Lavery's Fruit & Veg Ltd | Fresh Produce Wholesaler

Background

At the heart of their local community, this father-and-son wholesale operation has built their reputation on personal service and quality fresh products. Despite having just a small team serving over 30 regular customers, they've maintained the kind of close relationships that only a family business can offer. However, as with many small wholesalers, they found themselves at a crossroads: how could they keep providing that personal touch while managing the growing demands of their business?

Challenges 

Like many family-run wholesalers, their mornings were a whirlwind of activity. During the early hours, orders would start flooding in through every possible channel - WhatsApp messages, emails, voicemails, and phone calls. They would spend hours each morning trying to piece together orders from various sources, manually typing them into their system while racing against delivery deadlines.

The pressure was particularly intense because they knew each order represented a restaurant or café counting on them for their daily supplies. Their long-term customers, some of whom had been with them for decades, were comfortable with the old way of calling in orders. The thought of asking these loyal customers to change their ordering habits was daunting.

There was also natural hesitation within their own team. When you've been running a business the same way for years, the prospect of adopting new technology can be intimidating. As a small team, they couldn't afford any disruption to their daily operations - they needed a solution that would make life easier, not more complicated.

Solution

For Lavery's Fruit & Veg, Orderlion presented exactly what they needed - a way to bring order to their hectic mornings and streamline their operations without losing that personal touch their customers valued.

The transition was surprisingly straightforward. Orders that once came through multiple channels now flowed into one central platform, automatically appearing in their system each morning. No more rushing to transcribe voicemails or decipher hasty WhatsApp messages - everything was clear, organised, and ready to process.

Results 

The impact of Orderlion on Lavery's daily operations was immediate and significant. Those chaotic early mornings transformed into a well-organised start to each day.

Within the first few months, the business saw remarkable improvements:

• Calmer Mornings: Gone were the days of frantically transcribing orders from multiple sources. Staff now arrived to find orders already organised in the system, ready for processing
• Better Customer Experience: "Our customers actually prefer it now," shares the team. "They can place orders after their evening service or during quiet periods, and they know exactly what they're getting"
• Quick Customer Adoption: Despite initial concerns about changing long-standing habits, over 70% of their customers embraced the app within weeks - from tech-savvy newcomers to their most traditional clients
• Reduced Errors: By eliminating manual order entry, they've significantly reduced mistakes in orders. No more misheard quantities or mistyped products

Client Perspective

The owner shared:

“I was getting emails, WhatsApps voicemails and phone calls, right until the late hours of the evening, so, having all of the customer base on to the app was fantastic for me, it freed up a lot of time, it made my life a lot easier.” 

He added:

“I always try to keep up with customer relations. I try to reach out to customers on a regular basis and because I have a bit more free time because of the app - that is possible now.”

Looking Forward 

Energised by these improvements, Lavery's is already exploring new ways to leverage Orderlion's capabilities. They're particularly interested in using the platform's marketing features to highlight seasonal produce and special offers, something that was difficult to communicate effectively before. The team sees significant potential in expanding their use of the platform to further streamline their operations and enhance customer communication.

The Bottom Line 

Lavery's story shows how the right technology can transform a family business without sacrificing its core values. By embracing Orderlion, they've not only modernised their operations but strengthened the personal relationships that made them successful in the first place. Their mornings are calmer, their orders are more accurate, and most importantly, they now have more time to focus on what truly matters - providing the best quality produce with the personal service their customers have always valued.

While the business has become more efficient, it hasn't lost that family touch. If anything, by removing the stress of manual order processing, they've found more time to nurture the relationships that make their business special. It's a perfect example of how traditional family values and modern technology can work hand in hand to create something even better.