SJB Foods Ltd | Fresh & Frozen Produce Wholesaler

Background 

Founded in Devon, SJB Foods has established itself as a trusted foodservice wholesaler supplying over 800 customers across the region. With a fleet of 15 delivery vehicles operating six days a week, they service a diverse customer base including schools, colleges, sandwich bars, cafes, and restaurants.

Challenges

SJB Foods was facing the limitations of traditional ordering methods. According to James the Operations Director, "Before it would take a whole night to process all the orders." This time-consuming manual process was creating inefficiencies and limiting the company's ability to remain competitive in a challenging market.

"We've got to do everything we can to keep our costs down, to be competitive out there, it's a competitive world," James explains. The old-school way of ordering over the phone was not only labor-intensive but also limited customers' visibility of their full product range.

Solution 

About a year ago, SJB Foods implemented Orderlion's digital ordering platform. At the heart of the solution was a fully branded, white-labelled mobile app that gave customers a more personalised experience. James explains that this approach made customers feel more connected to their business compared to generic ordering systems.

The platform gave customers full visibility of SJB's product range and promotions. Chefs and purchasing managers could now browse the entire catalogue, discover new items and view special offers - all from their mobile devices. This transparency turned the ordering experience from a transactional phone call into an engaging, visual process.

Push notifications became a powerful marketing tool for SJB Foods. The team could now instantly notify customers about new products, seasonal items and special promotions. This direct communication channel eliminated the need for separate marketing efforts and ensured that promotional messages reached customers immediately.

More recently, SJB Foods added AI-powered order processing capabilities to its operations. This technology works alongside their existing processes to dramatically reduce the time spent on manual data entry. The AI component continues to learn and improve over time, making the system increasingly efficient.

Results 

The results have been significant for SJB Foods. Tasks that used to take all night now take just an 1-2 hours. "And as the AI learns, it's only going to get better," adds James with evident excitement.

Customers have embraced the new system wholeheartedly, with around 75% of orders now flowing through the app on a daily basis. This digital visibility has also had a direct impact on sales - basket sizes have increased by at least 20% as customers discover products they didn't know SJB stocked.

Perhaps most importantly, no one has lost their job in the transition. Instead, team members who once spent hours entering data are now focused on what really matters: building customer relationships, creating promotions and developing marketing campaigns. As James puts it, "We now have more time to focus on our personal relationships with customers, rather than just taking orders.

Technology hasn't replaced the human touch - it's improved it. Employees still make phone calls when needed, but their conversations now focus on growth opportunities rather than routine orders. All this has made business expansion more manageable and operations smoother across the board.

Key Results

• Cut order processing from all night to 1-2 hours
• Achieved 70-75% customer adoption rate
• Increased average basket size by 20%
• Redeployed staff from data entry to marketing and customer relationships
• Streamlined operations while maintaining personal service

Client Perspective

While there was some initial hesitation, most customers quickly embraced the new technology: "There's always going to be some customers that are reluctant to coming over to new technology. Most of them were quite open to ordering online, just for the simplicity of it all."

The user-friendly design has been key to adoption: "Once customers see the app, they don't go back because of how good it's been."

Looking Forward

For SJB Foods, the digital transformation has delivered both immediate savings and long-term strategic advantages. "It's seen a great saving for us commercially," James reflects, "plus operationally, we're running a lot smoother." Rather than using efficiency gains to cut personnel costs, they have invested in their future growth by redirecting staff toward revenue-generating activities like upselling and marketing.

Bottom Line

When asked what advice he would give to other wholesalers, James doesn't hesitate: "I would recommend taking the opportunity to do it sooner rather than later." The combination of the branded mobile app, complete product visibility and AI-powered order processing has positioned SJB Foods to compete more effectively.

The final verdict? "Having our own app has made it so much easier for us, sped up efficiencies and made ordering with us more seamless than the old-school way of ordering over the phone."

For SJB Foods, digital transformation wasn't just about keeping up with the times, it was about creating a foundation for sustainable growth that benefits their team, their customers, and their bottom line.