The History of Pickup Bank Fine Foods

The Wild family don't just deliver quality food to customers - they give quality service as well. That's how Alton and Lynne Wild wanted to run Pickup Bank Fine Foods when they took the brave step of buying a wholesale cheese round back in June 1997. "Service to my customers, quality to yours was and still is our motto," says Alton, who has more than 25 years' experience in the chilled food distribution industry.

Their friendly efficiency has seen that small distribution round, of mainly Lancashire cheese, flourish and grow to 200 customers and 1,300 different types of food, including around 300 cheeses from the UK and abroad. "It's all been by word-of-mouth and personal recommendation," says Alton, "We've listened to our customers and brought in new lines when they have requested it, rather than us promoting our own lines."

History of the business

The business takes its name from Pickup Bank, a village of about 80 homes near Darwen in Lancashire where Alton has spent his entire life.

A family business with the personal touch.

It not only employs him and his wife Lynne but uses the talents of their daughters- Beth helps with photography and admin; her twin sister Kayleigh is the computer whizz, and younger sister Becca assists with deliveries in school holidays.

"We like to think we do things differently," says Alton. "You get the personal touch with us - we take the orders ourselves; we source the goods, build the orders, and then deliver them to the customer. We strive to do our best in looking after people."

Our Products

Our customers are mainly from Lancashire, and range from market stalls, sandwich shops and delicatessens to butchers, farm shops, bakeries and restaurants, mostly within Alton's beloved Lancashire.

The family source as many products as possible locally, with the emphasis on quality. They buy from every Lancashire cheese company, including Dewlay of Garstang, Butlers and Singletons of Longridge, Sandhams of Barton and Greenfields and Mrs Kirkhams of Goosnargh.

Farmhouse Biscuits come from Nelson and Darlingtons, jams and chutneys from Cheshire, although some products - such as continental cheeses and meats - inevitably come from further afield.

Other products include, yoghurts and creams, olives, pates, pickles, cakes, pastas and sauces, all chosen for their quality and competitive price.

Some foods are Alton's own invention after he suggested cheese blends to producers - his Flamin' Eck cheese, a blend of Lancashire crumbly with sun-dried tomatoes and jalapeno peppers, is particularly popular.

If you contact Alton and Lynne at Pickup Bank Fine Foods Ltd, you won't get the hard sell, just a cheerful Lancashire courtesy which stays true to its village roots and strives to keep the customer satisfied.