Gourmet Caterers Leverages Sustainable Farming Practices. An Employee Tends To Their Freight Farm Located At Peppers Artful Events In Northborough, MA.

By Lauren Lawley Head – Contributor

Feb 7, 2024

A new key performance indicator is emerging in the competitive world of food service: sustainability.

Among those embracing this business strategy is Gourmet Caterers, a Boston-based food service management and catering company that is approaching its second half century with an eye toward growth and an eco-conscious mindset.

“A lot of people do business today with considerations that aren’t only financial,” said Owen Wiggins, director of business development at Gourmet Caterers, a Boston institution for nearly half a century. “They want to know there’s transparency on where products are coming from and that people are making choices that are good for the environment. So, in turn, we have to be a more modern business.”

As New England’s leader in dining hospitality, Gourmet is renowned for its talented chefs; impeccable service; and for producing thousands of unforgettable corporate events, weddings, galas, mitzvahs and every kind of social occasion. Those who work at Gourmet join a team of dedicated food service professionals who help the family-run business maintain a long-standing reputation for innovation, creativity and impeccable customer service.

In late 2022, Gourmet Caterers acquired Peppers Artful Events, a Northborough catering business known for its eco-friendly practices. With solar panels producing 20% of the company’s annual energy needs and solar hot water awnings providing 20% of its hot water, Peppers’ commitment to sustainability aligned well with Gourmet Caterers’ future vision. In addition, Peppers prioritizes local sourcing for its meat and produce, composts its kitchen scraps, recycles other waste and has several energy-saving measures in place.

To add to its commitment to sustainability, Gourmet Caterers invested in a freight farm — a shipping container retrofitted with a hydroponic farming system. The freight farm allows the company to grow as much produce as it could on three acres of land, supplying multiple locations with fresh, locally grown produce.

Sustainability has become an important business initiative, Wiggins said.

“Not only does sustainability help grow our firm and our ability to attract new clients because of the values we hold, it also helps us attract new colleagues,” he said. “There are people who want to make sure they work at a firm that has certain environmental values at heart.”

Benefits of having a banking partner, not just a lender

Gourmet Caterers has a key ally in its growth: South Shore Bank, its banking partner of three years. Headquartered in Weymouth, MA, South Shore Bank has a commercial loan book of over $1 billion.

“As a community bank that’s been around since 1833, we’re invested in the success of our clients,” said South Shore Bank CEO Jim Dunphy. “We’re able to help make introductions to potential business partners, market leaders, and advisors; give clients the services they need by acting as a value-added service, not a commodity.”

The Bank provided Gourmet Caterers with crucial funding during the pandemic, Wiggins said, and its staff has worked to understand the company’s long-term vision. For example, Chief Commercial Banking Officer Stephen DiPrete knows Gourmet Caterers’ largest clients and the communities in which they work.

“I think a lot of bankers are strictly looking at the finances of an organization on paper,” said Wiggins. “Stephen spent a lot of time asking about our firm, understanding where we work and when there is some seasonality to our business. We have a lot of similar values.”

Committed to growth and sustainability

Gourmet Caterers is the exclusive caterer to the Artists For Humanity EpiCenter, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate, the John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse, Peabody Essex Museum, and Boston Symphony Hall and Tanglewood.

Now, as Gourmet Caterers looks further ahead through 2024, it plans to continue this growth trajectory in a way that aligns with its commitment to sustainable business practices.

One area of focus that will operate under the banner of “Gourmet at Work” is workplace dining. This initiative aims to bring quality food and excellent service to offices with Gourmet Caterers-operated barista bars. These bars have become a perk for employees returning to the office. "We say coffee is the most vital part of someone’s day,” Wiggins said. “It starts you right in the morning.”

To accommodate continued growth, Gourmet Caterers has found a new home. After a long search, the company is moving from a 10,000-square-foot facility in Roslindale to a spacious 25,000-square-foot location in Hyde Park.

“It was hard to find industrial space in Boston that made sense financially,” Wiggins said. “A lot of buildings are being turned into lab space or residential, so you’re competing with financial uses beyond warehousing and kitchen space. But we’re fortunate to be moving to a great building on Hyde Park and South Shore Bank has been trusted advisors to us throughout the whole process, which is great.”

It’s the kind of project the South Shore Bank team loves to work on. “Gourmet Caterers may make a move like this once,” DiPrete said. “Financially, very early in the process: we were a positive influencer to say this plan is possible.”

Lead photo: Gourmet Caterers leverages sustainable farming practices. An employee tends to their freight farm located at Peppers Artful Events in Northborough, MA. @JWESSELPHOTOGRAPHY

Learn more about how South Shore Bank goes above and beyond for their clients.

Lauren Lawley Head is a writer for The Business Journals Content Studio.