The Peter Gilding Story

Peter began his career working alongside his father, Bernard, at J.V. White (Northern) Ltd, buying and selling fruit, vegetables, and salads in the heart of the great city of Liverpool. The business was rooted in Queens Square, close to the Port of Liverpool, before the market relocated in the 1960s to Edge Lane. Through these formative years, Peter developed the core principles of hard work, integrity, and the importance of building strong, lasting relationships.

When Bernard retired, Peter stepped forward as Managing Director, carrying his father's principles and vision into the next chapter of the business.

In 1982, a new generation joined the story. Peter's son, Andrew, just 16 years old, entered the business as a junior salesman eager to learn, full of ambition, and ready to help shape the future. Together, father and son built upon the family tradition, united by a shared commitment to doing things the right way.

Driven by a desire to create something of his own something that truly reflected both ambition and family values .On 5th November 1986, he left the market to form Peter Gilding & Co Ltd. It marked the beginning of a journey defined by courage, belief, and a determination to build a business rooted in trust.

Peter often shared a piece of wisdom that has stayed with us ever since:

"If you look after your customers, you will have no suppliers; but if you look after your suppliers, you will always have customers."

Today, we believe the true strength of a business lies in finding the balance between the two ,honouring every relationship, from grower to end customer. By being transparent with our suppliers, sharing our ambitions, and working side by side with them, we build a sustainable future not only for our company, but for everyone who grows with us.

5th November 1986

The Beginning

The company began with founders Peter, Penny, and Andrew, supported by just three dedicated employees. Together, they started with little more than belief, hard work, and a shared vision. The first step was leasing a small chilled store in Knowsley, Liverpool from Peter Gates a building once used for storing mushrooms, but soon to become the foundation of something far greater.

From this modest beginning, with a small team and one chill store, the journey of growth, ambition and resilience truly began.

1991

5 years on

Our investment in the building reflected a clear ambition to scale and evolve the business. As customer demand grew, we broadened our grower base, enhancing our product offering across loose and pre-packed formats for retail and wholesale markets, through a third-party packing partner.

1997

Expansion plan

To support our continual growth, we needed to significantly expand our chilled storage capacity. We redeveloped Block C, increasing its capacity from 800 pallets to 1,500 by constructing new chilled stores and additional loading bays.

2001-2005

Further expansion

We acquired and redeveloped the adjacent building naming it Block D, creating an additional 500 pallet spaces. We also purchased a neighbouring facility, naming that Block A, and redeveloped it to provide a further 1,000 pallet spaces, supporting the continued growth of our market-side operations.

2008-2018

Packing brought in house

Due to the continual growth of our retail business, we purchased an additional site opposite our main facility to bring packhouse operations in-house, initially managed by a third-party packer. This site was named Block E. During this period, we expanded Block A by a further 1,200 pallet spaces and Block C by 700 pallet spaces, while also connecting Blocks D and E to improve productivity and increase our packaging storage capacity.

2019 - 2020

Global Pandemic

This chapter of our journey began during an unprecedented period of global disruption. As COVID emerged, we assumed full management and operational control of the pack-house. Despite widespread uncertainty, we continued to move forward with resilience and resolve.

2023

Evolving challenges

After more than 30 years of partnership, our largest customer informed us that we were no longer part of their future plans. What could have been a major setback instead became a turning point. We regrouped, restructured, and refocused on building a stronger, more agile business.

2025

New Beginnings

In 2025, two of the company's three founders, Peter and Penny, took a well-earned retirement, marking the end of an era and the beginning of a new chapter. With Andrew now assuming ownership of the business, steps were taken to reshape and strengthen the company for the future.

Blocks C, D and E were sold, the focus then turned to creating bespoke pack-house facilities and modern office space for management, sales, and administrative teams within block A. This transformation brought our teams together under one roof, fostering greater collaboration, efficiency and shared purpose.