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Who We Are

Who we are

Born out of a passion for great food, apetito has been making a real difference to the lives of those we serve for over 60 years.

We provide exceptional meals to organisations catering to the young and the elderly. Our meals are

expertly crafted by our Dietitian and Chefs, then frozen to lock in the goodness.

 

Based in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, apetito produces great-tasting food for:

food health ethical service

Great food to be proud of

We start at the source, from how our ingredients are sustainably produced, to strengthening our long-standing partnerships with suppliers.

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Enhancing health and well-being

We take care of everyone by working to the highest quality, nutritional and safety standards.

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Ethical and sustainable

Through our collective commitments, we’re determined to play our part in improving ethical and sustainability standards across the industry.

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A passion for service

We're dedicated to enriching the lives and livelihoods of our customers and communities in a sustainable way.

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Everything we do is designed to make providing food to those in your care as

simple and efficient as possible, without compromising food quality.

Innovative solutions

We find innovative solutions that make it easier to manage your kitchen, plan menus and delight your customers:

Full nutritional information available in our app

Complete training and support, online or face-to-face

Advice on food waste management

Flexible pack sizes and helpful crate storage

We find innovative solutions that make it easier to manage your kitchen, plan menus and delight your customers:

 Full nutritional information available in our app

 Complete training and support, online or face-to-face

 Advice on food waste management

 Flexible pack sizes and helpful crate storage

Care homes lifestyle mobilisation Care homes lifestyle mobilisation
Ellen BrownEllen Brown

First-class service and support

We match you with a dedicated account manager to provide tailored support.

 

You will also be given full access to all ingredients, allergens and nutritional information via our dedicated customer portal, my apetito.


Our strict food safety standards and procedures mean apetito is one of the safest

meal options available for the health, social care, school and nursery markets.

Our strict nutrition and allergen control process ensures no food leaves us without thorough checks in our on-site laboratories.

Whether you’re working with vulnerable people or serving little ones, this is crucial. Our approach means they can enjoy their meals, while guaranteeing they are getting the right nutrition and avoiding harmful allergens.

LaboratoryLaboratory
The Salvation Army logo The Salvation Army logo

With such good support and the reassurance that my residents enjoy the meals, it’s a huge weight off my mind.

Manager,
Bradbury House, Salvation Army 

 

From our origins in the Rheine, Germany, to our pioneering products and state-of-

the-art factory in Trowbridge, we’re a company with a proud, successful history.

Karl Dusterberg apetito AG founderKarl Dusterberg apetito AG founder

How it all began

1928: Waldens Wiltshire Food founded in Trowbridge.
1958: apetito AG was founded in Germany by Karl Dusterberg.
1960s: Waldens experimented with emerging frozen food technology, producing a range of frozen meat pies for the bakery sector.

Meals-on-Wheels market leaders

1970: Working with the London Borough of Wandsworth, Waldens started producing frozen ready-made meals for the local meals-on-wheels service. 

1971: In Germany, apetito began working with the Red Cross, developing frozen meals for the country’s meals-on-wheels service.

1971 onwards: Both Waldens and apetito became market leaders in their respective countries.

apetito Meals on Wheelsapetito Meals on Wheels
apetito expansive food rangeapetito expansive food range

UK expansion

1991: apetito entered the UK market, looking for opportunities to expand in Europe.

1991: Wiltshire Farm Foods Established.
1994: apetito Services formed to provide meals-on-wheels to local authorities.
1995: Westminster Meals Limited became the first private contractor to successfully bid for a complete meals-on-wheels service.
1995: apetito acquired Walden, developing quality products for community meals and other innovative solutions.

1995: apetito Acquired Walden's Wiltshire Foods

1998: Westminster Meals Limited changed their name to apetito Services.

Launch into the healthcare market

2000: After dipping a toe into the healthcare market, apetito decided to launch our own dedicated healthcare division.
2002-2004: Expanded into Peterborough, Leicestershire, West Berkshire and Swansea.
2005: We won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Innovation for our revolutionary Chefmobil meals-on-wheels delivery van.

Paul FreestonPaul Freeston
Care homes customerCare homes customer

Launch of Care Homes service

2008: Our Care Homes business unit is launched.
2011: We reached £3.5 million sales for our Care Homes service.

Award-winning texture modified meals

2010: We launched our first texture modified range of meals.
2016: Our texture-modified meals won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Innovation. 

Texture modified meal Texture modified meal
apetito's Nursery and School servicesapetito's Nursery and School services

Looking after your little ones

2017: Used our expertise in nutrition to launch our Nursery meals service.

2018: Wiltshire Farm Foods rebrand

2019: Won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development for conducting business in a way that impacts positively on the environment, society and economy.

2020: Launched our independent School meals service.

Award-winning closed loop recycling system

2024: Won the King's Awards for Enterprise in Sustainable Development, with our 'Project Boomerang', a ground-breaking recycling initiative, a key contributor.