Farm & Deli Retail June 2017 by Eljays44

& June 2017

DREAM DISPLAYS Build fabulous charcuterie, bread and cheese counters

SNAP HAPPY How to use Instagram successfully

ORGANIC SPECIAL

SANGITA TRYNER

ON WINNING DELI OF THE YEAR 21 Cover.indd 1

Making the most of a thriving sector

REGIONAL GUIDE Yorkshire & The Humber 31/05/2017 14:07

We’re delighted to have been unveiled as Best Preserves Brand* Marion Darlington began making her unique Lemon Curd in 1980 in the farmhouse kitchen and since then we’ve never looked back. Today with over 80 family favourites to choose from; there’s so much more to the Mrs Darlington’s family!

To find our more about Mrs Darlington’s please call us on 01270 250710 or visit our website at www.mrsdarlingtons.com * Best Brands Survey 2016/2017 - Fine Food Digest

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JUNE

Welcome... ...to the June issue of Farm & Deli Retail. First and foremost, the FDR team would like to thank everyone that has sent us feedback since our launch issue – we’ve been overwhelmed by your positive messages, and of course welcome any further suggestions or comments on what you’d like to see in your magazine. We’ve had a busy two months and have immersed ourselves in the industry by visiting and chatting to producers, farm shops, delis and distributors. We’ve also been fortunate enough to attend both the Farm Shop and Deli Show and the Food and Drink Trade Show, and want to offer a huge congratulations to all the winners of the Farm Shop and Deli Awards – what an amazing array of talent, passion and innovation we’ve seen this year! Our big interview for this issue, on pages 21-24, asks Sangita Tryner, owner of the 2017 Deli of the Year Delilah Fine Foods in Leicester, about what she thinks earnt her deli the accolade and her tips for handling staff. Summer is finally here, bringing with it an acceleration in sales and footfall for fine food retailers – something that many account for with temporary summer staff. On pages 14-15, HR advisor Abi Ashford explains how to find, retain and motivate your summer team over the peak period. With the warmer weather driving in

WELCOME

Contact ALL ENQUIRIES

Tel: 01903 777 570 Eljays44 Ltd 3 Churchill Court, 112 The Street, Rustington, West Sussex BN16 3DA

more customers, it’s more important than ever to have your offering looking its best. In ‘Dream Displays’ on pages 26-29, we hear from industry experts on how to create dynamic and eye-catching cheese, charcuterie and bread counters. Our product feature this month examines the rebirth of consumer demand for organic food on pages 39-43, and asks Soil Association’s Zoe Willox Dunant how and why fine food retailers can capitalise on this increasingly popular market. We’ve also included a range of bestselling organic products that are proven favourites of the expanding base of organic shoppers. For those of you looking to start or build on your business, head to page 11, where we speak to food and farming consultant Michael Mack about the sizeable grants available from government, and how farm shops and delis can apply for up to 40% funding of projects. As always, feel free to send in your suggestions and comments to the FDR team. We’re always happy to hear from you. Have a great read, see you in July.

EDITORIAL

Features Editor – Ash O’Mahony ash.omahony@eljays44.com Tel: 01903 777 585 Products Editor – Ashley Lampard ashley.lampard@eljays44.com Tel: 01903 777 570 Editorial Assistant – Abbie Dawson abbie.dawson@eljays44.com Tel: 01903 777 570

ADVERTISING

Group Sales Manager – Darren Shelton darren.shelton@eljays44.com Tel: 01903 777 590 Sales Executive – Karen Brown karen.brown@eljays44.com Tel: 01903 777 595

PRODUCTION

Production Manager – Susie Duff susie.duff@eljays44.com Tel: 01903 777 578 Production Editor – Charlie Cook charlotte.cook@eljays44.com Tel: 01903 777 578 Subeditor – Kate Bennett kate.bennett@eljays44.com Tel: 01903 777 570 Design – Mandy Armstrong

Ash O’Mahony Features Editor Farm & Deli Retail

Printed by Pensord Press Ltd, Gwent, UK Published by ©Eljays44 Ltd

Out & about...

MANAGEMENT

Managing Director – Jim Wilkinson Director – Lisa Wilkinson Business Development Manager – Jamie Wilkinson

MARKETING AND CIRCULATION

Client relations – Amber Bernabe amber.bernabe@eljays44.com Tel: 01903 777 581 Subscription enquiries – Emily Maltby emily.maltby@eljays44.com Tel: 01903 777 575

The Farm & Deli team paid a visit to the Food and Drink Trade Show in Malvern (below: Ashley and Abbie with Hannah Hotson of Fentimans)

Abbie an Sanderson d Ashley meet Jane of The Dukk ah Company

Farm & Deli Retail is published six times a year by Eljays44 Ltd. The 2017 subscription price is £95. Subscription records are maintained at Eljays44 Ltd, 3 Churchill Court, 112 The Street, Rustington, West Sussex BN16 3DA. Articles and information contained in this publication are the copyright of Eljays44 Ltd and may not be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the publishers. The publishers cannot accept responsibility for loss of, or damage to, non-commissioned photographs or manuscripts.

erson, anie Andany p ts Steph Ash visi ickle Food Com In a P

www.farmanddeliretail.com

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CONTENTS

JUNE

Contents 44

6 OPINION

BUSINESS TIPS

AGENDA The election: which party will help you to negotiate Brexit?

NEWS

Our roundup of industry news, including the latest updates from FARMA

NEWS EXTRA: GRANTS

Michael Mack advises on how to make the most of grants

LUCKY DIP Jo Blythman on the importance of those standout products that keep customers coming back

BUILDING YOUR SUMMER TEAM Tips from Abi Ashford on getting the best out of your summer temp workers

HR TIPS: SICKNESS ABSENCE How to face up to problem sickness absence and navigate difficult conversations

SECRETS TO HAPPIER STAFF Matt Weston shares his secrets for creating a happier and more productive workforce

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JUNE

CONTENTS

28 FEATURES

PRODUCTS

26 31 34

INTERVIEW: SANGITA TRYNER The proprietor of Delilah Fine Foods talks quality, expansion and winning awards

DREAM DISPLAYS Three experts offer their best advice for putting together mouth-watering displays of meat, bread and cheese

SNAP HAPPY How to create an enticing Instagram feed and turn clicks into customers

ADDING VALUE: HAMPERS Why it's worth considering a hamper offering, and how to go about introducing them

44 46 48 50 51

41 www.farmanddeliretail.com

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ORGANIC SPECIAL Why sales of organic produce are rising, how to sell it, and our pick of the top products

NEXT BIG THING... We shine a spotlight on Olly's Olives, driven by a young entrepreneur with big dreams

REGIONAL GUIDE This month we look at the best products and food events in Yorkshire and the Humber

LATEST PRODUCTS: JAMS Our collection of jams and marmalades full of flavour and character

BROADEN YOUR RANGE OF... JUICES The juices you need for a fresh, fruity offering that caters to both children and adults

THE STORY BEHIND... We get the details from The Temperance Spirit on their non-alcoholic G'n'T

Farm & Deli Retail â&#x20AC;¢ June 2017

31/05/2017 10:21

OPINION

AGENDA

Agenda

The election: which party will help you to negotiate Brexit?

Brent Ainsworth

Ian Dyer

Manager, Best of Relish Deli

Owner, Blackmore Farm Shop

I think the Tories will be more successful with Brexit negotiations that affect fine food retailers. Their negotiating tactics seem to me to be a lot stronger, whereas Labour seems to be spouting a lot but not actually saying anything. I was listening to the BBC Radio 4 Food Programme a few weeks ago, and there seemed to be a lot of sense being talked by the Tories, which I didn’t hear as much from Labour – more to do with how the country is going to deal with the removal of EU subsidies in farming, and how that deficit is going to be paid. The Conservatives are talking a lot of sense on that score, and seem to have 6

more of a plan to deal with the loss of subsidies from the EU which Labour doesn’t seem to – the spokesman on the Food Programme didn’t have much of an idea at all. Subsidies themselves aren’t going to affect my business too directly, but we do sell European foods at Relish Deli, which I can’t personally see Europe putting a stop to – I think the EU will still be keen to keep selling those products to the UK, they’re not going to just stop everything. I feel more confident with the Conservative party negotiating Brexit, particularly in the deals for fine food retailers like trade deals.

