Family firm united in quest for quality

The hunt finally ended at a chicken processing plant employing 6,000 workers at the southernmost tip of Brazil, near the border with Uruguay.

But if the search had finished, the overall quest had not. There would be months of laboratory tests on meat samples before, in food industry parlance, the man from DPP said "yes".

DPP - Dovey Premium Products - takes chicken extremely seriously. As a small niche player with just 65 employees it has to if it is to compete with the larger players.

The Upton firm supplies chicken and other products to 10 per cent of all Indian restaurants across the UK.

Geoffrey Dovey, chairman, said: "There are much larger plcs that are not doing what we are doing in terms of quality control."

His brother Jeremy, quality director, added: "We are leading it, way beyond the big boys."

Third brother James, chief executive, summarised the position: "The food industry is prone to shortcuts in search of profit and it's something DPP won't do."

In a family business that has on occasion had its differences, quality is probably the one thing that all three brothers agree on most.

"If we get it right, we bring jobs and prosperity to Upton.

"If we get it wrong, this area loses a strong provider of employment," said Geoffrey.

The brothers all have their ideas on how to run the show but end up with a consensus, enabling each brother to run a different arm of the business.

Diversification first started in 1988 - 11 years after the firm was founded - with the launch of Dovey Wines.

What began as a few barrels of beer at the request of one curry house has now transformed DPP into the "largest independent supplier of Kingfisher beer" direct to Indian restaurants in Europe.

"James has pushed it hard. We would go out for a drink on a Friday night and end up delivering a barrel," said Geoffrey.

Meanwhile, Jeremy as quality director has been working with DPP's food technologist Bob Brookes (ex-Sainsbury's and Millers) to maintain the consistency of the chicken, in every sense of the word.

Jeremy has eschewed the boardroom suit to become more "hands on" and deal directly with client restaurants and DPP's drivers to monitor feedback.

This is an industry where some unscrupulous processing plants inject their chicken breasts with too much water to pump up their weight.

The net result is wet, spongy chicken fillets for restaurants which pick the wrong supplier.

Obsession with quality is paying dividends for DPP.

Other wholesalers who are fed up with hit and miss deliveries from their suppliers are now turning to DPP's trading division for their chicken.

There are spin-offs elsewhere in the company.

Restaurateurs who are happy with the meat and beer will also buy products from DPP's spices division.

But quality control is not a guarantee of financial success.

DPP's turnover peaked briefly in 1998 and then the Indian restaurant sector started to contract as the better restaurants went upmarket and uncompetitive rivals closed.

Fortunately DPP had predicted this trend and brought in executives from outside the business to boost profitability.

Finance director Richard Thorne - formerly with Millers - remembers all too well what it was like when he arrived at DPP in 1991.

"When I joined it was a family business run like a family.

"Now it is a family business run like a business."

These days DPP is more profitable on a slightly smaller turnover.

The company owns its own site and 15 Mercedes trucks: "We have to look after our 24 drivers, they are an important part of our frontline," said Geoffrey.

DPP has also become a lot more efficient when it comes to getting paid. It has five credit controllers who work six days a week, in shifts, from 10am until 11pm to cover restaurant opening periods.

"You won't find a larger credit control division for a company of this size anywhere on the South coast," said Geoffrey.

"We've had to professionalise this company, move it forwards. It's tough going - nothing is easy these days."