A well-known Sussex businessman has sold his outside catering company after more than 20 years.

John Standing, 41, struck a deal with Kent-based Big Fill for the company he formed 22 years ago with a "loaf of bread borrowed from his mum's kitchen".

All 25 staff at John Standing Outside Caterers in Mill Road, Portslade, have been told their jobs are safe after it was sold for an undisclosed sum yesterday.

Mr Standing said: "I have been getting to work at four o'clock in the morning and occasionally working through until 1am the next day.

"You get to a point when you think to yourself: 'Do I want to be doing this anymore?' I decided I had taken the business as far as I could."

And it has not been plain sailing. Twelve years ago, Mr Standing salvaged the reputation of his business after winning a court battle over a sabotaged sandwich.

The dispute, which had dragged on for three years and had jeopardised the future of the company, was settled in two hours.

Mr Standing went to Brighton County Court after losing a contract with a garage firm after one of its customers sent a letter of complaint and a sandwich with a plaster in it.

He had to prove the finger plaster was an act of sabotage by a rival sandwich-maker which had earlier lost the same contract.

Mr Standing won the case after a handwriting expert said the writing in the complaint letter matched an earlier letter sent to the garage by the rival firm.

He was awarded £1,500 damages plus £2,000 for loss of profits and won back the contract for Crawley-based Southern Counties Garages.

In total, the victory was worth £12,000. But more importantly the reputation of John Standing, which celebrated its 21st anniversary last year, was still intact.

In the last ten years, turnover has doubled. The company started as a one-man band in 1983 when Mr Standing began delivering sandwiches to factories and industrial estates in his van.

The business grew quickly and customers started asking for small buffets for offices and Christmas parties. Before long, outside catering became as important to the business as the fresh sandwich business. Now the firm organises all sorts of functions from business training lunches, corporate catering, weddings, parties, funerals, christenings and barbecues.

It stopped delivering to factories and industrial estates years ago to concentrate on wholesaling pre-packed sandwiches to airports, ferries and hospitals.

The company has also launched an in-house basic food hygiene course for its staff, which has been opened up to outside caterers.

Mr Standing said: "I want to thank all of my staff who have been with me at every turn. They have been absolutely fantastic and without them, I would not have made it."

He now plans to travel the world and write a book before his next venture, which would probably involve publishing computer software.

Tuesday, December 6, 2005