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It’s more likely to be the Conservative party that helps fine food retailers through Brexit. They’re more interested in and have a good understanding of the rural and farming community, which I don’t think Labour has. I’m not saying there aren’t individuals within Labour that have a good grasp on the food industry, but corporately the party just doesn’t seem to get it. I think trade deal negotiations are going to be difficult no matter what, but we have a fairly strong prime minister currently, which I think is needed. We have a farm and a farm shop at Blackmore, and I know traditionally farmers tend to be

broadly Conservative, but I do think they are the party that will do better at the helm for fine food retailers. In terms of the loss of EU subsidiaries, I feel it would actually be better to let it take its natural course. I don’t think subsidiaries really help the industry long term – all they do is artificially alter the marketplace. Although they’re great to receive, in the long run they probably aren’t helpful because it’s not the real world; things will find their natural level once they’re removed. I think the bigger threat to the fine food industry regardless of government is the big corporate supermarkets and

processors. They’re the guys that are controlling everything, including food prices. By keeping food so cheap, good producers are being put out of business – there should be enough room for everybody in the food industry, but unfortunately the water tends to flow the big corporates’ side of the bridge, which I think will continue no matter which party is elected. Overall, the majority of the Labour party I feel are urban based and wouldn’t have a good enough understanding of the food industry to really help fine food retailers in Brexit negotiations. Conservative is our best chance at a favourable Brexit negotiation. www.farmanddeliretail.com

31/05/2017 09:07

AGENDA

Lord Newborough

Michael Jebelli

Owner, Rhug Estate Farm Shop

Director, Deli Shez Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour has acknowledged the importance of protecting British farmers and food producers with access to the single market. This will begin the conversations and recognise that the relationship has to work both ways. I believe that avoiding a ‘hard Brexit’ should give us better market stability in the short term, avoiding such instances as the currency fluctuations which happened immediately after the referendum. This really hurt us, with commodities such as coffee increasing in price substantially. The ‘softer Brexit’ alternative should see a smoother transition out of the Union, and also help to develop www.farmanddeliretail.com

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OPINION

a healthier relationship in the long term. This is important for importers and exporters alike, but for many key food retailers in this country, the issue of accessing the workforce outside of the UK is also crucial for the success of our industry. Accessing a larger talent pool will allow us to maintain productivity and international competitiveness, but for fear of a public backlash, this issue does appear to be being brushed over by the main two parties. The success of many small businesses can often be attributed to their ability to co-work with other companies; the same is true of our nation. We mustn’t perceive

The success of many small businesses can often be attributed to their ability to co-work with other companies; the same is true of our nation

these negotiations as a ‘divorce’, but instead as an opportunity to develop working relationships with the European Union.

We desperately need a degree of stability in the market during and after Brexit; there is an awful lot that has to be done in renegotiating trade agreements, particularly with countries outside of the European community. The Conservative party already has an established dialogue with these countries, and I feel that they would be the best and quickest solution for fine food retailers in Brexit negotiations. They are by far the most attuned to what happens in the countryside than any other party. In terms of subsidiaries, we don’t know that we’ve lost them yet, and a lot of them are environmental – on a world scale we

have to meet certain CO2 emissions compliance, and it’s already an obligation to whichever government comes in that these targets are met. I think subsidiaries will have to remain in some form. If Labour was elected I believe it would be catastrophic for my business. Customers are much more discerning that they used to be – they have a desire to know where their food comes from and how it is produced. That direction must not be lost. I would hate to return to the ‘anonymous foods from anonymous places’ approach, where animal welfare isn’t considered, which I feel is the way Labour would lead us.

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NEWS NEWS

MUSSELBURGH’S BAMS DELI SWEEPS TWO AWARDS IN ONE WEEK

BAMS DELI, which only opened its doors in December 2016, has already scooped two prestigious accolades at The Scottish Food Awards and Scotland’s Business Awards – both of them won in the same week. Suzi Wilson, who is a co-owner of Bams, explained that the community spirit of Musselburgh, East Lothian, has been an integral part of their immediate success: “We try our best with everyone. We’ve won Best Musselburgh Business 2017 and Scotland’s Neighbourhood Deli of the Year, as well as being a finalist for Best Business 8

in Edinburgh and the Lothians 2017, so we must be doing something right!” Alasdair Forsyth, a former offshore engineer and Suzi’s fellow co-owner, worked on revamping the old butchers that Bams is located in: “We were extremely lucky to find the property we did. We managed to rent it with the counters in place and a walk-in fridge already on the property, which meant we could spend more time and money exploring the powerhouse of producers that are in Edinburgh and the Lothians. This has been a huge factor in our quick success.” Bams was nominated by the public for the

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Scotland’s Business Awards, and once they received a finalist’s letter their customers were

able to vote for them online. “This was teamed with mystery visits and follow-ups to ensure that the business really was up to an award-winning standard,” Suzi explained. “It was all very exciting, and we came away with Best Musselburgh Business 2017. “We didn’t actually know that we were going to be part of The Scottish Food & Academy Awards! Right up until the awards ceremony we were oblivious as to how we had managed to compete against the high ballers. “When we were at the awards I noticed one of our customers, who had taken a walkthrough video of the shop. I thanked them and told them how excited we were to be there – and lo and behold, it was one of the judges! It really goes to show that you should

treat every customer in the best way you can. That is so important to us here at Bams.” Bams tailors its service to suit every individual customer, and Suzi believes that it was their customer service that helped them to stand out among the competition. “Customer service is everything, and it is why people like to come back – they aren’t just buying a high quality product, they are buying an experience. Just last week, Alasdair remembered that back in April one of our regulars forgot their biscuits, and made sure to return them to him.” Suzi and Alasdair believe totally in their products, with nothing touching the shelves that the pair have not tested themselves. Social media presence also helps enormously, Suzi explains: “It is important to utilise this tool in a world where so much is online and done behind a screen. We do a lot of live videos to help our customers understand what we offer in the deli, and we also engage a lot of people through competitions. We just have fun doing everything that we do.”

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31/05/2017 14:17

NEWS

STEWART BREWING AWARDED TOP PRIZE AT SCOTLAND FOOD AND DRINK EXCELLENCE AWARDS

LEADING SCOTTISH craft brewer, Stewart Brewing, is celebrating after winning a top prize at the Scotland Food and Drink Excellence Awards last month. The brewer’s popular beer Radical

Road fought off tough competition to win the Brewing award, which was only been introduced this year and is sponsored by Heriot-Watt University. The awards ceremony, which took place at the

COTSWOLD FAYRE’S CHRISTMAS ROADSHOW ROLLS INTO TOWN FOOD DISTRIBUTOR Cotswold Fayre is offering retailers the chance to preview festive products at its Christmas Roadshow. Taking place across the country between 18 May and 15 July, the roadshow has already visited London, Surrey and Sussex, showcasing 800 products from 180 suppliers. Among the products being showcased at the roadshow will be Milkboy chocolate bars, Sorini festive chocolates, Torrons Vicens nougat, sparkling wine from Alder Ridge, fine quality crisps from Snackgold, Paul & Pippa sweet biscuits, olives from Olly’s Olives, Georgie Porgie’s puddings, and traditional and gluten free Christmas puddings from Lillypuds. Retailers can sign up to visit the roadshow on Cotswold Fayre’s website. www.farmanddeliretail.com

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Edinburgh International Conference Centre on 18 May, recognised businesses and individuals in the Scottish food and drink industry who are leading the way with innovation, enterprise

and quality. A record number of 820 guests were in attendance, while a total of more than 270 entries competed across the award categories. Jo Stewart, co-founder of Stewart Brewing, commented: “It’s such an honour to be recognised at this prestigious level so we’re incredibly proud, especially as the competition was so strong. It’s been a huge team effort to get us to where we are today and it feels great to know that all of our hard work has paid off. Thanks so much to our customers, and to Scotland Food and Drink for its continued support.” The Stewart Brewing brewery is located at Bilston Glen Industrial Estate, 26a Dryden Rd, Loanhead.

The next dates of the Christmas Roadshow will be: West Midlands: 8 June North East Midlands: 12 June North East: 13 June North West (Lancashire): 14 June North West (Cheshire): 15 June Essex: 20 June Cambridgeshire: 21 June Oxfordshire: 27 June Hampshire: 28 June South West: 29 June London: 6 July

PLANS SUBMITTED FOR ART GALLERY AND TEA ROOM AT MAINSGILL FARM SHOP

MAINSGILL FARM on the A66 has applied to Richmondshire District Council for planning permission to build a two-storey extension and make changes to its current farm shop layout. If successful, the plans would see a new arts and crafts gallery and retail area on the first floor of the farm shop, as well as increasing the seating capacity of the existing tea room space and including a private dining area for parties, meetings and conferences. Owners Andrew and Maria Henshaw believe their expansion plans for Mainsgill Farm will be integral in boosting profits and futureproofing the business – particularly in light of the recentlyapproved plans for a retail park at nearby Scotch Corner, which will be direct competition for customers. The planning application also highlights the necessity of expanding the tea room to cater for its popularity and boost patronage: “Many customers visit the tea room and purchase goods in the farm shop. The tea room is therefore essential to ensure better patronage for the farm shop. Unlike a high street café or tea room, where a customer can simply visit another day if they find it full, customers who visit Mainsgill and find a lack of seating may never return. Farm & Deli Retail • June 2017

31/05/2017 14:18

NEWS

Association news The latest updates from FARMA Key Member Issues

Running a rural business often means you are located a long way from your peers, which can make asking for help and advice difficult. FARMA members have been making increasing use of their dedicated Facebook discussion forum to gather advice and support. Recent discussions on the forum have included: Farm shop security – a number of members have been subject to breakins, and this has caused

some members to review their security systems and processes. A snap poll of members on the site showed that 20% of those who replied had had a significant break-in in the last three years. How to recruit the best staff – with unemployment decreasing, members are finding it harder to recruit the best staff for their business. The group have been looking at how they can promote the strengths of their shops

when recruiting staff. The job security, work environment and hours are all good elements for farm retailers to include when advertising for new staff.

