-leading Flexeserve Zone is the only heated display that uses hot air convection to accurately deliver different temperatures on each shelf. This revolutionary technology enables foodservice operators to hot-hold a wide variety of food-to-go products.

This unlocks new opportunities to expand product range, achieve extended hold times and reduce food waste, whilst maintaining excellent food quality – only achievable with Flexeserve’s true hot-holding.

The company’s award-winning combination of equipment and expertise is delivered through the industry’s only hot-holding service, Flexeserve Solution. Delivered by its world experts, it comprises six key elements: Technology, Food, Culinary, Packaging, Implement and Connect.

The team guides customers through this journey to refine and transform their hot food operations. This delivers unrivalled efficiency, capacity and profitability for the likes of Pret, Greggs, M&S and Circle K, to name a few.

As innovators, better never stops

In the spirit of innovation, the presentation of the Queen’s Award also coincided with the official opening of Flexeserve’s new, state-of-the-art production lines. This will allow Flexeserve to continue to lead the industry, using the latest manufacturing processes to meet global demand for its revolutionary foodservice equipment.

Flexeserve’s story of innovation doesn’t end there, as new products and services will be launched later this year.

The business is also set to enter a new arena and change the game once again, with the launch of its advanced cloud-based service. Connect will enable operators to maximise the benefits of true hot-holding at every location, with visibility and remote control of their entire estate.

Jamie concluded: “Flexeserve Zone received our second Queen’s Award for Innovation. Looking to the future, this is a reminder of our achievements and also our responsibility as a business to continue to evolve and improve on the foundations that we have all worked tirelessly to lay.

“With Connect, we’re taking hot food to the next level, just like we did with Flexeserve Zone. I can’t wait to share Connect with the world and see our customers managing their hot food operations like never before.

“We are committed to pushing the boundaries of technology and sustainability, creating products and services that do not just meet, but exceed our customers’ expectations, helping them sell more and waste less.”

For more information about why Flexeserve Zone won a Queen’s Award for Enterprise and how it can help you sell more and waste less, please contact us.