The wholesale sector came together at Old Billingsgate, London, on Thursday 30 November, to celebrate the outstanding achievements and talented people right across the channel. It was the biggest ever Gold Medal dinner with almost 900 guests and a total of 25 Gold Medals awarded.

New for 2023 was the Diversity in Wholesale medal, awarded to both a supplier and a wholesaler. Diversity has been a key area of development for FWD this year and Heineken and Creed Foodservice were recognised for their work in this important area.

Sustainability is a key topic for all businesses – not just in wholesale – and FWD is proud to have celebrated the leaders in this area this year, Budweiser Brewing Group and Sysco GB. It comes after FWD published its Roadmap to Net Zero by 2040 with sustainability partners 3Keel in June.

Taking away three of the most coveted awards of the evening was Parfetts for Best Retail Wholesale, Adams Foodservice for Best Foodservice Wholesaler and Dunsters Farm who were recognised as the best wholesaler with a turnover of up to £50m.

Among the individual awards, Issy Blatherwick won the Emerging talent GM on the supplier side and Parfetts’ Holly Pennington took home the wholesaler award. Kevin Peacock from JJ Foodservice won Star Driver after his heroic actions while out on his delivery route saved the life of a woman life suffering a brain haemorrhage.

Introducing the awards, FWD Chairman Dawood Pervez said: “We have so many talented people and progressive businesses within our sector who have been nominated for an award and whom we are proud to be recognising. All our judges have been inspired by the commitment, dedication, and sheer passion for excellence that has shone through. Our industry is all about its people and tonight we honour you, the individuals in the sector who make wholesale such an inspiring and valuable place to work. We have faced challenges and embraced successes to ensure our industry is a sector that continues to thrive. And this is what we are celebrating here tonight.”

See all the photos from the night here