Our Brands

Bobtail Fruit

Where it all began.

Fruit For The Office

Healthy offices should be the norm, and that’s exactly what we strive to achieve.

Bar Fruit Delivery

Specialised for Bars, Clubs and Pubs, we deliver the best fruit, herbs and garnishes. 

Our Story

Robert Barham

1950

Bobtail Fruit’s history comes from humble beginnings. Just by Temple tube Station a fruit stall, ran by a man named Robert Barham I. Robert would sell his fruit from his stall, and became known amongst the locals by his nickname: Bobtail. With Robert’s principals of high quality fresh fruit and friendly service, he would see his fruit stall beaming with success. From this came a small family run business, ran by Robert Barham I himself, called Bobtail Fruit.

1973

With service and quality at the forefront of what he did, Robert would see his business garnering traction, soon opening his second fruit stall in 1973.

Fruit and Bobtail was in Mark Watts’ blood (our current director). From the young age of 3, he would ride on the barrows, breathing in the a rapidly growing industry and city. 14 years later, he left school to officially work for Bobtail Fruit under Robert Barham’s son, who was both the new director of the company, and who was named after Bobtail himself.

 

 

Waterloo Fruit Stall
Robert Barham II

1979

Bobtail Fruit grew slowly but surely. Every morning going to the market to get only the best quality fruit for their stall – their customers eagerly waiting for fresh and reliable produce. Bobtail Fruit’s service and quality spoke for itself, and over time this enabled us to open up more stalls. Robert Barham II was given the company from his father, the original founder.

1980

Mark, only 14 years of age, joins the company. 4 years later he officially leaves school and joins Bobtail Fruit fulltime. Mark, who had lots of energy and the ideas to match, would lead Bobtail Fruit into a new era.

Temple Station Fruit Stall
Temple Station Fruit Stall

1990

 One day the fruit stalls were being worked, and a customer approached the stall, saying how much she loved Bobtail’s produce. She also requested if Bobtail could deliver every day to the customer’s office. What started as one carrier bag to a single office in London, quickly grew to countless deliveries, to five-hundred different offices, thus starting a new branch in Bobtail Fruit’s history.  Mark made the decision to start selling fruit to offices all across London, one of the very first to do so. Bobtail Fruit, armed with over 40 years of knowledge on fruit and experience in customer service, knew exactly how to consistently secure high quality fruit for these offices. In this year also, Bobtail Fruit also moved into their first warehouse – a testament to its steadily growing size.

1992

Between these years, Bobtail Fruit opened two more Fruit Stalls across the capital, and even moved into a new Warehouse in Hercules Road. With the added locations, the Warehouse was important to ensure that there was enough space to store and make up our clients orders.

Temple Station Fruit Stall
Lower Marsh Fruit Stall

2008

In 2008, Mark Watts officially becomes the director of Bobtail Fruit Limited. His hardwork and dedication paid off, creating a profitable company with lots of future prospects, still steadily growing. Four years later, a fifth stall opens on London Bridge.

2015

Fruit Stalls had become a thing of the past and by 2015, the last of Bobtail’s Fruit stalls had been closed. This was uncharted territory for Bobtail Fruit, but Mark loved it. It was yet another challenge, one he knew he could face.

Southwark Station Fruit Stall
Fruit For The Office

2022

Bobtail Fruit acquires the then competitor, Fruit for the office, ready to serve lots more customers with delicious fruit to employees in their offices.

2022

It also moves to a much larger Warehouse in Britannia Road. Being only a few minutes to the M25, the area is known for having important distribution links to all across the country. Bobtail Fruit recognises that it wants to expand to more than just London, and is prepared to do so in the future, without hindering the high quality service delivered to London.

Bar Fruit Delivery

2024

Recognising that the catering industry is growing, Bobtail Group founds a new company – Bar Fruit Delivery. Specialising in wholesale, fresh and yet affordable fruit, Bobtail Group aims to guide Bar Fruit Delivery into a flourishing company, supplying to companies all over London and Greater London.

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