The Swale Business Awards recognise both new and established businesses in the area, and you would have a very tough time finding a handful of Swale businesses that are more established than Bennett Opie Ltd. The Sittingbourne-based food manufacturer and distributor has been operating in Swale for almost 140 years and currently has over 100 employees.
Finding and keeping employees remains a key factor in Bennett Opie’s continued success and Chairman William Opie discussed the business’ approach to staff retention: “We are proud of our family heritage, the values which are associated with this and I know that our team feel this too. Retention is hugely important to us; we offer skills training, bonus schemes and tangible career progression. This appears to be working and our team clearly enjoy working here – we’ve currently got 13 staff members who have worked in the business for over 20 years and three who have been here over 40 years!”
Famous for their pickles, cherries and other fruits, Bennett Opie have a diverse customer base spanning the UK, EU, USA and China. Despite the challenges that Brexit will present, the team are confident that the quality and popularity of their products will ensure the business continues to succeed.
William spoke about why he felt that Bennett Opie Ltd should be the 2017 Swale Business of the Year: “As a business we have seen strong growth in recent years and have continued to develop our Sittingbourne base, as we feel it is important to remain close to our business and family heritage. Our team are very proud of what we have achieved and local recognition of this would be tremendous for all of us here at Opies.”
Bennett Opie Ltd
Chalkwell Road
Sittingbourne
Kent
ME10 2LE
01795 476 154
www.b-opie.com