Non-airline Catering

Gate Gourmet has a long history of catering for airline customers, and in a complementary move to leverage its assets and resources, has pursued a variety of non-airline catering initiatives, as well.

On Land

Gate Gourmet & MAASA Mexico has teamed up with Starbucks in Mexico. Kitchens in Cancun, Mexico City and Monterrey are now the sole supplier of sandwiches, salads and mixed fruit for all Starbucks shops in those cities. In addition, Gate Gourmet & MAASA Mexico assists with research and development of new product lines. Also, through a contract with the Flying Food Group, Gate Gourmet is providing similar food production services for Starbucks at select locations in the U.S.

Sandwiches and salads also are supplied by Gate Gourmet Portugal, for Portugal's first branch of the Spanish department store chain El Corte Ingles, in Lisbon.

By Rail

In a separate strategic move, the Portugal unit partnered with "Alfa Pendulares" national trains. The range of products delivered includes cold and hot breakfasts; hot meals with a choice of meat, fish and pasta; and mini savory pastries and traditional sweet pastries.

Gate Gourmet Portugal also supplies meals to Servirail for the "Lusitana" hotel train that runs between Lisbon and Madrid and offers an á la carte service that includes a selection of appetizers, main dishes and desserts.

In the United States, Gate Gourmet has a long-term relationship with Amtrak, the country's passenger rail service provider. The two companies refined a plan in early 2006 to monitor catering operations, perform administrative functions, provide the necessary labor at the commissary level, and enjoy savings in the cost of food, supplies and distribution. Using Amtrak's facilities in 10 locations (throughout the U.S., Gate Gourmet provides service for all Long Distance, Regional, Metroliner, High Speed Premier ACELA [First Class and Cafe] trains, as well as the famous "Auto Train").

Other Diversified Services

During the summer months, Gate Gourmet Bergen in Norway operates an event service at two guesthouses that can be rented for festivities such as wedding receptions and birthdays. The villas accommodate up to 60 people and provide a venue to celebrate in style, with Gate Gourmet supplying the appropriate catering services.

Gate Gourmet Stockholm recently renewed its agreement with a local hospital and senior citizen home. The unit uses airline-style equipment, such as galley carts (trolleys) and trays, to build the daily service of around 600 meals. The meals are similar to business-class fare, in that they include an appetizer and main course for lunch, with a main course and dessert for dinner. Menu rotation, however, is more challenging: the unit maintains each rotation for several weeks, but creates a different menu every day from that offering for the patients and the elderly.

In addition, Gate Gourmet recently entered a Catering Services Agreement with FreshOne, a company that provides healthy and convenient pre-packaged food products to U.S. retailers. As part of its strategic alliance with FreshOne, Gate Gourmet will prepare and package products such as fresh salads, sandwiches and other ready-to-eat items. The pre-packaged items will be marketed and distributed nationwide by FreshOne to select grocery, convenience and specialty retailers.

Gate Gourmet has no intention of departing from its core business, but continues to examine opportunities wherever they may arise globally and will work with customers on land or in the air, to demonstrate how our strong catering and logistics capabilities can deliver excellence for both traditional as well as non-airline catering.