Making our dishes by hand, prioritizing the highest quality, isn’t something we would ever compromise. The right technology stack simply enables us to do so faster and more efficiently.”
– Sarah Elliot, Change and Programme Manager, Charlie Bigham’s
For food producers and manufacturers, growth often means choosing between maintaining the quality that built your brand and adopting the technology needed to scale. Digital transformation becomes urgent when your IT team spends more time firefighting system issues instead of planning for the future, especially as your decade-old ERP is reaching end-of-life.
Charlie Bigham’s, the UK’s premium pre-prepared meals producer and Certified B-Corp, faced exactly this challenge. With annual sales topping £130 million and 600+ staff hand-preparing over 50 dishes, they needed a digital foundation that could support ambitious growth plans without sacrificing the craftsmanship that defines their brand.
What happens when legacy systems can’t keep pace with growth?
Charlie Bigham’s had built their business on hand-crafted quality. But behind the scenes, their technology infrastructure told a different story: legacy systems layered on top of legacy systems. The result? An IT team stuck in reactive mode, constantly responding to urgent problems and outages instead of building for the future. Integration issues consumed disproportionate resources, pulling the team away from strategic projects to patch urgent problems. Adding new capabilities meant applying temporary fixes to an already fragile foundation. And critically, the outdated infrastructure prevented them from achieving Cyber Essentials Plus certification, blocking access to appropriate cyber insurance in an increasingly dangerous threat landscape.
For a B-Corp committed to doing business the right way, this was both an operational problem and a strategic risk.
How does digital transformation for food producers work without disrupting operations?
Charlie Bigham’s answer was Project Integr8, a comprehensive initiative to modernize their entire technology stack. But this was more than just a simple software upgrade. It was a complete rethinking of how systems connect and work together, designed to create a modern, secure, integrated platform across all areas of the business.
The shift centered on upgrading to Syspro in the cloud, but the scope went far beyond ERP. The project replaced a web of legacy tools with integrated, cloud-based solutions, from middleware and EDI to labeling systems and warehouse management.
But here’s what makes this digital transformation story particularly relevant for other food producers and manufacturers: the implementation was deliberately built to preserve what works. Most users didn’t see dramatic changes day-to-day, and that was intentional. The technology had to enable the business to move faster and more efficiently, rather than force the business to change how it creates quality.
The implementation went live with minimal disruption. But the real test came in the months that followed. The outcomes from Project Integr8 span these critical areas:
Security and compliance
Charlie Bigham’s achieved Cyber Essentials Plus certification and secured appropriate cyber insurance, moving from vulnerable to protected in an industry facing increasing cyber threats.
“We weren’t able to achieve Cyber Essentials Plus with the old infrastructure. But with Syspro in the cloud, we’ve now got both certification and appropriate cyber insurance. That’s a massive reassurance for the business and our executive team.”
– Mike Calverley, Head of IT, Charlie Bigham’s
Operational resilience
By replacing outdated infrastructure with a modern cloud platform, the business gained measurable improvements in performance and reliability. Key processes from order management to recipe handling to warehousing now run faster and more accurately.
“While our output is considerable in terms of meals produced, the human touch remains central to how we prepare our meals.” Explained Sarah Elliot, Change and Programme Manager. “Making our dishes by hand, prioritizing the highest quality, isn’t something we would ever compromise. The right technology stack simply enables us to do so faster and more efficiently.”
Foundation for innovation
Perhaps most importantly, the new platform positioned Charlie Bigham’s to adopt future solutions far more easily. The project kick-started their Information Revolution program, focused on advanced data analysis and forecasting to support better decision-making across the business.
“While our output is considerable in terms of meals produced, the human touch remains central to how we prepare our meals.”
– Sarah Elliot, Change and Programme Manager, Charlie Bigham’s
What can other food producers learn from this approach?
Charlie Bigham’s story offers a blueprint for mid-sized food producers facing similar challenges:
1. Address security as a strategic priority, not just an IT issue
When outdated infrastructure blocks you from security certifications, you’re failing more than an audit. A single breach could halt production, destroy customer trust, and leave you financially exposed. For food producers and manufacturers managing customer data and complex supply chains, this creates a scenario where cyber insurance becomes unavailable or prohibitively expensive. Treat security certification as operational infrastructure, just as you would production equipment or supply chain logistics.
2. Design transformation around your people and processes
The most successful technology implementations don’t ask your team to work differently. They make existing work easier. Your competitive advantage comes from skilled staff executing proven processes. Forcing dramatic workflow changes introduces unnecessary risk. Technology should remove friction from what already works.
3. Build for what’s next, not just what’s now.
Solving immediate pain points like integration headaches or security gaps delivers measurable value. But the bigger opportunity is building a foundation that makes future innovation faster and cheaper. Can your platform support AI-powered demand forecasting when you’re ready? Real-time quality analytics? Automated compliance reporting?
As Mike Calverley reflects, “Project Integr8 gave us the platform to grow, with Syspro at the core. It’s made us safer, more connected, and ready for whatever’s next.” The right infrastructure solves today’s problems while changing the economics of adopting tomorrow’s capabilities.
Ready to see the full story?
The full case study reveals the specific challenges Charlie Bigham’s faced, the detailed approach they took, and the measurable results they achieved across security, efficiency, and business resilience.
Take a look at the full Charlie Bigham’s case study to see how the premium food producer transformed their digital infrastructure while staying true to their commitment to quality and craftsmanship. One platform, global impact, showing the power of purpose-built technology for enabling growth without compromise.
