Following his success catering for Willmott Dixon’s site team at Nottingham’s Southglade Food Park site, local entrepreneur Ralph Shepherd has launched his own catering company So Munch More
The aim of So Munch More is to provide home cooked food at affordable prices to workers in the city centre. All of the company’s ingredients are sourced locally when possible, helping it to support other small businesses in the region.
Ralph, who began the business in November 2014, working from his own kitchen – delivering homemade meals and snacks to workers across Nottingham said “I have always been passionate about cooking, but it was not until I had the chance to work with Willmott Dixon that I found the confidence to build a business like So Munch More.
“The positive response I received was better than I could have imagined, and this helped me to realise there was potential to grow my business and make it into a real career.
“I have always aimed to produce good quality, honest and tasty food for local people who are too busy to prepare their own lunch time meals. Working out of my kitchen I was a sole trader – however since working with Willmott Dixon on Southglade Food Park, I have built a large client base.
“The success of the business is remarkable, and now it is my full-time job and I own my own premises. I am excited to keep growing, and I am grateful to Willmott Dixon for giving me a chance to prove myself and the potential of So Munch More.”
The Nottingham-based company is delivering 12 new food-grade units and an estimated 90 new full-time jobs, making it a positive addition to the city and its thriving business community. They approached Ralph to cater for its site team at Southglade Food Park last year, a £7.4 million scheme which is being delivered through SCAPE’s national framework for Nottingham City Council. It’s very much part of Willmott Dixon’s ethos to work with local firms wherever it can to sustain jobs and encourage companies like So Munch More to thrive.
Nottingham City Council chose to work with Willmott Dixon and Scape, due to both organisation’s dedication to support the communities they work within, with Nottingham being no exception.
Chris Henning, director of economic development at Nottingham City Council, said: “We always try to ensure that large-scale developments in Nottingham benefit our local businesses while under construction, as well as when they’re complete. So we welcome the news that this vital scheme has also inspired a new, thriving catering business. Projects like this, can have far-reaching benefits for the local community that we are keen to maximise.”
Ever since Ralph started catering for Willmott Dixon and its site teams, the relationship has continued to grow – with the contractor recommending So Munch More and its services to businesses locally.
Nick Heath, operations director at Willmott Dixon in the East Midlands, said: “Ralph’s hard work and talent is remarkable and we are so pleased to have been part of So Munch More’s growth. We have continued to use his business on a regular basis, and we hope to keep working with them in the future.
“The quality of So Munch More’s service and food is fantastic, which is why we have continued to use the catering company on both a small and large-scale. Willmott Dixon takes pride in supporting small and local businesses through the projects that we work on, and we are excited to see So Munch More continue to grow.”
