Bigham’s certifies as a B Corporation

Bigham’s, the fast-growing premium prepared meals business, has secured B Corp® certification.

B Corp certification recognises companies that positively impact both people and planet, to build a more sustainable and inclusive economy, values that have always been at the heart of the Bigham’s business.

Bigham’s becomes one of a select number of UK food and drink B Corps, within a global community of over 3,500 companies that are using their businesses as a force for good, by balancing purpose with profit. 

Certification brings even greater transparency to the operational and CSR measures Bigham’s has upheld since its launch, evolving processes that are monitored continuously to ensure further and future improvements.

The certification process highlighted that Bigham’s:

• People: Delivered more than 3,000 hours of team training in 2020, and is a certified Great Place to Work.

• Community: Actively contributes to organisations and events within its London and Somerset communities, via the Charlie Bigham’s Charitable Foundation, including City Harvest and the Wells Food Festival.

•  Planet: Committed long-term to environmental responsibility and has set itself the target of becoming carbon neutral by 2021. Bigham’s signature wooden trays, made from FSC certified wood, divert 170,000kg of plastic from landfill every year.

Patrick Cairns, CEO of Bigham’s, added:

Kate Sandle, director of programmes and engagement for B Lab UK, said: 

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Bigham’s – a force for good 

Only Delicious Will Do

• Each ingredient that comes into Bigham’s kitchens has been hand-selected, because Bigham’s believes that the best food is made with real ingredients, in small batches and no preservatives, the way you would make it at home
• Bigham’s only works with farmers and growers who share its business values and high standards
• The positive relationship Bigham’s has with its suppliers is one of the key reasons that the business has grown consistently over the years. Bigham’s always brings new suppliers on board with a mind-set that it is a long-term partnership, conducting business openly and honestly, so that any challenges can be overcome quickly and positively
• Bigham’s has scooped 13 Great Taste Awards in 2020 and been named by YouGov as the UK food and drink brand most recommended by its customers 

People

• The Bigham’s Academy has delivered more than 3,000 hours of practical and virtual training in 2020
• The Academy looks to provide mobility through Bigham’s different teams where possible, via apprenticeships and development programs, to give team members the opportunity to develop their careers in and even beyond Bigham’s
• Bigham’s believes that everyone in its team has the potential to be a leader regardless of their position. The Academy and PDP plans encourage every team member to progress through the business 
• Bigham’s is a certified Great Places to Work
• Bigham’s Gender Pay Gap is almost half that of the UK as a whole, and the business is committed to seeking new ways to ensure the diversity of its teams. Bigham’s is steadily increasing the number of women in management roles and this can be seen in the proportion of women in its upper, upper middle and lower middle pay quartiles

Community

• The Charlie Bigham’s Charitable Foundation was set up to benefit charities, groups and projects close to its kitchens in London and Somerset, and in local communities where team members live
• Bigham’s is currently supporting The Somerset Community Fund on projects which use food for good, promoting diversity and inclusion. The fund has a collection of initiatives that use food to bring people together, provide food education or support for disadvantaged people such as therapeutic gardens, food banks or cooking projects. Bigham’s also supports charities working with migrants and refugees who have moved to the Somerset area
• As the headline sponsor of this year’s Wells Food Festival (10 & 11 October), Bigham’s pledged to support the economic recovery of small food and drink businesses after a challenging 2020. Ticket sales from the festival’s flagship food event – the Bigham’s Banquet – will fund Chefs in School’s who work diligently to transform food, food culture and food education in primary schools across the country
• One of Bigham’s longest-standing charity partners is City Harvest; since 2014, Bigham’s has donated thousands of dishes and sponsored a delivery van, to distribute food to people facing food poverty in London

Planet

• Bigham’s is dedicated to operating in the most environmentally responsible way it can as a business. Its ethos of constant evolution and improvement is channeled into always searching for a better way to do things. Whether it’s the recyclability of packaging, or use of resources, it’s always trying to be better

• Bigham’s wooden trays, made from FSC certified wood, divert 170,000kg of plastic from landfill every year
• Where possible, Bigham’s never uses plastic, and is working to remove the very last item of black plastic from its range this year. Last year, it replaced the black plastic trays in its pan-fry range with clear, recyclable plastic, and this year, Bigham’s is looking to further improve the packaging on this line
• Quarry Kitchen, Dulcote was named RIBA’s South-West Building of the Year in 2018, for its technological functionality and environmental transformation of a disused quarry. This June, more than 900 solar panels were installed at Quarry Kitchen, which will save 160 tonnes of CO2 per year

About Charlie Bigham’s

Inspired by his travels and love of cooking, Charlie Bigham set up shop back in 1996 with the sole aim of creating really delicious dishes for foodies – putting in all the care and attention that you would if you were to cook them yourself.  Using top quality ingredients, his goal was to help people steal back some quality time by doing all the dinner prep for them. Bigham’s selection of dishes now has over 60 delicious meals, made and sold exclusively in the UK, including bestsellers such as Chicken Tikka Masala, Lasagne and Fish Pie. 

2020 highlights include the launch of Bigham’s first range of sweet ready-to-bake dishes - Proper Puds, YouGov naming Bigham’s the UK food and drink brand most recommended by its customers, headline sponsorship of the Wells Food Festival and 12 Great Taste Awards for classic and recently-released dishes. Bigham’s is also shortlisted for Brand of the Year at The Grocer Gold Awards 2020.