LDC Top 50 2026
Chris Whitter & Stephanie Spratt
Co-Founders
Olive Dining
It’s no mean feat to provide a main course and pudding on a budget of just £2.85 but Stephanie Spratt and Chris Whitter, co-founders of Olive Dining, do that for over 150,000 students every day across 170 state primary and secondary schools, serving 98 per cent fresh food, all sourced from the UK. The pair launched the business after working together at a large food services company.
“It was big, slow and took too long to make changes,” says Stephanie. At Olive, menus constantly evolve, training is ongoing and decisions are executed the same day. “We are all passionate about educating children through food. That’s what drives us,” she adds.
We are all passionate about educating children through food. That’s what drives us.”
Q&A
How are you growing this business?
Our business has 100 per cent client retention; some schools have been with us for 14 years. New business tends to come in through recommendations but we do tender for some contracts. We control our growth because we want to carefully manage the quality of delivery. When we take schools over, 63 per cent of students, on average, are eating school meals. We take that to 93 per cent.
What challenges do you face?
Staffing is a big challenge. We have our own training academy with 14 apprentice chefs to meet the talent shortfall. Rising employment costs and the challenge of balancing higher operating costs with the need to maintain quality food provision have put pressure on the sector. We have seen a lot of contractors go out of business.
How sustainable are you?
In primary schools, we weigh the food waste and check what’s in the bin to see if our portions are too large or if we need to change the dish. We use no plastics, and packaging is all biodegradable in four weeks – even our jellies come in reusable pots. We partner with Olio and any leftover food is collected and given to families. We give every secondary student a reusable water bottle and offer flavoured water stations so they don’t buy plastic bottles.