FARMA members get over £82,000 from Booker Rebate

While sourcing direct from the farm and from other local farmers is key to farm retailers’ success, many still need to source a few products a year from mainstream sources. To support

Are you going?

22-25 June Royal Highland Show Edinburgh www.royalhighlandshow.org

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07-09 July Love Natural Love You Olympia, London www.lnlo.co.uk 07-09 July Just V Show Olympia, London www.justvshow.co.uk

26-27 June Harrogate Fine Food Show Harrogate www.gff.co.uk

11-13 July Great Yorkshire Show Harrogate www.greatyorkshireshow.co.uk

Farm & Deli Retail • June 2017

07-09 July The Allergy & Free From Show Olympia, London www.allergyshow.co.uk

25-27 June Summer Fancy Food Show New York www.specialtyfood.com

This year’s Farm Shop and Deli Show was a great event, which the team at FARMA are proud to

support. We are also very pleased to see long term FARMA member Keelham Farm Shop secure the North East regional award, the Large Retailer Award, and the overall Farm Shop and Deli 2017 Retailer of the Year Award. Keelham run two amazing farm retail businesses, which are well worth a visit for any retailer.

18-20 June Bellavita Business Design Centre, London www.bellavita.com

24-02 June Pembrokeshire Fish Week Festival Pembrokeshire www.pembrokeshirefishweek. co.uk

Farm Shop and Deli Show

Running a rural business often means you are located a long way from your peers, which can make asking for help and advice difficult.

15-18 June BBC Good Food Show Summer NEC, Birmingham www.bbcgoodfoodshow.com

members, FARMA has a rebate scheme set up with Booker. This scheme sees members get a 5% rebate on all purchases, and if global turnover is over a set amount then FARMA have a central rebate. This year the value of the rebate for both members and for FARMA through this rebate is over £82,000. This is a great benefit for many of the members, who have secured an average rebate of over £400 per business.

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31/05/2017 14:18

GRANTS

NEWS EXTRA

Grants: don’t let the tail wag the dog Michael Mack, food and farming consultant for Norwich-based Savills, explains how farm shops and delis can take advantage of grants

APPLICATION TIPS

ith the Brexit clock now ticking, it may surprise you to know that now is a good time to explore the feasibility of securing grant funding for new business. There are currently 80 LEADER funds available for appropriate projects, as well as a recently launched Rural Growth Fund that amounts to £120m. They’re both led by the government initiative to create economic growth and prosperity in rural areas, with a focus on creating new jobs in rural countryside. Both funds are available for business plans that promote and generate economic growth,

including starting a new business or developing an existing one – for example a farm shop or deli looking to build a new restaurant. Historically, farmers are aware of these government grants as they are part of the Common Agricultural Policy, but the grants are also relevant – and lesser known – to farm shops and delis operating in market towns and rural areas. Both the LEADER and Rural Growth Fund schemes can support similar projects, with the majority of funding based on a 40% grant on eligible costs, and a maximum fund of €200,000 (£170,915 approx.). Though the two programmes differ in how grant money is

administered, generally all funds are delivered through a two-stage application process, which can take up to six months to complete. The first stage for a farm shop or deli business looking to apply for a grant is to make an expression of interest, in which their proposed project is checked for completeness, eligibility and possible conflict issues. If all checks are completed and the proposal is considered applicable, the business progresses to the second stage, in which the full business plan will be required with competitive quotes, financial forecasts and details of any planning consent.

Keep focused on your objective. A key criteria that LEADER and RGF are looking for is a clear increase in job creation – does your business plan include hiring more staff? If so, ensure this is highlighted in your application. It’s very easy for a project to be developed around the grant’s priorities, but unfortunately too many projects have been created around the hunt for a grant rather than a sustainable business priority. Build a strong relationship with the grant team; some have dedicated facilitators while others have administrative teams. These teams hold a wealth of knowledge and can help you avoid many of the possible hazards on route. Open up discussions as early as possible, and keep talking throughout the process. Having sat on both sides of the fence with grants, I can appreciate how you may not want to tell the funder when something is not going to plan. However, keeping the funding team in the picture can provide a lifeline when you need to change things in your application. Specialist consultants can add value to your application and business proposal, but make sure they understand your objectives as well as the grant application process. Don’t make the project too difficult and complicated. The application will be appraised by real people and they need to be able to quickly and easily identify the important information, so make it easy for them. This can be done through the use of bullet points, removing jargon and making sure you read the question in the application form.

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With the Brexit clock now ticking, it may surprise you to know that now is a good time to explore the feasibility of securing grant funding for new business

If you have a funding gap that is making it difficult to create new business or take your farm shop or deli to the next level, securing a 40% grant could be a lifeline. By keeping focused on what you are trying to achieve and building a strong relationship with your funding team, you can take a lot of stress out of applying for a grant.

Further information mmack@savills.com 01603 229 212

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We are a small family business making award winning preserves.

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Contact Ann on 01884 842640 or email info@waterhousefayre.co.uk

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31/05/2017 12:13

UNIQUE PRODUCTS

BUSINESS TIPS

dip

Lucky

Jo Blythman says it only takes one standout product to keep customers coming back time and again

hat caused the mysterious metallic taste that led to the recent mass recall of supermarket hummus? I have done many comparative taste tests on popular categories of food, hummus included, and I frequently pick up a tinny, almost bitter flavour. I suspect the culprit was a surfeit of citric acid (E330), one of the most common food additives. You’ll find it in lots of products, even those that seem only minimally processed and relatively natural, like tinned tomatoes, pesto and ‘fresh’ gnocchi. Classified opaquely as an ‘acidity regulator’, as far as I can see the main purpose of this additive is to create an acidic environment that effectively acts as a preservative and extends the product’s shelf life. Lemon juice concentrate is an alternative suspect in the frame, another favourite of food manufacturers that turns up in everything from salad dressings to sandwich fillings.

Supermarket uniformity It wasn’t until I tasted authentic hummus in Palestine that I realised that the shrill acidity characteristic of the UK supermarket equivalent was way off beam. Touring the West Bank, we ate this time-honoured dip with almost every meal. It was soupy and velvety smooth, with the mellow plainness of the chickpeas acting as a gentle foil for the deep, earthy abundance of tahini, and was neither pungently garlicky nor sour with lemon juice. I realised that in Britain, we get hummus wrong. It shouldn’t be stiff, tart, and rough in consistency; it isn’t supposed to leave a garlic taint on the breath or a metallic tang in the mouth. The great hummus recall highlighted the monotonous uniformity of supermarket products. A handful of giant food manufacturers spew out the same products from the same production lines in the same factories and sell them to various retailers. Food technologists devise a master recipe and then tweak it for each retailer, but the objectives are shared: strip out or reduce expensive ingredients (tahini); use additives and life-extending ingredients to ensure a generous ‘use by’ date; buy in ready-prepared ingredients (garlic paste, precooked

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When sales inevitably dip as consumers become disenchanted and bored, supermarkets try to ‘diversify’ the category

chickpeas, lemon juice concentrate) to cut down on labour costs. This is why products that are supposedly unique to different chains taste so homogenous. And when sales inevitably dip as consumers become disenchanted and bored, supermarkets try to ‘diversify’ the category, introducing turmeric hummus, harissa hummus, avocado hummus, beetroot hummus and so on. But the basic product is still industrial. I’m now in the habit of making my own hummus at home, following Yotam Ottolenghi’s recipes, and the results are a world apart from the supermarket stuff. Once I got my head around just how much tahini and how little oil and lemon I needed, there was no going back. But I can’t always be bothered, and I’d love to be able to buy hummus of this quality freshly prepared at my local deli or farm shop.

