Employee-owned Flexeserve wins Queen’s Award for Innovation for its food-to-go hot-holding technology

The EOA congratulates Flexeserve after its ground-breaking developments in hot-holding technology received royal recognition with a Queen’s Award for Innovation.

Flexeserve, the world expert in food-to-go hot-holding, which is a brand of The Alan Nuttall Partnership, an employee-owned manufacturing company employing 90 partners based in Hinckley, Leicestershire, has been honoured with a Queen’s Award for Enterprise: Innovation 2022.

Hailed by CEO Jamie Joyce as “Flexeserve’s greatest achievement to date”, the award will be marked with a reception hosted by HRH The Prince of Wales at Buckingham Palace on July 12.

Recognising and celebrating business excellence across the UK, the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are the most prestigious awards for UK businesses. They were first awarded in 1966 – the same year Alan Nuttall founded his business – with Her Majesty The Queen personally approving the winners.

The business, then known as ‘Alan Nuttall Ltd – Fresh Food Solutions’, won an award for innovation in 2005, and now the revolutionary Flexeserve Zone has achieved this accolade.

Jamie said: “Winning this national award, recognised around the world, is overwhelming – it’s a dream come true for the business.

“This award is won by every single partner in the Flexeserve team, as well as our wider partnership and customers. This has been made possible by the belief of all these groups of people in our flagship product, Flexeserve Zone.”

What is Flexeserve Zone?

Flexeserve’s unique air recirculation technology in Flexeserve Zone

Flexeserve Zone is the world-leading heated display and the only unit capable of hot-holding food-to-go products with different temperature requirements at the same time.

The patented unit creates a consistent air temperature throughout each shelf, which can be individually controlled. This unlocks new opportunities for major operators to expand product ranges, achieve unrivalled hold times and reduce food waste, whilst maintaining excellent food quality – for the best possible customer experience.

Flexeserve’s team of culinary, technical and in-store service experts help customers use Flexeserve Zone to expand menus, improve operational efficiencies and increase sales and profit – transforming how they serve hot food.

The unit can be found in a range of foodservice operators – large and small – in the UK and globally, including Pret A Manger, Greggs, M&S, Sainsbury’s, Circle K and Amazon Go – to name a few.

‘Pioneering business with amazing potential’

Flexeserve Zone has made a considerable impact on the landscape of food-to-go – fundamentally advancing the hot food operations of many of Flexeserve’s customers.

Jamie added: “What our customers have achieved with Flexeserve Zone is central to us receiving this award. You can only see the full value of an innovation when it is put into practice, and its potential is realised.

“It’s deeply fulfilling to see our product lines in stores all over the world that have only been made possible with our technology. We thank every customer that believes in our business and shares our passion – our success and the success of our customers are one and the same.

“There was a point at which we took a leap of faith. We saw how Flexeserve Zone was transforming hot food-to-go, how it stood out within the marketplace. Though sales were modest, we took a decision to go ‘all in’ on this product – when its name was beginning to precede us.

“Whilst some of us – myself included – believed that we could build a strategy for the business on Flexeserve Zone and its technology, we could not have imagined where that journey has now taken us. We have created a pioneering business with amazing potential ahead of it – founded on this innovative game-changer.”

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