Green Gourmet, a prominent supplier to the educational sector, has unveiled a major technology investment strategy designed to double its turnover within three years. This follows three years of tech-driven growth throughout the organisation.
In partnership with Emerge Digital since 2022, Green Gourmet has allocated over £1 million to technology enhancements. This investment has resulted in the delivery of 36 million meals to educational institutions in the past year alone. Over the same period, their turnover has grown by over 10% as they aim to increase production to more than 1.5 million meals weekly within three years.
The introduction of Green Gourmet’s Digital Business Strategy sees Emerge Digital spearheading various projects. These include improvements in cyber security, obtaining Cyber Essentials certification, deploying Microsoft Copilot to every team member, and adopting 'Power BI' for more agile data reporting. This builds on previous projects, such as a SharePoint restructure in 2024.
Robin Bussey, CFO at Green Gourmet, remarked that finding a technology partner who understands their business model was crucial: “Our mission is to deliver more meals to educations centres across the UK, while keeping our headcount and overheads at a sustainable levels. Technology is allowing us to do this and through Emerge Digital, we have been able to put this mission into action.”
Over the past year, Green Gourmet increased its tech expenditure from 0.95% to over 2% of annual turnover. Current spending is £20,000 per head, a figure set to grow alongside new technological innovations.
Green Gourmet’s investment plan also aligns with its people-centric mission. As a certified B Corp, they ensure their digital infrastructure supports sustainable ambitions, including energy-efficient hardware and responsible vendor selection. Robin added: “We are committed to balance people, profit, and planet in every decision.”
Tom Henson, Emerge Digital's Managing Director, noted: “...everything we've implemented has had a clear purpose; to remove friction, empower staff, and help Green Gourmet scale efficiently... Green Gourmet is a company that understands the benefits of being innovative and is using tech to drive growth across the bsuiness”
The strategic goal is to double revenue by 2028 through tech deployments. The contract with Emerge Digital involves implementing Green Gourmet’s Data Strategy, enabling automation, integration, and AI to enhance decision-making processes.
Robin concluded: “We're growing, but our values haven't changed. We still believe in being fun, agile, and ensuring we can deliver sector-leading services and high -quality meals to students across the UK”