Memorial service for Graham Roach
Roach, 69, passed away at the end of September, and is survived by wife, Valerie, and three children. Prior to his role with Tulip, now a subsidiary of Danish Crown, he had founded his own business, Roach Foods, selling pre-packed bacon and cooked meat products to European supermarkets.
In 1999, the company was merged with Dalehead Foods, in a reported £150 million deal, to form holding company Flagship Foods. Combined sales of the two businesses were reputed to be £270m, supplying UK supermarkets with pork, bacon and cooked meats, a sector said to be worth £3bn at the time. In 2004, Flagship Foods, which then comprised Roach Foods, Dalehead Foods and Flagship Fresh Meats, became part of Danish Crown.
Chief executive of Tulip, Steve Francis, commented: "There are many employees within the business today who began their working careers under Graham and, on behalf of them all and the wider organisation, I would like to extend our thoughts and condolences to the Roach family during this difficult time.
"Graham was a founding father of our business and a true giant in our industry. It is up to us now to carry forward his legacy with pride as we embark on re-building Tulip's number one position in the UK pork industry."
Graham Roach was festival chairman of the Butchers' & Drovers' Charitable Institution (BDCI) in 2008/9.