Pied Piper products Distinctive products that are made on the premises are the clincher when you’re weighing up whether to shop indie or supermarket. My local deli makes glorious hand raised pork pies and sells them from Thursday to Saturday. People cross town for them. Think of Vera Van Stapele’s tiny shop in Amsterdam. She sells only one thing: an unapologetically expensive but memorably fabulous chocolate cookie made from Valrhona cocoa, with a crispy outside and soft centre that envelopes melted white chocolate. She bakes them fresh throughout the day, so the chances are high that they’ll still be oozing and warm when you buy them. It only takes one unique ‘Pied Piper’ product to make people beat a path to the door of your establishment. Sarah Nelson’s world-celebrated Grasmere Gingerbread is a case in point. Specialities like these inspire a degree of customer loyalty of which supermarkets can only dream.

Further information Joanna Blythman is a food journalist and author of Swallow This. Twitter @JoannaBlythman

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31/05/2017 12:46

BUSINESS TIPS

SUMMER STAFF

How to build an

unbeatable sum m When it comes to getting the best from temporary summer workers, Abi Ashford, senior HR advisor and client support manager at HR Solutions, has all the answers

Know what to look for

Be upfront

You’re looking for people who are willing to learn quickly. Their period of employment is condensed, so it’s important to have someone who can pick up the role fast, and is adaptable. If you need a deciding factor between similar candidates look for an interest in your line of work – do they care where produce comes from, or appreciate fresh, organic food? College or university students are often attracted to temporary summer roles, but may not have any retail experience. Here it’s about striking a balance – if an applicant seems keen and willing to learn but doesn’t have much experience, you have to think: can I work with this person and do they fit this role? Will they be able to cope with potentially monotonous tasks? If they can’t give you examples of their work history ask them hypothetical questions about what they would do in given situations.

With temporary staff, a key consideration is that they may come back and work for you in the future. If they’re on a summer break between university courses, there’s potential for them to return the following year, or once they have their qualifications. You’ve also got to think about PR – word of mouth, especially for small businesses, is so important. A farm shop or deli will reap benefits from what it puts into it summer staff, and students in particular will either rave or rant about their experience. Word of mouth is useful if it’s positive – and don’t forget it will be spread over social media. I would recommend putting new summer employees on a fixed term contract to cover their complete period of employment, and notice should be given upfront in that contract. That way, they know exactly when their employment will end and you won’t need to give them notice. A final point is the probation period. This can be extended if staff are not reaching the standards you require, even if it means covering their whole employment time. This allows you to end a contract based on a failed probationary period – a much easier option if things just aren’t working out.

Farm & Deli Retail • June 2017

Managing Staff.indd 14

www.farmanddeliretail.com

31/05/2017 13:00

SUMMER STAFF

m mer team

3 Start strong

Be clear on attendance

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Managing Staff.indd 15

You want to treat them well, but you need to command their respect. One small thing that can make a big difference is identifying the most appropriate person to induct a new summer worker into their role. Giving new staff a ‘buddy’ who perhaps isn’t their direct line manager can be a real help, as they can run them through their role, answer questions and discuss any concerns. A great idea for small employers looking to motivate summer staff is to have a bonus at the end of their time with you. This doesn’t even have to be money – staff could receive a hamper or voucher. Anything that staff members know they will receive at the end of their summer contract – providing they work hard, attend well and there are no disciplinary issues – is a great motivator to keep them focused and retain them to the end of the period, so that initial training isn’t wasted.

Employers should ensure that new summer staff know what to do if they are late or unwell. Cover this in an induction process so that there are no excuses for staff to say, for example, that they didn’t know they had to notify you, or that they needed a doctor’s note. Attendance problems should be addressed straight away, whether that’s lateness or sickness. If a summer employee is repeatedly late, try to identify whether they are genuinely struggling to get to work, and why. Perhaps they haven’t planned it well enough, there’s an issue with somebody they’re working with, or they’re just not enjoying the work. The best thing an employer can do is communicate. Don’t bury your head in the sand – find out if there’s an underlying issue. While it is the worker’s responsibility to find a solution, it might be that you can help, too. Look for patterns; it’s a stereotype, but you can find with young people that they have repeated sickness on a Monday from having too merry a weekend. Address any issues with the staff member to try and resolve them. Ultimately, the disciplinary process can be used on a summer worker just as it can on any employee, and due to the short length of employment their contract can be ended swiftly if necessary.

BUSINESS TIPS

56 Plan training

Remember: fair’s fair

First, I would decide exactly what training you need summer workers to do; you might have previous summer workers coming back, who could train up new staff. Decide how long the training needs to be – an afternoon or a whole day? Commit to that time period, and consider including a taster of the work they will be doing. Part of the interview could include an assessment exercise where applicants try out the job they’re applying for. That will weed out those who do not want to remain in the recruitment process after they’ve been interviewed – some may realise they don’t actually want to do the job, which is better to know upfront. A common issue that can demotivate summer staff is a lack of preparation by employers for their first day. If they need an ID badge, uniform or password, make sure it’s ready. A lot of businesses simply hand new staff an employee handbook to read on their first day and leave them to it for hours, and we’ve seen new employees in those circumstances just get up and walk out.

Yes, temporary summer workers are more likely to quit, but this means treating them well, in a firm but fair way, is even more crucial. Think about how much you’re going to pay them – you’ve got the national minimum wage/national living wage as a starter, but you might want to pay them a bit more, which can be motivational. Expect seasonal workers to be comparing their wages to their family’s and friends’ – it may not be kept confidential. Finally, remember that while temporary summer staff don’t qualify for unfair dismissal rights, from the point of going through your recruitment process they do have discrimination protection. This can be for age, disability, race, religion or sexual orientation. Any way in which they could feel that they have been treated unfavourably is a potential risk for the employer, so you do need to treat them fairly.

Further information www.hrsolutions-uk.com

Farm & Deli Retail • June 2017

31/05/2017 13:00

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31/05/2017 10:29

SICKNESS ABSENCE

BUSINESS TIPS

Facing up to sickness absence Gemma Murphy, head of specialist HR consultancy View HR, says the best way to deal with sickness absence is to not shy away from those awkward conversations

t ViewHR, we regularly receive calls from our clients regarding employee sickness absence. Invariably the matters are short lived, concern intermittent days off and require management of an individual’s absenteeism. However, at the extreme, they involve complex long term absences, perhaps with disability related

1 2 3 4 5 6

levels in their business. Upon completing our initial review, it became clear that the business was not conducting return to work interviews, it was not compulsory for employees to complete self-certification forms and they had never followed any formal sickness absence procedures. By implementing changes to their processes, taking a firm approach

Have a sickness absence policy in place. This provides you and your line managers with a framework to manage sickness absence. Though absence policies can be found online, caution should be taken as several won’t comply with current standards. Your best bet is to engage with an employment solicitor or HR consultancy. Be consistent. It’s imperative you are consistent in your management of each employees’ sickness absence – one person should never be ‘targeted’. Manage the absence. This requires return to work meetings for every day of absence and completion of self-certification forms. Return to work meetings should cover the reason for absence, whether any medical assistance or medication was sought, and whether the staff member is ready to return to work. If there are intermittent periods of absence or ongoing issues, the return to work meeting will need to be more in depth. Monitor sick leave. Consider if there are any patterns or whether there is a common theme in the employee’s reasons for absence. For instance, they could be suffering from depression or undergoing investigations for an illness. Train your managers. They should be confident to conduct return to work meetings, deal with persistent illness and manage long term absence of staff. Follow procedure. Stick to correct sickness absence processes and obtain all necessary documentation, which may include a doctor’s note, consultant’s letter, or Occupational Health Assessment.

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Sickness Absence.indd 17

issues, which require extensive management. So what do we recommend to our clients? We start off by explaining that there are tools and practices at an employers’ disposal to effectively manage sickness absence. The key is to do it the right way and have good practices in place. Recently, we undertook a challenge to reduce a new client’s absence

to managing sickness absence through return to work meetings and selfcertification forms, and conducting a few sickness absence meetings, the results were astonishing: sickness absence dropped by 40% in the first two months. More often than not, businesses that struggle with sickness absence are ignoring the problem. What’s more, employees may fail to understand the impact of absence on their colleagues and employers.

Long term absence

Long term absence is a delicate matter and requires consideration on a case by case basis. It’s important that long term absence is dealt with professionally and considerations are given to the condition(s) causing the absence, any treatment undertaken, medical

reports and appropriate levels of contact with the employee. As an employer, you need to be mindful of the possible risks of a disability and how this affects your duties to the employee. It’s imperative that a correct and fair capability/ sickness absence management process is followed from the beginning, just in case the employment relationship becomes untenable. You will never weed out all sickness; the reality is that we all get sick at some point. With sickness absence, it’s certain that inaction leads to more difficulties. It’s important that a business manages it head on, and creates a culture where genuine sickness absence is supported but unjustified ‘sickies’ are unacceptable.

