It has been a busy year for Peter Bruce, the chef turned catering magnate who aims to see his business reach a turnover of £100million in the coming years.
The name of Mr Bruce’s firm, Entier, is a bit of an inside joke. In French, the word means “all encompassing”. He had been running the Scotland and North East business of UK catering giant Compass before he decided it was time to strike out on his own. Six years later, the play on his former employer’s name still makes Mr Bruce chuckle a little bit.
Along with other firms that support the oil and gas industry, Entier has been enjoying a run of good years.
Last week, Cabinet Secretary Richard Lochhead came by Entier’s Westhill offices to launch a new production kitchen and training facility that cost £600,000 to build. The next day, the firm celebrated its with its 750 staff with a party at the Chester Hotel.
In November, Entier opened its first retail outlet serving fresh sandwiches, soups and coffee at the new Prime 4 office park at Kingswells.
Although a number of the major occupiers at the park have their own canteens available to staff, several do not – making Entier’s ‘Fresh’ outlet the only place within striking distance where employees can grab a bite to eat.
Mr Bruce expects to open another two outlets in the next 12 months – and perhaps even more he says.
It is part of a strategy to expand the business beyond its core offshore catering operation. The company now also works in office, schools, nurseries, and caters for swanky private parties.
“The challenge is we were always perceived as just being an offshore catering company, says Mr Bruce. “But actually we are not. We serve office buildings and schools. Our events business is growing quite quickly.”
The company’s offshore business has also expanded beyond the North Sea. The firm has offices in Halifax, Houston and Singapore. Mr Bruce is also eyeing opening an office Perth in Australia. Despite the fall in oil prices, the client base is growing, he says
“It is good that all our eggs are not all in one basket. Our core business is the oil industry. We have to ensure we support that business.
“As we sit here we are starting our fist contract in Nigeria. We are already in Angola, Equatorial Guinea and Egypt.”
When it comes to massive catering firms, in north-east there are the “big three” – Compass, Aramark and Sodexo. Mr Bruce says Entier is giving them a run for their money.
“I’d say with the size of our business we are now number three in the marketplace.”
Mr Bruce had been a managing director of Compass for 11 years. When his boss retired, he decided: “It was time for me to move on.”
One night in the Olive Tree restaurant, he began talking to its owner Mike Reilly.
“I told him I was thinking I was doing my own thing and starting on my own. He said he’d like to get involved.”
Mr Reilly backed the business, as did Martin Gilbert – the chief executive of Aberdeen Asset Management.
The firm is close to meeting its target Mr Bruce established six years ago – to be a £50million business by 2015.
Mr Bruce expects that turnover will hit £46million in its current financial year.
“It’s not too bad,” he admits.
Originally from St Combs, just outside of Fraserburgh, Mr Bruce started working at the tiny village’s Tufted Duck hotel on Hogmanay. He was actually thinking about becoming a policeman, but when the hotel’s chef got the 15-year-old working in the kitchen, his path was clear.
He aims now to double the size of the business.
“The biggest challenge that will always remain is finding the right people to deliver the service. Without great people we will not be able to deliver the service,” he says.
Since 2010 the company has been ensuring it has the next generation of chefs and catering staff in place through its apprenticeship programme, Fresh Olives.
Since the rise of celebrity chefs on TV, the industry has become more appealing to young people,” he says.
“I’ve been lucky to see the world being a chef. Kids might have thought it was long hours, low pay, working every weekend. It’s not like that any more.”