Supplier Awards 2025: Specialist Wholesaler of the Year – Freemans Event Partners

Gloucester-based Freemans Event Partners’ dual roles as an event caterer and wholesale food and drink specialist mean it is a front-line witness to events market trends, something that has helped it grow new categories in the events sector. 

As a result, in 2024, Freemans Event Partners drove a 12% growth in new categories year-on-year.

Where a typical wholesaler delivers on set days, Freemans Event Partners knows every event is different and delivers seven days a week, including weekends and bank holidays.

In 2024, it built temporary onsite warehouses at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone and the Paris 2024 Golf Olympics, which meant it could deliver from the warehouse to the event within as little as six hours.

Freemans Event Partners sources products that are specific to each event, such as a 2ft hot dog at the Major League Baseball World Tour series at London Stadium in 2024, baguettes at the Paris Olympics and curries at the Sri Lanka versus England cricket match in August.

The business consistently seeks feedback from customers and sends out surveys to understand how it can improve its services. Every year, it holds an annual Partner Day, where all operators are invited to try new products from existing and disruptive brands.

In the past 12 months it has driven growth in new categories such as low- and no-alcohol, which is now a major part of its product mix. It has also started to work with 15 new brands, including distributing Tennent’s lager and Edinburgh Gin at Murrayfield stadium, Greenall’s new eco-friendly gin bottle at the British Grand Prix, and a new jerky brand, Jack Links, at Gloucester Rugby.

As a result, it has generated a turnover of more than £30m through foodservice wholesale alone in 2024.

Judges’ comment

“Freemans Event Partners is a business that has approached a need in the niche events market, listened to what that specialist market needs and then delivered it.”

Carl Weldon, managing director, CWHospitality

Shortlist

• Direct Seafoods
• Freemans Event Partners
• Fresh Direct
• Icebox
• Ozone Coffee