Mead Open Farm is a popular visitor attraction in Leighton Buzzard, and a long-standing Regency member, which welcomes families year-round to enjoy an animal petting zone, indoor play areas, a high ropes course, go-karts, and tractor rides. Food and beverage is a key part of the visitor experience, with high-volume items such as chips playing an important role in both customer satisfaction and commercial performance.

The Challenge & Opportunity:

Following the appointment of a new Food & Beverage Manager, Mead Open Farm took a fresh look at its purchasing decisions. One of the first questions raised was why the site was buying branded chips, given their relatively high cost.

During a meeting with their dedicated Regency Procurement Manager, Liz Worswick, they discussed the reasons behind the use of the branded chip products - including the £2 per case rebate - and, as chips were such a high-volume purchase throughout the year, they worked together to explore the opportunity to reassess the balance between cost, quality, and customer satisfaction.

Overall Objective:

The challenge was set - to identify a more cost-effective chip option that maintained high quality and great taste, helping to increase customer satisfaction while delivering meaningful savings for the business.

The Method:

To ensure recommendations were based on first-hand insight, the entire team of Regency procurement experts came together to first conduct an internal “chip-off” exploration day. This involved sampling chips from numerous suppliers and brand owners rating them on their taste, texture, appearance, temperature-hold, consistency of product. and price. From this, the Regency team built a detailed understanding of quality, performance, and value across the market.

Armed with these findings, Liz went on to present the results to the Mead Open Farm team. The farm agreed to run its own chip-off to validate the findings in a real operational environment.

Liz coordinated the process, arranging samples from selected suppliers and brands and ensuring Mead Open Farm had everything they needed to test the products fairly. The chip-off took place on site, managed by Liz, with staff tasting and comparing the different options side-by-side.

The Results:

The outcome was clear and, for some, surprising. While the branded chips were well regarded, staff found that alternative options matched them closely on taste and quality.

In particular, Booker and Bidfood own-brand chips stood out as delivering comparable performance at a significantly lower cost. The financial impact was substantial:

• Annual Saving: Approximately £9,500
• Percentage Saving: 31% per year

Even after accounting for the branded chip rebate, the switch still represented a saving of around £6,600 per year. Staff feedback was positive, with the team agreeing that the lower-cost option was “just as good” in taste and quality, meaning no compromise to the customer experience.

Mead Open Farm has now made the switch, placing its first order for the own-brand product. The change has been implemented seamlessly, with no negative feedback from customers or staff. Mead Open Farm plans to work further with Regency to explore additional product switches and savings opportunities across the food and beverage offer.

Shaun Lowe, Catering Manager – Mead Open Farm commented:

“When I started at Mead Open Farm in September, I wanted to review the cost of our chips, as it’s a high-volume product for the business. While the original branded chips were good, it was clear we could find a like-for-like product at a better price.

Working with Liz Worswick, we reviewed the options and ran a staff taste test. The feedback was unanimous – the lower-cost alternative was just as good.

By making this one change, we’re saving around £9,600 a year, or £6,600 even after rebates. For a family-run business, that’s a significant saving.”