As you may have heard, The Abbey Group—your trusted foodservice provider—was recently acquired by Whitsons Culinary Group on July 23, 2025. This exciting partnership is built on a shared commitment to innovation, personalized service, and nourishing our communities through wholesome, high-quality meals. We’re excited to share what this means for you!
Stronger Together
Whitsons and The Abbey Group both share a deep commitment to local sourcing, community engagement, and personalized service. This partnership strengthens our ability to support schools throughout Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts with even more resources, operational expertise, and culinary creativity.
What You Can Expect
In the coming months, you’ll begin to see some exciting updates across your dining areas. We’ll be rolling out fresh new branding, colorful signage, creative station concepts, and engaging promotions—all designed to enhance students’ daily dining experience.
We’ll also be rolling out a state-of-the-art mobile menu viewing platform, FD Meal Planner, which brings menu planning, nutrition information, meal ingredients, and real time allergen information right to your fingertips.
COMING SOON! Simply visit WWW.FDMEALPLANNER.COM to check it out, or download the FD MEALPLANNER app to your mobile device free of charge by visiting the App Store (for iOS devices) or Google Play (for Android devices).
This user-friendly menu viewing tool also allows you to build your own profile, or a profile for your entire family of students, and then save your account preferences--making future visits a breeze.
Most importantly you can count on our commitment to local purchasing, sustainability and regional support. Plus, The Abbey Group operations team will be joining Whitsons so you will continue to see the same familiar faces that personally know your school community.
Local Leadership with Deep Roots
The Abbey Group’s operations team is now joined by experienced leaders from Whitsons and Fresh Picks Café. Two members of our senior leadership team are Vermont homeowners, plus five members of our leadership team members are residents of New Hampshire. We are all deeply invested in the communities we serve, and together we will be bringing over 60 years of combined experience in school nutrition—a testament to our long-term commitment and local insight.
Continued Commitment to Farm-to-School & Local Economies
Supporting local has always been at the heart of The Abbey Group—and Whitsons shares that same value.
- Over 50% of Whitsons’ products are sourced locally, and we’re committed to maintaining and expanding relationships with local farmers, vendors, and producers.
- Our involvement in Farm-to-School programs will continue to grow as we deepen our connections to local agriculture and education.
- We believe that strong local partnerships build stronger communities, and that mission continues to guide everything we do.
Looking Ahead
We understand that change can bring questions. Please rest assured—this transition is being approached with thoughtfulness, transparency, and collaboration. Our goal is to ensure a smooth experience for every member of your community while building an even stronger future.
We are investing in the long-term success of New England communities and remain dedicated to Enhancing Life One Meal at a Time™.
Thank you for your support and partnership.