Case Study

How Benoli Wholesale Built a Secure, Reliable IT Foundation for Growth

Benoli Wholesale

Overview

Benoli Wholesale supplies premium Italian wines and food to more than 300 hospitality venues across Tyne and Wear. Named after owner Steven Echanique's sons, Ben and Oliver, the business has built its reputation on quality, competitive pricing and great service. Most new customers come through referrals alone.

Many of its wines and ingredients are imported exclusively under the Benoli label. The business works closely with its sister company Mark Toney, a North East institution with more than 130 years of history and a much-loved ice cream. In 2026, Benoli was named a finalist for Best Italian Drink Industry Supplier at the UK Italian Awards.

Two men in business attire in a warehouse with shelves and boxes.

The Challenge

As Benoli grew, its IT hadn't kept pace with the business.

Teams across Benoli and Mark Toney rely on quick communication to coordinate deliveries and answer customer queries. Unreliable phones and unstable connections were slowing everything down, and everyday jobs like updating records and uploading invoices took far longer than they should.

Steven regularly works from home, and a slow, unreliable VPN connection to the office made that harder than it needed to be. Management also had little control over how calls were handled or redirected when staff were busy or away.

For a supplier that hospitality venues depend on, missed deliveries and slow responses weren't an option. Benoli needed a reliable, secure IT foundation that could support the next stage of growth.

The Solution

In January 2025, Benoli partnered with Smart IT for a complete managed service, not a one-off fix.

Managed IT support. Benoli joined our SmartCare Small Business service, giving the team direct access to our helpdesk and engineers. Proactive monitoring keeps watch over key systems so problems are picked up early.

Security from day one. Every new customer starts with a full business audit as part of our onboarding. For Benoli, this highlighted gaps in device and email protection, so we deployed anti-virus and email security to defend against phishing and attempts to gain access to critical systems.

One phone system across both businesses. We rolled out SmartConnect across Benoli Wholesale and Mark Toney. Calls can now be routed and redirected between teams, so customers are always looked after, even when staff are on leave or busy.

Faster, more reliable connectivity. SmartFibreConnect, our full-fibre broadband service exclusive to the Team Valley, replaced the unstable connection that had been slowing systems down.

Room to grow. A block hours package gives Benoli engineering time on hand for future projects as it continues to develop its systems and communications.

Customer Feedback

We’re really happy with how much faster and better our internet has become since switching to SmartFibreConnect with Smart IT. Their team is always friendly and ready to help whenever we have any questions or issues.

Steven Echanique, Owner, Benoli Wholesale

Business meeting at Benoli Wholesale office with two men discussing.

The Result

The difference has been felt right across the business.

Support issues are resolved quickly, and proactive monitoring means threats are spotted and dealt with before they affect the team.
Anti-virus and email security now protect the business against phishing and unauthorised access attempts.
Systems run noticeably faster, so updating records and uploading invoices no longer holds the team up.
Steven's VPN connection is fast and reliable, making working from home genuinely productive.
SmartConnect lets Benoli and Mark Toney work as one team, keeping the responsive service their customers expect.

With IT support, security and communications all managed by one partner, Steven and his team can focus on growing the business and delivering the service that earns them their referrals.