Campbell’s Kitchen operates out of Whitefriars Business Centre - a landmark building in Bristol’s central business district and shopping quarter which is home to dozens of leading organisations as well as a gym, meeting rooms and other business services. Campbell’s provides popular corporate catering and cafe services to residents of Whitefriars and beyond and in 2025, launched two food trucks which currently service offices, building sites and warehouses in and around Bristol. The corporate side of the business averages around 1,000 covers per week and the cafe has a footfall of several hundred per day. Owner and founder Paul Campbell set up the business in 2011. Originally called A Fair Shot, as the name suggests, Paul seeks to offer fair wages and an environment in which his team are given the space to develop their craft and passion for food.  

A Fair Shot started out based in Brislington in south east Bristol, moving to Whitefriars in 2014, and rebranding as Campbell’s Kitchen in 2018. “Setting up the business was an itch I wanted to scratch,” he said, “- I had two kids at the time so finishing at 2.30 was ideal. Then I kept having kids and I’ve continued to be able to spend time with all of them”. (Given Paul’s commitment to helping his staff find their feet in the catering industry, it will perhaps come as no surprise to learn that he has five children).  

His current team of ten are a mix of front and back of house staff with some working across both. Regardless of their role within the business, everyone is encouraged to put forward their ideas: “I employ a team who are very passionate about food, none are chefs but all of them are people who really love cooking so they are constantly coming up with fresh ideas”. Paul also spoke of the importance of giving his staff room to grow, “I try to allow people space to try things that might not always work, as long as they learn from it. I think that’s a fairly unique thing about how I run the business as a lot of people would say you always have to get things right, but I think we all learn so much from trying new things and for that individual, it’s only going to help their development”.  

With 27 years industry experience under his belt, Paul is an immensely knowledgeable business owner and caterer, “I went into catering at 17, initially I just enjoyed working with people, it was fast paced and fun, particularly when you’re younger because the industry has a lot of energy to it. Then, as I’ve progressed, it’s the attention to detail that appeals most to me now. So if we’re sending out a large catering box of sandwiches for example, I’ll think about the layout of the sandwiches - the different types of bread, the fillings - and how they can all sit together to look their best, which is something our customers notice and appreciate,” he explained, adding, “- I’ll make sure each sandwich is individually wrapped in a different colour paper, that way the customer gets a better experience”.  

His paper of choice? Botanical Plus - our versatile grease resistant paper that comes in three vibrant shades also adding a pop of colour to Campbell's in-cafe display of baked treats. Paul puts great emphasis on the presentation of his products and each item is carefully considered. The cafe was also an early adopter of our new Back to Nature branded collection, utilising compostable and recyclable pots for daily specials in the cafe. Meanwhile sandwich bags, labelling and recyclable and industrially compostable bloomer packs from the Back to Nature range are used in the food trucks.  

Campbell's corporate catering boxes also come from Planglow. “Planglow’s products are certainly a selling point when it comes to engaging new corporate clients as we’re able to say our packaging is compostable, it makes it easier to convert an enquiry into a sale”. 

“We started out using plastic trays,” Paul said, “In 2011, that was the accepted norm but we weren't happy with it from an ethical standpoint or in terms of the visual impact. We got a load of products in and Planglow's were the best - both in terms of being able to hold the volume of food and in the overall presentation. We’ve tried see-through lids from another company but they’re just not sturdy, you can’t stack them on top of each other. With Planglow’s however, I know I’m good, so if I’m catering for say 100 people, I’m confident I can place them on top of one another carrying them from the van. This makes five trips from what could otherwise easily be 20 back and forth”.  

Campbell’s corporate catering boxes are, in many ways, the perfect demonstration of everything the company stands for: fresh, quality foods, beautifully presented. Likewise, the cafe’s signature salad bar and daily specials, as Paul explained: “People really make use of us on the days they are in the office because they get something they know they won't have at home. With the salads especially - you might make one or two at home but never 15 and we love to be able to give people that choice”.  

With a career spanning four decades, Paul has seen many food trends come and go, so how does he stay ahead? “Fresh ingredients! A lot of the time it’s not necessarily about reinventing the wheel and while certain fads come and go, for me, it’s about making sure that whatever you’re doing, you’re doing it well”. 

Food allergies have of course been a palpable concern to anyone working in the food and drink industry, not least as the number of consumers experiencing allergic reactions and the list of ingredients they are experiencing reactions to, continue to rise. Paul shared how Campbell’s is tackling this across the different divisions of the business: 

“I think people are getting tested quite frequently now and their requirements are getting a lot more specific. Our website allows you to specify exact allergies and other dietary requirements and we see so much more detail within this regarding what people can and can’t have compared to even a few years ago”.  

“The majority of what we provide on the corporate side is classified as loose foods and the rules are a little different to pre-packaged goods which of course require labelling.  So in addition to our order form, we also send out a matrix within our corporate catering boxes that details all the products and the ingredients within these. In the cafe, we highlight allergens through signage, our front of house team and a big compendium which everyone has access to and can use as a reference point. 

The food trucks differ from other parts of the business in so far as the offering is pre-packaged, which is when Planglow stepped in with a solution. “Sally (our account manager) said to us, OK you’re going to need to produce labels and we have software to do it,” said Paul explaining how Campbell had been introduced to our food labelling app which allows users to create and print their own legislatively compliant food labels. “It best supports us in terms of allergens and Natasha’s Law and means I can sell with confidence”.   

Like most businesses, Campbells, felt the impact of covid and Paul spoke of some its lingering effects on his business: “It definitely changed the way corporate catering works, before covid we’d be doing lunches spread over five days but now it’s four and half and you do most of that work in those middle three. It’s interesting that in the last year we’re starting to see meetings on a Friday again but for a long time there were none”.  

Unsurprisingly, Paul described financial instability as one of the biggest challenges he and other food providers are currently facing: “There was a feeling of optimism which has dissipated and businesses in general are sitting on their budget much more in anticipation of what may or may not be coming. On top of this you have the rising costs of everything and that’s having a knock-on effect. When I first started out, you were told to aim for a net profit of around 30-40% but now they say 15-20% because costs have gone up so much and you have to do a lot of volume to compensate for that. As a business owner it’s really difficult because you want to provide the best working conditions possible but you are also constrained by how much you can actually charge people, so that’s always a balancing act. There may be changes coming in the way businesses operate, if you are a smaller business and you get a benefit from that, do you pass that on to your customers and use it to drive sales, or recoup some of the losses you’ve experienced? It all depends how you structure your business but, for me, those who take the opportunity to innovate will come out the best”. 

It’s sage advice from a man who has steered his business through five children, three recessions, and a global pandemic. His formula for success? “I think it's a case of finding what makes you passionate and being really good at it,” he said. “What is it that you enjoy? Find a way to excel at this.” And when it comes to perspective, his biggest lesson is one worth remembering: “My first shop was opposite a local bakery chain shop so I’d see their queue going out the door and wonder what I should be doing to have the same. Then one day I had this penny-drop moment: I realised I’d hit my target for the week and I didn’t need to worry about what anyone else was doing because I’d met my goal. So if someone else is doing well, that’s great for them but if your business is meeting your own targets, these are the only ones that really matter.” A timely reminder that staying true to ourselves is the most powerful strategy of all.