Further information

www.viewhr.co.uk

Farm & Deli Retail • June 2017

31/05/2017 13:28

BUSINESS TIPS

PRODUCTIVITY

Six secrets to happier staff Can happiness really make a difference in the business world? Matt Weston, director of recruitment firm Robert Half UK, says the happier your employees, the more productive your company Instilling loyalty and establishing a positive working environment doesn’t have to break the bank. In an age when employee happiness, loyalty and motivation is increasingly important, managers need to prioritise their workers’ job satisfaction. With employee turnover rising by a third over the last three years, research into workplace happiness has revealed that UK employees crave better management and guidance. Managers need to set out clear expectations and offer regular training and

assessment opportunities – while employees need to take responsibility and ask for help. So if you are working in a managerial position, what should you do to encourage the best performance from your team? Happiness can’t be imposed; it’s a mindset that begins with leaders shifting their own beliefs, accepting employees as their greatest asset. This involves creating an environment that will attract and retain high performers who feel valued, respected and encouraged. Here are six ways to do just that.

Find the right fit

When you hire people who mesh well with your workplace culture, they assimilate with greater ease and begin making substantial contributions quickly. Conversely, a poor fit can dampen the morale of the entire team.

Give power to the people

Empowering staff to make their own decisions improves happiness. It builds confidence, makes them feel more invested, and helps them develop critical skills that they can use to advance their careers, while making meaningful contributions to the company.

Reward hard work When you show your staff that you appreciate their dedication, you instill loyalty and create a positive working environment.

Make it meaningful

Employees who see their work as worthwhile are nearly two and a half times happier than others. An important part of this is being able to provide employees with a shared vision that helps them stay focused on their goals during both the good times and the challenging times.

Be fair

Always strive for fairness and transparency in your decision making. Make sure employees feel heard, and have a chance to speak out when they feel a sense of inequity.

Keep workplace relationships positive

A sense of camaraderie at work improves employee communication, cooperation and collaboration, and feeds innovation.

According to research in Robert Half UK’s report, ‘The secrets of the happiest companies and employees’:

39%

of employees feel they are not well managed at work and are out of their depth in their roles

Farm & Deli Retail • June 2017

HappyStaffV2.indd 18

26%

of employees feel they don’t have the right skills or experience to do their job

18%

are not clear what is expected of them at work

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31/05/2017 12:22

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15/05/2017 15:31

DELILAH FINE FOODS

INTERVIEW

Sangita Tryner Proprietor, Delilah Fine Foods Disillusioned by the quality compromises she was asked to make while working in the corporate food sector, Sangita Tryner struck out on her own with Delilah, a deli that now boasts two locations in the East Midlands. The hard work has paid off: Delilah’s Leicester store recently won the 2017 Deli of the Year Award Sangita, what made you decide to enter the deli sector, and how did Delilah start life?

I started the business in Nottingham in 2005, having become frustrated with working for the bigger corporations. I used to work for Northern Foods and S&A Foods – I was a sales account manager dealing with companies such as Marks & Spencer and Safeway, working with chefs and developing recipes for ready meals. At S&A Foods my categories were Indian and Chinese, at Northern Foods it was American and Chinese, and my role was all about finding unique ingredients to make the ready meals tasty and authentic. I was getting frustrated because I was taking my team to amazing places like China to find authentic recipes, and then developing fantastic products, only to be told that it had to cost, for example, £3.99. Key ingredients and elements would have to be removed to meet that remit. It got to the point where I knew my job wasn’t fulfilling my foodie dream. One day I visited Valvona & Crolla in Edinburgh, and I just knew it was what I wanted to do. I wanted my deli to be busy, so it had to be in www.farmanddeliretail.com

Interview.indd 21

Farm & Deli Retail • June 2017

31/05/2017 12:31

INTERVIEW

DELILAH FINE FOODS

Everything we sell at our food bars is made from ingredients that can be bought at the deli, except for fresh produce such as vegetables

a city centre, and there was a gap in the market in that there wasn’t a deli in Nottingham, so that’s where we started out.

Where did your passion for food come from?

My love for food began during my job with SMA Foods. Mrs. Warsi, who owned the company, was a physically tiny Indian lady, but she oozed so much power and control – even in the way she walked. Every morning at half past seven, Mrs. Warsi would call us all in to eat something that the chef had cooked up. We would have to say what spices we could taste in it, what amount was too much and what amount was too little – it got your taste buds singing. That really developed my passion for food, and now when I eat something I can tell exactly what’s in it. 22

Has your role changed since you founded Delilah?

My role has changed – it used to be standing in front of the cheese counter, waxing lyrical about the various cheeses we had to offer. Cheese is my forte, it’s what I love and it’s the reason I opened Delilah. I find it so amazing how many different products you can make from milk. As we’ve grown as a business, and especially since we expanded to our second site, a lot more of my time is spent on the administrative side of things – but I still source all of the products we stock. My role covers the buying, the Christmas selection and the dayto-day running of the businesses, including finances. My husband worked in the wine industry for a long time, so he selects the wines we

Farm & Deli Retail • June 2017

Interview.indd 22

offer, and he is my help and support in business planning and finances. Our operations director Nik Tooley takes the lion’s share of the business’s day-to-day stresses and strains across both sites, which is no small feat.

How has the business expanded over the years?

We started in Nottingham in a tiny space of about 1,000ft², with a little nineseat food bar that we added as an afterthought to get customers tasting the products. In 2012 we moved to a bigger deli space in Nottingham, and that’s when the business really took off. We had some really fantastic staff who were telling me that they wanted a career rather than a job, and I felt I needed to cultivate that passion as well as grow the business. We started looking for a new site, and www.farmanddeliretail.com

31/05/2017 12:32

DELILAH FINE FOODS

came across the building in Leicester. At the time it was a derelict bank building that needed a lot of work. Turning it into a deli has been a big project and it cost a lot of money, but it’s gone really well. Leicester has been investing so much money into the area surrounding the deli, since the discovery of Richard III’s remains nearby. In recent years, the area has seen about a dozen new independent businesses start up, and it’s going from strength to strength. That was a major factor in choosing Leicester for our second site.

Why the name ‘Delilah’?

The name comes from the Biblical story of Sampson and Delilah, which is about not being able to resist temptation. We felt it just worked so well for us as a company name – it’s a word that has ‘deli’ in it, and I was brought up in Wales so there’s a little reference to Tom Jones in there for me.

What is the company’s ethos?

Finding those hidden products and bringing them to a wider market – only the best and the freshest will do. There are so many small producers out there who are so skilled – they can make things that I couldn’t even dream of, just out of a single ingredient. For me, it’s about finding those people and working with them so that we can sell innovative products that aren’t full of chemicals or preservatives.

How is your business structured?

Myself, my husband and Nik run all the operations and planning. We have a general manager and an assistant manager www.farmanddeliretail.com

Interview.indd 23

INTERVIEW

in each store, a team of supervisors, and then some general staff members. We ensure all our general staff members have their own area of responsibility, so that they can tell you anything and everything about the products in that area. I think it’s important to have staff that really care about their areas, know about the products and are happy to tell customers about them. Everyone at Delilah is encouraged to taste every new product that we bring in – whenever I’m sent samples we all sit at the bar as a team to try them and listen to each other’s opinions. This means the team can sell better to the customer.

Do you think it’s important for a delicatessen to have a café or restaurant?

When I first opened Delilah in Nottingham, it wasn’t my plan to have a café or anything like that – it was very much an afterthought. I visited Villandry in London, which had a little bar where customers could order a platter of meat or cheese, and that was what gave me the idea. We started off with our nine-seat food bar, and we found that we had queues out the door of people who wanted to sit and eat. That led us to move to a larger site with a much bigger seating area. I think it’s important for a deli or farm shop to have some mechanism for getting its products tasted and showing customers what they can do with them. Everything we sell at our food bars is made from ingredients that can be bought at the deli, except for fresh produce such as vegetables.

Farm & Deli Retail • June 2017 23

31/05/2017 12:32

INTERVIEW

DELILAH FINE FOODS

What percentage of your turnover comes from food service?

From January to October it’s 70% food service and 30% deli, but the amount of deli trade we have between October and December balances that out to around 50% each over the year.

Do you produce or make any of your own products?

For our 10th anniversary in our Nottingham store two years ago, we celebrated by choosing a handful of suppliers to work with us on making some Delilah products. We worked on a real ale chutney with Claire’s Handmade, up in Cumbria; we developed the flavour profile and provided the ale from a Nottingham brewery. We also developed Goan Olives with Olives Et Al; my mum and I developed it by marinading olives in a lime pickle that we made ourselves, and then Olives Et Al produced it commercially. We’ve made about five or six products this way.

