Cook Trading facts for kids

Rosie Brown and Edward Perry, who are brother and sister, lead Cook together.

Cook (officially called Cook Trading Ltd) is a company that makes and sells frozen ready meals. It was started in 1997 by Edward Perry and Dale Penfold in Sittingbourne, UK. Their main idea was to "cook using the same ingredients and techniques you would at home." This means their food looks and tastes like it's homemade.

Edward and Dale wanted to build a business that cared about people and the planet, not just making money. Edward now runs the company with his sister, Rosie Brown. Cook has won over 50 Great Taste Awards for its meals and desserts. You can find their products in 850 independent shops across the UK.

Cook has four kitchens where all the food is still made by hand. There are also 94 Cook shops around the country. They offer a home delivery service too, which was named the 'Best overall meal delivery service' by BBC Good Food in 2022.

Cook was one of the first companies in the UK to become a B Corp in 2013. This means they are part of a worldwide group of businesses that focus on being responsible. Cook also pays all its employees a fair wage, which is called the Living Wage. They have a special program called RAW talent. It helps people who have faced challenges like homelessness or time in prison find jobs. This program even won a Queen's Award for Enterprise!

Delicious Meals and More

Cook offers many kinds of frozen meals. They come in different sizes, like for one, two, or four people. They also make party food, yummy cakes, and puddings. You can find low-calorie meals called Pots for One, and special meals just for kids. They even have Indian and Thai food ranges.

Most of the products in Cook shops (over 90%) are made by Cook themselves. They also sell a few non-frozen items from other companies.

Cook cares about animal welfare. They have won five awards from Compassion in World Farming. In 2020, they received a Good Turkey Award for working with a turkey farmer to create special standards for their turkeys.

If you're a new parent, Cook gives you 10% off for 12 months. They also offer a 30% discount for community events in areas where they have shops. You can also buy gift cards for their food.

Their home delivery service is very popular. BBC Good Food said it offers "a breadth of main meals serving from 1 to 8 people, a broad entertaining range, hot and cold puddings, meal box bundles, seasonal ranges, lunch pots and more."

How Cook Started

Edward Perry used to sell frozen cakes for his parents' company. In 1997, he convinced a chef named Dale Penfold to start a frozen food business with him. They called their first company 'Cakes and Casseroles'.

They opened a small kitchen in Sittingbourne. Soon after, their first shop opened in Farnham. They started working with a pudding maker named Liz Dove in July 1997. Within nine months, she was making puddings only for them!

In 1999, the company changed its name to 'Cook'. They needed a bigger kitchen, so they moved to a new place in Sittingbourne in 2000. By 2005, they had 16 shops.

In 2006, Cook launched its website, cookfood.net. This meant people all over the UK could get home delivery. In 2007, they started selling their products to other businesses. Now, over 850 farm shops and independent food stores sell Cook items.

Cook kept growing! In 2005, they opened a huge new kitchen in Sittingbourne. In 2009, Cook began to expand using a franchise model. This means other people can open Cook shops using the company's name and ideas. More than 30 of their shops are now franchises.

In 2013, Cook became one of the first B Corp companies in the UK. In 2015, the puddings kitchen in Somerset officially became part of Cook. Liz Dove, who made the puddings, continued to run it until she retired in 2021.

Cook opened its 94th shop in Didcot, Oxfordshire, in 2022. They also opened a second savory kitchen, COOK Classics, in Sittingbourne in 2020. A fourth kitchen, for pies and pastry, is planned to open in 2023.

Making a Positive Difference

Cook is known for being a great place to work. In 2022, they received an award for being in the top 100 of the Sunday Times Best Companies to Work For for 10 years in a row. They were even named the 'Best Food & Drink Company to Work For in the UK' in 2021.

As a founding member of the B Corporation movement in the UK, Cook was one of the first UK B Corps in 2013. B Corps are businesses that think about their impact on society and the environment, not just their profits. Companies are checked every three years to keep their B Corp certification. In 2021, Cook scored 104.1 points (you need 80 points or more to be certified). They are judged on how they treat their workers, community, environment, and customers. There are now 1000 B Corps in the UK!

In 2015, Cook was certified by the Living Wage Foundation. This means they promise to pay all their employees at least an hourly rate that is higher than the UK government's minimum wage. This rate is set by an independent group and changes every year.

Cook runs a program called RAW talent (RAW stands for Ready And Working). This program helps people who might find it hard to get a job, such as those with a criminal record, who have been homeless, or who have mental health challenges. Since 2014, over 150 people have found jobs through this program. In 2022, the program even held training inside Wandsworth Prison and won a Queen's Award for Enterprise.

Cook has teamed up with a charity called One Feeds Two. They provide school meals in Malawi. So far, they have given over 3 million meals by selling their own children's meal range.

When the Covid pandemic started, Cook began a program called the Kindness Fund. Each of their company-owned shops donated meals every week to a local charity. This has now become a regular part of how Cook helps its communities.

Every year, Cook publishes a 'Purpose Report'. This report tells employees and customers about their social impact and how they are doing with their goals.

Cook uses 100% renewable electricity for all their kitchens, shops, and offices. They also have a plan to become "net zero" in their carbon footprint by 2030. This means they want to balance the amount of greenhouse gases they put into the air with the amount they take out.

Awards and Recognition

Cook has won many awards over the years:

• In 2005, they won ‘Rising Star of the Year’ at the Retail Week Awards. They also won 'Best Retailer for Vegetarian Ready-meals' at the Vegetarian Society Awards.
• After changing their brand in 2006, they won The Grocer Gold Award for 'Best Independent Retailer Chain'.
• In June 2010, Cook won the Express Newspapers Brand Builder Award at the British Franchise Association HSBC Franchisor of the Year awards.
• Cook dishes have won many Great Taste Awards: 10 in 2010, 6 in 2011, 12 in 2012, 13 in 2013, and 9 in 2014. From 2019 to 2021, they won a total of 53 Great Taste Awards!
• In 2020, Cook received The Grocer Gold Award for Employer of the Year. The judges said Cook "really cares about its employees." That same year, they were on the Feel-Good Brands List for 2021. This list is made by experts and people who care about responsible businesses.
• In 2022, Cook was nominated for Speciality Retailer Of The Year by Retail Week.

Working with Others

Cook products are sold in over 850 independent shops and farm shops. This includes Manx retailer Shoprite and Booths supermarkets in the North of England.