2022 is nigh and we thought now was as good a time as any to reflect on the year we’ve had. It’s had its ups and downs but 2021 has been a pretty good year here at Orchardlea and that is in no small part thanks to you our customers.
We’re taking a look back at this year and the changes we’ve made. We are continuously reviewing our service and range and hope that this continues to meet your needs. There is still more to come so keep your eyes peeled and here’s to an even better 2022!
JANUARY
Back in January we were in Lockdown 2 but just like the first lockdown we managed to stay open and maintain our normal deliveries thanks to our wonderful staff and suppliers.
We celebrated ‘Veganuary’ by offering a Chunk of Devon vegan box featuring their Nips & Nuts Pie, Spicy Jack Pie, Cheatin Cheese Pasty and Roast Veg Pasty.
We also began floating the idea of becoming alcohol stockists, since then the alcohol has gone from strength to strength and we have increased our range to include new wines from Polgoon Vineyard.
FEBRUARY
In February we launched our ‘Heart of our Company’ blog series where we got to know our customers and local suppliers a little better. This was a way of thanking both customers and suppliers for their support over the last year and promoting small businesses. Ide Community Shop was the first business to be featured and you can read the Q&A blog post here.
New flavoured cheeses from Windyridge Cheese came in to stock in February. The delicious flavours included Cheddar with Lilley’s Cider & Apple, Cheddar with Moroccan Fruits and Outstanding Onion among others. Sadly Windyridge was forced to close down earlier this year but never fear we managed to find an alternative flavoured cheese supplier.
British Pie Week is always a hit with us! This year we got members of the team to pick their favourite Chunk of Devon pie and did a small pie themed Q&A with each of them. Check them out here.
MARCH
International Women’s Day fell on 8th March and we celebrated the fantastic women who make Orchardlea work in a blog post, revisit it by clicking here. Did you know that we currently have 7 women and 10 men working here? We’ll leave it to you to decide who makes the biggest contribution!
This month we introduced an ‘Orchardlea Weekly Offer’ where we posted an offer code to social media giving 10% off a selected product all week. First product in the spotlight was our newest range of flavoured cheeses from Windyridge.
April
We launched our new and improved product guide which we were very happy with getting to print after what seemed like endless tweaking, finally it was ready!
Towards the end of the month Chunk of Devon launched their summer Ploughmans Pasty – who knew summer started in April!?
May
The first supplier blog for our ‘Heart of our Company’ series was published in May. First up was Olive’s Kitchen, a small family run business from Dorset producing gourmet frozen meals. Check out the blog here.
International Houmous Day fell on 13th May proving that there is indeed a day for everything. Our range of houmous from Delphi Foods continues to be as popular as ever with varieties ranging from classic to smoked paprika and lemon & coriander.
This month also saw us update our website. This had been a long time coming as our old website was looking a bit dated, we were really happy with the results and are now updating it much more regularly.
June
June saw the return of the Source Trade Show at Westpoint! It was great to get back to exhibiting albeit in a slightly different, Covid secure way. This was our sister company West Country Olives first trade show and they absolutely smashed it. It’s always lovely to see our customers in the flesh rather than a voice at the end of a telephone, Hannah and Tim had a great time meeting you all!
Congratulations were in order for a large number of our suppliers who scooped an array of prizes at the Taste of the West awards this year. Winners included Chunk of Devon, Sharpham Cheese, Hanlons Brewery and Devon Cove Vodka.
To celebrate English Wine Week Hannah, Liam and Tim visited Alder Vineyard for a tasting of their delicious wines. We currently stock their Rondo Rose and Madeleine White. Check out Hannah’s blog by clicking here.
July
On 9th July we officially changed our name from Isca Foods to Orchardlea Foods! Did you know that Tim bought Orchardlea back in 2013 and merged their pre-packed range with our mostly bulk products? How things have changed!
The summer holidays began late in July and with it orders increased. In the summer sales of our scotch eggs, pork pies and salads go through the roof, this year we also found that our wine and spirits increased at the same time as the schools broke up – coincidence?
August
September
This month Covid finally hit us as multiple staff including our MD Liam tested positive for the virus. Luckily no staff members suffered too badly and after the initial outbreak no other staff tested positive and we were able to continue operating.
We began stocking Sharpham’s Sparkling Pink wine which is delicious alongside West Country Olives.
British Food Fortnight fell at the end of the month and we celebrated by highlighting our amazing suppliers every day for the whole of the fortnight! The fortnight encourages people to support local British producers and we thought this was a great cause to devote our blogs to, we couldn’t do the job we do without these suppliers and their worth has only increased as a result of the pandemic. Keep up the good work!
October
We launched our Orchardlea Deli range! Still in its initial stages this deli counter range includes 1kg packs of Dolmades stuffed vine leaves, cherry peppers stuffed with cream cheese and sundried tomatoes and so much more – click here to see the full range.
The latest van to be added to our fleet got a face lift with some new artwork. We were very happy with the new design which will be transferred to our other vans in due course.
Our Christmas brochure was launched this month with some brand new products including Devon Fudge, Cracking Nuts and Frobishers juices available to order – is it too early to get excited!?
November
This month we launched a Meet the Team exclusive interview for our newsletter subscribers. First up was our MD Liam and Orchardlea Occasion Foods founder Hannah. If you missed this remember to sign up to our mailing list by clicking here to receive a monthly newsletter containing exclusive offers, news of our latest products and more!
We also finally launched our retail deli pots, these include the same varieties as the catering range including sweet peppadew piquante peppers, green peppers stuffed with cheese and sundried tomatoes. We are also in the process of adding two new varieties: grilled olives medley mix and Borettane onions in balsamic vinegar.
December
Our blog series highlighting our favourite Christmas picks concluded this month. This included our festive pie range, winter pate, Devon Fudge, Georgie Porgie’s Christmas puddings and Freda’s peanut butter as well as our new range of gift sets spirits and wines from Exeter Gin, the Devon Rum Company and Polgoon Vineyard. If you missed the series it can be viewed here and don’t worry these products will still be available in the new year!