Do you find it easy to recruit and retain skilled staff members? We try to look after our staff. In a business like this where there’s only so much you can charge for a cappuccino or a chunk of cheese, and with the minimum wage going up as much as it has, the power to reward in a monetary sense has been somewhat removed. We try to find different ways to reward our staff – for example, by the end of the year all our staff members will have gone to a cheese training course, or wine development, or will have gone through some form of in-house training. We have in-house 24

tastings all the time, too – it’s important to keep developing your staff so that they are always learning and interested. As any business owner will tell you, managing staff is the hardest part of the job, but I think it all comes down to motivation. We try to provide that motivation at Delilah by giving our staff a point of interest. It’s been quite turbulent at our Leicester store. In the first three months that we were open there, we removed about 70% of our new staff members; it was hard, but the dynamics just weren’t working. We’ve been more selective since then, and all our current staff members are foodies who love their roles.

How important is display when selling food? Do you have any tips?

It’s so important – people eat with their eyes. The challenge is keeping that in your staff members’ minds when they’re juggling their role looking after the bar with cheese preparations and restocking. Doing something a bit different with your displays and making sure they are always well presented helps to keep your customers interested, which is critical for a deli or farm shop business. I think my tip for displays is: don’t be scared to move things around. A product that isn’t selling in one area of the store could do really well in another.

Why do you think you won Deli of the Year?

We have an amazing building and we stock great products from brilliant producers, but I think the main factor has

Farm & Deli Retail • June 2017

Interview.indd 24

Don’t be scared to move things around. A product that isn’t selling in one area of the store could do really well in another

to be the staff we have. They’re a switched-on bunch, who really care about their work. They want the customer to have the best experience they can, and you can’t sit down at the food bar without at least one staff member coming up to tell you about a new product. There are those customers who don’t want to talk and will keep their heads down, but the majority of people who come in want to know what we have, the stories behind the products, what they can order at the bar – there’s so much for the staff to talk to them about, and I think our customers really appreciate that.

Sangita Tryner Born – Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, Wales

m 1996 - Graduated fro y with a Staffordshire Universit s die Stu ss ine Bus in BA

rcia Software 1996 - First job at Me in Birmingham ducer in 1998 - Daylay egg pro m gha north Nottin

ount manager 2000 – National acc by Der s, od Fo A for S& nt manager 2002 – National accou Sheffield, s, od Fo ern rth No for dy meals working with M&S rea ector of 2005 to present – Dir s od Fo e Fin h ila Del

Further information food@delilahfine foods.co.uk www.delilahfine foods.co.uk

www.farmanddeliretail.com

31/05/2017 12:37

lunch17 210x297.qxp_297x210 Sandwich & Food-to-go News copy 30/05/2017 15:55 Page 1

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31/05/2017 12:16

DISPLAY

COUNTERS

Dream displays We get the inside information on maximising your sales with the power of a great display

CHARCUTERIE

JAMES CREASE, HEAD OF SALES, WOODALL’S CHARCUTERIE

hink first about height. A flat display where everything is on one level is not eye-catching and doesn’t encourage sales. Your counter should cascade down from the back, with snacking and small products placed at the front and larger items such as air-dried hams stacked higher towards the back, so customers can see everything. A charcuterie counter should always contain a large and varied amount of great looking products – two or three air-dried hams and four or five salamis are an absolute minimum. It should never look sparse or halffull, so ensure products are replaced quickly after being sold, and keep a good level of stock. Organisation-wise, there are two options. You could arrange the products by origin country, which works particularly well if you are having a British charcuterie event. All British charcuterie products could be grouped together to give your customers ease of selection as well as a theme to their purchasing, with imported products arranged separately. The second and more standard option is to merchandise all your air-dried hams together. Next to your air-dried hams you could arrange some Italian Parma hams and Spanish Serrano hams. Group your salamis together; at Woodall’s we stack our salamis on top of each other with the cut side facing outward, so customers can see the inside. There are some wonderful salami flavours that also look great – mustard salami, for example, is delicious and has a great look that really stands out. 26

Farm & Deli Retail • June 2017

Display.indd 26

Appearance is so important in selling charcuterie – cover the top of your counter with marble, slate or wooden boards to improve the overall look

Cross-contamination is an issue that should always be kept in mind when arranging a charcuterie counter; to reduce this risk, always place fermented products at one end and non-fermented products at the other. Charcuterie snacks are very on trend at the moment: from ambient snacking salamis to beef jerky, increasing numbers of consumers are picking them up with their order. To capitalise on this, ensure your ambient snacks are looking great, easily visible and accessible to customers. One potential idea is to keep your ambient snacks loose in a Kilner jar on top of the counter, which is a key selling area that is at the customer’s eyeline. In terms of the counter itself, the last thing your customers want to see is a big, stainless steel box with charcuterie products on a white plate on top of it. Appearance is so important in selling charcuterie, so cover the top of your counter with marble, slate or wooden boards to improve the overall look. Tasters are a great way to entice customers. Just a few small taster slices put out and changed regularly gives customers the opportunity to experience something new and exciting, encourages those tasting it to purchase products that they may not have considered, and could serve as a motivator for your customers to return. A charcuterie display should excite your customers and encourage them to try new products – having a drab selection where everything is wrapped in cling film and the products are barely visible is going to affect your sales, and defeats the entire point of the counter. www.farmanddeliretail.com

31/05/2017 10:13

COUNTERS

DISPLAY

BAKERY

LONDON MASTER CHEF EMIL MINEV, CULINARY ARTS DIRECTOR, LE CORDON BLEU

irst and foremost, a retailer should place bread products from the same range or category together, but in a variety of sizes to ensure that the counter doesn’t look dull. Different types of sourdough, fruit bread, or baguettes, for example, should be displayed together, but the variety within these categories should be emphasised. This makes it easy for the customer to pick out the type of bread they like, while increasing the likelihood that they will choose an alternative option within the same bread group. It’s important to avoid cross-contamination – pay particular attention to products containing allergens such as nuts. Ideally these allergens should be displayed on your signage, but if not, a list of ingredients and allergens for all products should be on hand for when a customer asks for this information. It’s vital to introduce different levels into your bread display so that it’s visually appealing – you don’t want your bread counter looking too flat. You can make a bread display more three-dimensional by using different equipment such as upright racks, display dishes of different heights, trays, clear glass jars or baskets to display items. Symmetry is another key factor in a bread display, enhancing the aesthetic appeal. Don’t overlook your display equipment – this can be just as important as your products when it comes to creating impact. Bread products that are displayed on rustic wooden display boards or in beautiful wicker baskets are more likely to entice customers than the same products displayed on a standard white tray. Consider www.farmanddeliretail.com

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Adorning your display with fresh herbs or dried flowers can add the perfect finishing touch

having your display pieces adorned with fresh herbs or dried flowers, as this can add the perfect finishing touch. Using mirrors is another great method, as this can add different dimensions to your counter and offers the customer a view of your items from all angles, creating a clean and crisp feel. It’s also important to make sure your display equipment does not clash with the décor of your farm shop or deli as a whole. If your furniture is very modern, a rustic or vintage-looking display may look out of place – you want visual consistency. Labels and signs need to be legible and concise to make it simple for customers to read about and purchase your products. Keep your display interesting. Think outside the box, and keep changing the layout. You could arrange the display to reflect the seasons or for certain holidays such as Christmas, Halloween or Easter, with the items that are specific to these times of year taking centre stage. This is sure to attract attention and encourage customers to try new things. When organising your display, remember that any products you want to promote or increase sales of should be in direct view of the customer – more visible products are naturally more likely to be purchased. Also consider stock levels. If you create a sense of abundance in your display – baskets full to the brim and trays filled with goodies – this is more likely to entice people into your shop or towards your counter. Be sure to restock items throughout the day so that everything remains fresh and appealing. Farm & Deli Retail • June 2017

31/05/2017 10:13

DISPLAY

COUNTERS

CHEESE

PATRICIA MICHELSON, FOUNDER, LA FROMAGERIE

he cheese counter has undergone a mood change. As we are enjoying more diverse varieties from new producers, now is a good time to rethink how a farm shop or deli can be more interactive and inject ideas for customers to curate their own selection for the magical cheeseboard. Supermarkets have tried to inject a more ‘deli’ feel to their counters, which is frustrating, but independents can stay ahead of the game by continually updating their displays, embracing seasonality and local produce. Stand in front of your counter and look at it as if you are a customer. Ask yourself: Does this counter excite me, and do I want to buy? The first rule is always to build the display as if you are the customer – start from the front with lovely smaller cheeses of different shapes, and work your way back to large forms that are nicely stacked together. Bring curve appeal by getting some blues to one side, and maybe a majestic slicing cheese like brie right in the centre. Then look again: does the range look like it works together? Think carefully about your cheeseboard, and how to put it together: goat first, then mild flaky, a brie-style with white bloomy rind, a hard cheese, a rind-washed and then blue. The curve around the side can have something flaky alongside the blue. The hard cheese at the back could form a backdrop to a few washed-rind cheeses. If you have room, place a stand for a special cheese you would like to showcase.

