ABOUT
SHARING OUR PASSION IS WHAT WE LOVE TO DO
LIAM - FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR
I have worked within heritage building and visitor attractions for over 20 years. I started Leafi because I felt there was a gap in the market for a catering company which put the quality of food above all else. My passion is for good honest food and working with a team of people I respect and have a great deal of fun with.
My main focus is on day to day operation, client communication and figures, but I keep an eye on all parts of the business.
ROD - DIRECTOR
I believe food is more than a source of fuel. It’s a pleasure and should be enjoyed as such. I trained as an accountant, but soon realised it didn’t excite me as much as food does. I have worked in museums and galleries over the last 20 years and understand the complexities of running such organisations as well as the need to enhance the overall customer experience.
OUR ETHOS
At Leafi we focus on excellence, creativity, personal approach and fabulous food. Our company ethos is based on a genuine care for clients, staff, suppliers and the quality of its products and services. We offer a personal, flexible, professional and quality driven hospitality service from conception to completion. We have wide experience in delivering a variety of events including weddings, corporate parties, launches and much more. We have the flexibility to match the occasion from fun to formal and offer full administration and operation of the project from start to finish.
Environmental and Ethical
We are instinctive believers in environmental and ethical responsibilities. It is not something we add on to our business. It is intrinsically part of the way we work.
Management and employment culture
We operate as hands on day to day managers of the business. We encourage and reward staff by creating a culture of empowered managers, valuing them, and making them feel part of something special. We pay above national minimum wage rates. Our focus is on training, developing and promoting from within, and we build a relationship with staff built on honesty, respect and encouragement.
Recycling
We currently recycle all glass, paper, cardboard, tins, aluminium, plastics and compost where local facilities exist. Our team are in the habit of doing this and see it as usual practice.
Fair trade/sustainable products
We use fairtrade branded tea, and our coffee is sourced from family and smallholder co-operatives. The coffee is hand ground in small batches in East London. Our London bread supplier makes all of their products using traditional baking methods. The bread is more expensive than most, but it tastes better than most too.
Locally sourced products
We currently source some local products at our sites in London and North Kent. And we will actively build relationships with small, like minded businesses in Kent to provide us with local produce, particularly fish, meat, fruit, vegetables, dairy, ales and ciders.
Free range products
Our butcher is a family run business with over one hundred years’ experience, with a completely free range stock of meat and eggs. Wherever possible our business will always use a local free range butchers and a local farm shops.
Packaging materials
We use a supplier that offers us genuine environmentally friendly food and beverage packaging products. All are biodegradable, some are compostable and most are manufactured from recycled materials or maize starch. On occasions when we require single use plastic catering products, we source them from Vegware, a company that produces fully compostable and biodegradable items. These items are recycled through our food waste by Hackney Council, where they produce compost for Hackney parks.
Bio fuels
Our main grocery supplier uses bio fuels on more than 50% of its vehicles and as a large logistical operator can minimize food miles through it’s excellent supply chain planning.
Charity
We also work closely with Plan Zheroes, a community that connects food businesses with local charities in order to redistribute a surplus of food to places where there is a demand for it. We make regular donations to the platform and have provided thousands of meals to various local charities in the past two years.
Small suppliers
We actively seek out smaller, and frankly more interesting suppliers. We are a small company, and feel it’s how we prefer to do business.