From wholesale to catering and retail, the healthy FTG group Pure has been making waves since 2009 – and in partnership with the likes of Wildfarmed, the clear goal is growth.
TRIPLE THREAT
As we embark on 2026, the portents are good for Pure. Fully focused on producing inspiring food that delivers on the eye as well as the tastebuds, there’s a real freshness and colour to its menus and approach.
“It will be the first year for our brand as a fully multi-channel business,” said Pure founder and CEO, Spencer Craig. “ A little over two years ago, we started the process of diversifying from primarily being a high-street retailer. We now have three established and growing sales channels with our core retail business; a catering for meetings and events operation; and FTG wholesale.”
As consumers become more savvy and discerning when it comes to their dietary choices, Craig has always maintained the same ethos.
“Do what you’re best at. Pure is not a ‘value’ offer (although we are always about value for money). Customers and clients buy our food for the quality, sustainability, provenance, health benefits and taste. We need to do these even better than before – and if we stay true to our values, we will be even more successful.”
KNOWLEDGE BASE
Successful diversification involves an acute understanding of different markets, while also remaining ahead of the trends curve.
“We know customers want different flavours and experiences. However, I don’t think we should overplay this in any of our sales channels. FTG is eaten most often when you’re on the move for a different reason – at the office, commuting, travelling, in a meeting – and these are moments where familiarity also plays a part.
“The big advantage Pure has over other wholesalers is that we serve millions of customers a year in our retail business. So, we really know what customers want and can then apply this to our wholesale menu development. The bigger trend that we see is a move towards healthier products, quality ingredients and nutrient-dense recipes.”
With a desire to continually refine its menu, while improving the message around sustainability, it’s essential Pure works with like-minded businesses.
“We’re lucky to have brilliant partnerships – and one of the most long-standing in retail is with Belu. We have free water stations front-and-centre in all our shops to encourage reusables. This has saved millions of bottles over the past decade and is a great reflection of our values.”
Pure’s catering business donates to children’s food & education charity Magic Breakfast with every delivery – and is pretty close to 300,000 contributions, alongside other fundraising activities.
“And in 2025, we launched our most successful partnership so far with Wildfarmed. We are the only brand that uses 100% Wildfarmed flour in all our sandwiches and 100% Wildfarmed oats in all our breakfast pots. We also have a big product launch planned with them for April 2026.
“My next ideal collaboration is with another brand/chef across a range of products, so watch this space!”
QUESTION OF PERCEPTION
For so many hospitality operators, the past five years have thrown up challenges that no one could have predicted. However, Pure has still grown to 20 shops across London, showing a remarkable versatility and resilience.
“We have changed! And we are new to the wholesale model but I do have one observation which is industry wide. I think the whole sector needs to work on moving away from being a cheap/value/meal deal offer, as this has diminished what we all do. In reality, the ingredients of, for example, a ham & cheese sandwich are not that different in quantity to a ham & cheese pizza – but the retail price of a pizza is often more than double!
“I don’t know how to tackle this as an industry but years of meal deals in supermarkets has made the perception of FTG as something cheap and not representative of the ingredient, labour and transport costs to get great products into fridges.”
But the elephant in the room is always cost – and price point is a major factor in consumer decision-making.
“Quality and value for money wins every time. I personally don’t go to places any more because portions have got smaller or the prices being charged are unrealistic.
“The challenge for Pure – across all sales channels – is to give customers value for money. This means quality ingredients, nutrient-dense recipes that fill you-up and great taste. We need to push ourselves to the limit to deliver this for every customer because, as you say, the cost-of-living crisis is not going away any time soon.”
For more information, visit www.pure.co.uk