Farm & Deli Retail • June 2017

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Place damp blue J-cloths in the base of the counter to create a humid atmosphere and put the cheese on little plinths to create airflow; the cold air mixed with the cool humidity will help to stop the cheese drying out

It can be difficult to stop cheese drying out on a counter. Here’s a tip: place damp blue J-cloths in the base of the counter to create a humid atmosphere. Put the cheese on little plinths to create airflow; the cold air mixed with the cool humidity will help to stop the cheese drying out. Straw mats are useful, and aren’t just decorative – hard cheeses can sit comfortably on them. Don’t pile too much onto your counter. Give space to your selection, and keep topping it up as you sell. Make sure your labels have a good tasting note that includes the name, milk type, whether the cheese is unpasteurised, and rennet type. A detail about the producer, a description of strength and texture and a suggested wine, cider or beer match as well as a biscuit or bread match is welcome, and creates link sales. Consider preparing a monthly newsletter with your seasonal cheeses and food and drink matches. You could also introduce a tasting event where a local producer can talk about their cheese, charging a small amount to cover costs and then offering a 10% discount for purchases afterwards. Think of your counter as you would a customer. Don’t leave tasters out for customers to nibble and walk off – offer a taste to a customer who is considering buying, as you can then talk about it. The weekend is when you can pull out all the stops, and place a sign on the counter to tell your customers to expect something special and perfectly ripe. Your cheese counter says a lot about your business, so make it stand out! www.farmanddeliretail.com

31/05/2017 10:13

PATRICIA’S SPRING CHEESEBOARD

COUNTERS

“

DISPLAY

Together with beer, cider and of course English wine, this selection would be a wonderful addition to the cheese counter – remove some of the more wintery items to bring these into focus. You have the five styles within the list to mix and match into a cheeseboard, or you can have one single cheese – or, indeed, just three. This shows how you can be creative with your counter by updating it often and bringing the seasons into focus. Taste the cheese and make notes, and then create your own unique labels

SINODUN HILL

”

Oxfordshire, unpasteurised goat’s milk, vegetarian rennet

Made by Fraser Norton and Rachel Yarrow from their own herd of pedigree AngloNubian goats, and additional milk from another local herd.

EVE

White Lake Cheese, Somerset, unpasteurised goat’s milk, vegetarian rennet The cheesemakers wash the rind in Somerset brandy before wrapping the cheese in a vine leaf.

BOSWORTH ASH LOG

SINGLE GLOUCESTER

Dymock, Gloucester, unpasteurised cow’s milk, vegetarian rennet

Charles Martell’s old Gloucester breed is used for the milk to give a lighter and lower fat content than Double Gloucester, as skimmed milk is mixed with full fat.

WINCHESTER

Lyburn Farm, Hampshire, pasteurised cow’s milk, vegetarian rennet

Taken from a herd of 160 pedigree cattle, the milk is only transported about 200m from the cows to the dairy where cheesemaking begins.

Statfold, Staffordshire, unpasteurised goat’s milk, traditional rennet

BERKSWELL

SAINT TOLA

With its natural washed and rubbed hard crust, dimpled from the basket mould containers, this is very close to a French Pyrénées cheese.

Fresh crumbly texture with a natural wrinkled rind, dusted in ash.

HARBOURNE BLUE

A matured goat’s cheese with a close texture, dusted with charcoal.

Co Clare, unpasteurised goat’s milk, traditional rennet

FLOWER MARIE

Near Coventry, West Midlands, unpasteurised ewe’s milk, traditional rennet

Totnes, unpasteurised goat’s milk, vegetarian rennet

Lewes, Sussex, unpasteurised ewe’s milk, vegetarian rennet

From the same farm as Beenleigh Blue, Devon Blue and Ticklemore, the recipe originated by Robin Congdon.

BARON BIGOD

Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, unpasteurised cow’s milk, vegetarian rennet

Kevin and Alison Blunt make this rich, fudgy textured cheese with a soft white bloomy rind.

Bungay, Suffolk, unpasteurised cow’s milk, traditional rennet

Jonny Crickmore has gone about creating this new cheese by investing in a herd of alpine Montbeliarde cows from France, creating pasture that has the right grazing conditions and dedicating a cheesemaking unit to making this rich mellow brie.

COTE HILL BLUE

Michael and Mary Davenport have been making cheese since 2005 using milk from their Friesian and Red Poll herd.

NUNS OF CAEN

Dymock, Gloucester, unpasteurised ewe’s milk, vegetarian rennet

Charles Martell is best known for his Stinking Bishop, but this cheese is from an original recipe made by nuns from Caen in Normandy who settled in Gloucestershire in the 13th century.

www.farmanddeliretail.com

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Farm & Deli Retail • June 2017

31/05/2017 10:14

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31/05/2017 08:50

TOP TIPS

INSTAGRAM

Snap happy Four food industry insiders tell us why Instagram is worth your time and effort, and give us their top tips and advice on how to do it well

www.farmanddeliretail.com

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Farm & Deli Retail â&#x20AC;˘ June 2017

31/05/2017 12:28

TOP TIPS

Laura Brown, Arcadia Delicatessen, @arcadia5600

We are no experts, but are really ‘feeling our way’ as to what works. We use Instagram least of the three social media channels that we post to – the other two being Facebook and Twitter – but it is increasingly influential. We will be paying it more attention in the coming months, particularly in the autumn as we approach Christmas, which is our most important time of year. Instagram is the most visual and artistic of the social media channels, so we try to tweak our postings to reflect this, thinking about colour, texture and patterns. Food has the ability to really draw in an audience, and posting attractive pictures of delicious cheese and other deli goodies always generates positive responses. We’re hoping that this will help turn followers into customers. With our website becoming an increasingly important revenue stream for us, the use of Instagram gets our little Belfast shop an audience beyond our local streets, and has undoubtedly converted into sales that we would not otherwise have achieved. An Instagram feed helps to communicate your brand personality and build relationships between you and your existing (and potential) customers. We work hard at it, and it’s an ongoing process. Small business owners can no longer just stand behind their counters and wait for customers – you’ve got to get your brand out there to compete in the modern retail environment. It’s hard work, but very rewarding. www.arcadiadeli.co.uk 32

Farm & Deli Retail • June 2017

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Food has the ability to really draw in an audience, and posting attractive pictures of delicious cheese and other deli goodies always generates positive responses

Convey personality

Build a community

INSTAGRAM

Paul Shanley, Prohibition Wines, @prohibitionwines It’s not a photography competition, it’s a medium for conveying the personality of your business. We’re known for our range of wines and beers, and also for our humour and the numerous cultural references peppered in what we say and write; our Instagram feed reflects this in an image and short caption. www.prohibitionwines.com

It’s not a photography competition, it’s a medium for conveying the personality of your business

www.farmanddeliretail.com

31/05/2017 12:28

Jeremy Jacobowitz, The Brunch Boys @brunchboys The number one thing a retailer should try to achieve with their Instagram feed is a unique voice and look. You try to create an identity with your food and the design of your space, and you want to have the same thing online. To achieve that, you want consistency with photos and captions – pick a colour palette, a type or style of photo, or a consistent way to frame captions. You want people to be excited that they’re following you, whether they’re coming in to buy or not. www.thebrunchboys.com

Keep it real

You want consistency with photos and captions – pick a colour palette, a type or style of photo, or a consistent way to frame captions

INSTAGRAM

Create an identity

TOP TIPS

Photo tips Heather Copley, Farmer Copleys Farm Shop, @farmercopleys

In the past we’ve done television adverts, but we’ve completely pulled our TV budget this year and it’s all going on social media. Facebook is our main thing – we’ve got 40,000 followers – and we’ve just done a new website, but Instagram is relatively new to us. It’s not a forte of ours at all, but we’re monitoring it all the time to see what works and what doesn’t. Very recently, in the last few months, we’ve noticed that anything we do that’s image-based goes absolutely bonkers – a baker pulling a load of hot sausage rolls out of the oven has a person and a product that people can relate to. On TripAdvisor, people used to post a star rating with some text; now it’s the star rating with an image. The old adage that a picture is worth a thousand words is absolutely true – as long as it’s real. That’s something we’ve seen in our marketing this year – people want real images. For instance, if we’ve come up with a new dish, such as a banoffee pie, I will take that item outside, pop it on a fence, and you can see that it’s our product in our setting. It’s not Photoshopped, it’s real. It’s that truthfulness that works – consumers can trust it. It’s very little expenditure for us, but it’s interaction with our customers – and that’s the key. www.farmercopleys.co.uk www.farmanddeliretail.com

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Anything that we do that’s image-based goes absolutely bonkers – a baker pulling a load of hot sausage rolls out of the oven has a person and a product that people can relate to

• • • • • •

Soft, natural light works best – forget the flash! Overhead shots can be easier to take and look great on Instagram Choose a filter that makes the food stand out rather than the background Don’t forget to give your lens a clean before you start snapping Apps like Snapseed or Afterlight can be used to customise your image and give it a professional look Shooting from the side allows you to include background scenery, and gives a degree of context to the picture

Farm & Deli Retail • June 2017

31/05/2017 12:29

ad va din wi lue g th ...

