J&R Foodservice – From fish to full-service in 40 years
It started, as so many great things do, simply and honestly — a fish van, a local round, and a man with a van full of fresh catch and a desire to serve his community.
Tony’s fish van became a familiar sight across Devon. Customers came to rely on it. Word spread. And as demand grew, so did the ambition. The business evolved into J & R Frozen Foods, taking on a dedicated Exeter depot and expanding beyond fish to a full range of frozen goods. The foundations of something special were being laid.
Then, in 2003, a new chapter began.
The Whitechurch family acquired the business, bringing with them fresh energy, deep roots in the South West, and a clear vision for what J & R could become. Under their stewardship, the company transformed into J & R Foodservice Ltd — a full-service wholesale operation serving the hotels, restaurants, pubs, care homes, hospitals, and cafés that make the South West such a vibrant place to live and eat.
The J&R Story
The product range expanded to include chilled, ambient, and non-food lines alongside the frozen and fresh products at the company’s core. The fleet grew. The team grew. And with growth came a responsibility — to do things the right way.
J & R Foodservice joined the Sterling Supergroup, aligning with like-minded independent wholesalers to strengthen buying power and ensure that our customers always received the best possible value. It was a partnership built on shared values: independence, integrity, and a commitment to service.
Closer to home, a partnership with Taste of the West deepened the company’s ties with the region it calls home. Devon and Cornwall are extraordinary places — rich in talented farmers, growers, artisan producers, and heritage food makers. J & R Foodservice made it their mission to champion these local suppliers, to put the very best of the Westcountry on the plates of customers across the South of England.
That commitment to local is not a marketing message. It is woven into the fabric of how we operate. It is why J & R Foodservice is the founding member of Best of the West — a collective of family-run, Westcountry food businesses who believe that where food comes from matters, that the people who grow and make it deserve to be supported, and that independent businesses built on genuine relationships will always outserve the faceless alternatives.
Today, J & R Foodservice operates from two depots — our principal site at Exeter Airport Business Park and our satellite depot in Bude, following the acquisition of Chadds Food Smith in 2025 — with a team of over 120 people and a fleet of 60 vehicles delivering to up to 800 customers a day. We carry up to 5,000 product lines and deliver millions of meals’ worth of ingredients to thousands of customers every year.
But behind every number is a person. Behind every delivery is a relationship. And behind every relationship is the same simple promise that started with a fish van on a Devon road — to show up, to deliver, and to care about what we do. That is the story of J & R Foodservice. And we are proud to still be writing it.