A FAMILY Affair

Inter Fresh was founded in 2016 by William Box. Born and raised in Carlisle, Will’s experience began in 2008 when he left school, joining the family fresh produce business, 125 years in the making. From a young age he spent most weekends and school holidays working in the warehouse, picking orders and arranging stock.

Broader Horizons

In 2014 Will left the family business taking a year out to travel, broaden his horizons and business knowledge. He landed a job working for one of Australia's largest fresh produce wholesalers, supplying the most iconic companies & chefs including Emirates & Singapore Airlines, Hilton Group, Jamie's Italian and P&O Cruises.

During this time Will took the time to reflect on the wholesale industry. He felt there was a gap in the market, on home territory, for a wholesale supplier dominated by fresh produce. And now, the Inter Fresh business plan began.

One Man & a Van

In 2016 Inter Fresh was born. Using a small network of contacts within Carlisle, and connections with wholesale suppliers, Will began buying and selling fresh produce to venues in the city, using his mum’s garage as a storage unit, delivering these single handed to a small base of customers, “one man and a van”.

Organic growth

Within just a few weeks, word spread about Will’s new business venture and his customer base began to grow.  Mum’s garage was soon proving to need extending, so in 2017 Inter Fresh opened their head office in Carlisle city centre, Caldewgate. 

“One man and a van” soon developed into 2 vans in Carlisle and another into Penrith and Keswick – news about Inter Fresh was travelling quickly – after a recruitment drive in 2018 the team now grew to 6.

Boxed Fresh, the pandemic
& a bright future

December 2019 saw Inter Fresh launch its sister company Boxed Fresh, the home and office delivery service which accelerated rapidly during Covid, supporting households with essential supplies.

March 2020 – the Pandemic resulted in very limited sales opportunities, but this was a good time to invest behind the scenes – new vans, new fridges and a refurbishment of the warehouse, all in place so we were able to hit the ground running when businesses opened up again.

Summer 2021 Kendal depot opened. This has resulted in our delivery miles being reduced and earlier deliveries to our south lakes customers. A team of 3 were employed to manage this depot.

During the pandemic our sales team were recruited alongside a team of 4 working nights in Telesales.  Inter Fresh now has 25 full time staff members and are always looking for new recruits!

Time to move!

In November 2023 Inter Fresh merged its Caldewgate and Kendal depots and moved into their new home on the Kingstown Industrial Estate, Carlisle. A bigger depot providing lots of space for growth in the coming years.

Ideally located in the north of the city, and handy access to the M6 motorway, which supports getting delivery vans out and on the road promptly.
Incoming deliveries into Kingstown are much smoother with unloading bays and parking, making life much easier!

ordering online portal launch

March 2024 saw the exciting launch of FRESHO –online ordering portal. A quick and easy option to place orders, working alongside the traditional method of ordering over the phone and via email.

Customer feedback on FRESHO has been
well received:

“Very easy to use!"
“All our chefs love it.”
“Easy to check live prices.”
“Access to view our statements quickly.”
“Good to see the special offers!”

Just some of the positive feedback !

Watch this space for more news on Inter Fresh expansion and future growth.