Episode 25: The Art of Hospitality - Bonnie May and Global Infusion Group

About this episode

Philippa Batting speaks with Bonnie May, CEO of Global Infusion Group, as they celebrate their 40th anniversary. The four different parts of the company - GIG Catering, Eat to the Beat, e2b Logistics, and Bonnie May Food & Events - all operating from under one roof in Aston Clinton.

Global Infusion Group has previously won Company of the Year and International Trader of the Year at the Buckinghamshire Business Awards, and won two Queen's Awards for Enterprise in the International Trade category, first in 2014 and then again in 2017. Bonnie herself was a runner-up in the Business Leader of the Year category at the 2024 Buckinghamshire Business Awards.

Bonnie reflects on the company’s journey from catering for music tours in 1984 to becoming a global leader in catering, hospitality, and brand experiences. Discover how the business evolved, overcame challenges like COVID-19 and Brexit, and embraced sustainability through initiatives like their innovative 60/40 menu.

The conversation explores the transformative power of fostering partnerships, adapting to international markets, and being a Disability Confident Employer. Bonnie also shares inspiring career advice for young professionals and discusses Global Infusion Group’s future aspirations, including their commitment to sustainable practices and making a global impact.

Tune in for a compelling story of resilience, innovation, and purpose-driven leadership!

You can read some of the discussion below. (Quotes have been edited for brevity and clarity.)

Expanding overseas

Philippa Batting: "What tips would you give to somebody listening thinking of expanding a service business overseas?"

Bonnie May: "Understand the territory that you're going to be working within, and the difference in compliance from a health and safety point of view. What we might do here in Aston Clinton is quite different than we might have to deliver if we are in Shanghai.

"Work with the Department for Business and Trade (formerly Department for International Trade), who are nothing but super supportive of us. The minute we know we're going to a new territory we jump on the phone, we want to know who at the embassy is representing us and who will support us."

Being a Disability Confident employer

Philippa Batting: "Both Buckinghamshire Business First and Global Infusion Group are disability confident employers. Do you feel that your organisation has benefited from being disability confident?"

Bonnie May: "There has been a really positive impact in just making everyone else in the business aware that there's a whole world of amazing people out there whatever their disability, and just making it really clear that we welcome whoever you are within our business. We will support people as much as we possibly can depending on what they require along their journey with us. We have a great wellness team within the business. Ability, disability, neurodiversity - this is always top of the agenda and now they're words within the business we're not scared to say out loud or we're not scared to challenge or embrace.

"It's the the jewel in the crown for us to be able to say that we delivered all the catering for the Paris 2024 Paralympics, an absolute honour and a privilege. I think that's been borne out of us taking the challenge on here and changing our language within the business."

Philippa Batting: "It's about being brave to step into an arena where you're not the expert and you might not know everything but be prepared to think differently about things."

Sustainability

Bonnie May: "We have a little catchphrase: sustainABLE (ability, bravery, leaders, ethical). We have a 60/40 menu: 60% of a much better quality - either organic or ethically sourced - meat, and then 40% of pulses and vegetables. What we're trying to do is encourage people to just give it a try. On nearly all of our menus we start with the vegan option, then the vegetarian, then the fish, then the white meat, then the red meat, so you've really got to read through all of this before you might get to what possibly is your first choice. We're just trying to put it out there that there are other options."

Bidding for contracts

Bonnie May: "Understand what you are going for. There's very often a pre-qualifying phase before the tender comes out which asks all the right questions... can you actually deliver this? Some of these contracts have a financial value of a million or two million, or more in some cases, which sounds really attractive, but what's it going to cost to get us there? We're really good at doing our maths and not just looking at the prize once we get there, but that financial journey we have to go on to get ourselves there."

Brexit challenges

Bonnie May: "Brexit, for us, was a bit like going back to what we were doing 20 years ago. We do a huge amount in Europe. Every single piece of equipment has to be documented, and that is a huge piece of work if you can imagine us taking kitchens on the road for 200 people, even down to crockery and cutlery and the kitchen sink.

"But what's been more challenging for us from a Brexit point of view has been the Schengen visa and the amount of days that people can work out of the country. (Editor's note: A visa is required for someone staying in the EU or countries in the Schengen area for more than 90 days in a 180-day period).

"We have everybody on a constant count of how many days they can work, only being able to do 90 out of the last 180 days in Europe. For us, if it's a three or four month tour that can be really difficult and in some cases means people are not actually able to complete that piece of work, they've got to come back here to the UK and build their days back up again before they can go back out. So Brexit's been a real challenge."

Covid challenges

Bonnie May: "Business changed shape a lot through Covid. A lot of our aspirations and plans in terms of what we were going to do hasn't happened, but we've changed shape, we've rethought and probably been more sensible with what we should and shouldn't do. Five years on, it's been tough but it's been a 'good' tough for all the right reasons.

"From a Covid point of view, I think people's attitude towards food and sustainability and waste has been talked about in a positive way. The hospitality industry has long been known for its extravagance and coming out the other side of Covid, I think that we probably stepped down a gear in terms of that lavishness of what food is available and we changed our language quite a lot in terms of 'waste not, want not'.

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