ADD VALUE

HAMPERS

Hampers Have you considered adding a hamper offering to your farm shop or deli? With seasonal, bespoke or build-your-own just some of the hamper styles open to you, the possibilities are endless

Why add hampers?

Whether as a picnic offering or a gift, the popularity of hampers is on the rise. “Hampers are a wonderful way for a farm shop or deli owner to show off their products in a way that is easy for customers to buy,” says Lucy Allen, marketing manager at Gadsby. Gadsby has been producing wicker and wooden retail solutions since 1864, providing farm shops and delis with high quality hampers which they can fill with their own products and sell on. “Gifting occasions, such as Christmas, are the obvious times to sell hampers,” says Lucy. “The customer wants to buy something

top boxes 34

beautiful, and a hamper is a great idea because even in itself it’s very desirable. Yes, it’s filled with delicious food, but the hamper is also going to be kept by the gift recipient. You can brand the hampers yourself, so you’ve got a piece of branded merchandise that’s staying with the gift recipient and acting as a reminder of your store.”

Setting up

In terms of hamper baskets, it’s important to choose the correct type for your customers’ preferences and price point. Consider a wide range of options and have a selection of hamper types to suit everyone. Options vary from luxury

£50

34 Mayfair Summer Barbecue Box

From: The Mount Street Deli What’s in it: A summer must-have for all food lovers, the boxes contain 34 Mayfair’s own dry American spice mix, Spanish spice rub, olive oil, artichoke pâté, Maldon sea salt flakes, a meat thermometer, a tea towel, jumbo matches and a booklet with barbecue recipes and tips from the 34 Mayfair kitchen.

Farm & Deli Retail • June 2017

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wicker hampers with leather straps and metal buckles, right down to cardboard hampers that are printed to look like wicker. “No matter how big the farm shop or deli is, it can still produce a beautiful, luxurious hamper,” says Lucy. “There’s a wide range of products that can appeal across the board in terms of both look and price.” When creating a hamper, Lucy says that the most important things to consider are price point and buying in the most appropriate stock for your customer base. Generally, an introductory level hamper priced below £50 is an achievable price point for someone to buy as a gift. From there

you should think about a steady increase in price and produce, ensuring you have enough stock to meet demand.

Products

What goes in the hamper can be up to you or your customer. Farm shops and delis often offer both premade and bespoke ‘build your own’ types; premade hampers are great if the customer is short on time, while bespoke hampers are excellent for something more personal. Consider seasonal produce and gifts for annual occasions such as Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Halloween and Christmas. “When it comes to products,

fun elements always work well,” says Lucy. “You could put together a pamper hamper with prosecco, truffles and some bubble bath. Seasonal hampers are also a success – for us it used to be all about Christmas, and it’s still an important time of year, but we’ve noticed that hampers are now being used as a gifting solution throughout the year.”

£100

Spanish Gourmet Hamper

From: Papadeli What’s in it: A grand Spanish hamper full of delicious Spanish fine foods. Includes Alemany honey, Calasparra rice, caramelised hazelnuts, Cas Eceiza chocolate-covered tuilles, Cava, extra virgin olive oil, Jerez vinegar, La Brujula sardines, Ortiz tuna, Santo Domingo smoked paprika, quince paste, salchichon de Vic, Simón Coll solid hot chocolate and Torta de aceite.

www.farmanddeliretail.com

31/05/2017 13:57

HAMPERS

ADD VALUE

ULTIMATE SUMMER HAMPER

English Pinot Noir

The most important things to consider are price point and buying in the most appropriate stock for your customer base

£250 The Fortnum Hamper

From: Fortnum & Mason What’s in it: A fine selection of food and drink to delight and surprise the taste buds. The hamper contains beef extract, morello cherry preserve, golden raspberry preserve or Nonpareil marmalade, a trio of teas and coffee, milk and dark chocolates, Chocolossus biscuits, London dry gin, Sir Nigel’s Marmalade vodka, Louis Roederer Vintage champagne, Piccadilly piccalilli and Fortnum’s Relish.

www.farmanddeliretail.com

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Company: Bolney Wine Estate Launched: 2016 Made from 100% Pinot Noir grapes, with a light to medium body, this cool climate English Pinot Noir has won silver international wine awards. Bolney Wine Estate suggests serving with baked camembert, fennel cured ham and smoked buffalo mozzarella. RRP £18.99 trade@bolneywine estate.com

Hello Summer Elderflower Pressé

Company: Belvoir Fruit Farms Launched: May 2017 A new, limited edition version of their Elderflower Pressé, made using picked flowers, pressed lemons and spring water. The new drink’s release coincides with the start of the elderflower harvest, when locals gather in the blossoms from the company’s own elderflower plantations and those growing wild in the surrounding hedgerows. RRP £2.29 info@belvoirfruitfarms.co.uk

Chickpea Crispbread

Company: Easy Bean Launched: March 2017 Available in Cheddar Crunch and Seaweed & Sesame flavours, chickpea crispbreads are handmade using a nutty-tasting chickpea flour, making them naturally gluten-free, wheat-free and high in fibre. The Cheddar Crunch uses cheese sourced from a local Dorset farm and is topped with linseed, flax, millet and chia seeds, while the Seaweed & Sesame is mineral-rich and topped with toasted sesame seeds. RRP £2.95 sales@easybean.co.uk Farm & Deli Retail • June 2017

31/05/2017 13:58

ADD VALUE

HAMPERS

ULTIMATE SUMMER HAMPER

What I’ve le VICTORIA’S DELI

BASINGSTOKE

Phillip Gibson of Victoria’s Deli talks about the wide range of hamper options his deli offers Green Chilli, Coriander and Mint Chutney

Company: Cherry Tree Launched: May 2017 This refreshing but warm chutney is one of the newest additions to Cherry Tree’s chutney range, along with its Cheese Board chutney. It can be used to create an interesting sandwich, added to crispbread with unusual toppings, swapped out for raita in fajitas, served with lamb or duck, marinated with steaks, or added to homemade curries. RRP £3.85 sarah@cherrytree preserves.co.uk

Meringue Drops

Company: Flower & White Launched: May 2017 Small drops of handmade Swiss-baked meringues, available in Rainbow Fruit, Chocolate, and White Chocolate and Raspberry. These rainbow-finished mini meringues are the new addition to the gourmet Merangz range, made from British free range eggs and allnatural flavours, suitable for vegetarians and naturally gluten free. RRP £2.95 contact sales@ flowerandwhite.co.uk

Super Dukkah

Company: The Dukkah Company Launched: 2015 A blend of nuts, seeds and spices, dukkah can be used as a dip by dunking chunks of fresh bread into oil and then into the mix, or as seasoning on salads, sandwiches and pizza. A traditional, nutritious North African recipe, Super Dukkah is made in small batches and hand blended in Cornwall. RRP £3.95 jane@thedukkah company.com

Cheese & love

Company: Hippeas Launched: June 2016 Tangy and cheesytasting, these puffed chickpea crisps have 91 or fewer calories in each bag, and is also available in Pepper power, Far out fajita, Sweet and smokin’ or In herbs we trust. Partnered with Farm Africa, Hippeas helps farmers in eastern Africa to escape poverty with every pack sold. RRP £0.99 miriam@hippeas.com

Elderflower Collins

Company: Tails Cocktails Launched: January 2017 Tails makes ‘ready to serve’ cocktails, prepared and premixed at bar strength. Elderflower Collins is a twist on a summer G&T, made with London dry gin, elderflower liqueur, apple juice, lemon juice and soda. Tails recommends serving in a highball glass over ice with a slice of cucumber, with each bottle offering three to four servings. RRP £8 per 500ml bottle sales@tailscocktails.com

Farm & Deli Retail • June 2017

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What type of hampers does Victoria’s Deli offer?

We offer a wide range – for the summer we have everything from high quality chilled picnic hampers, which come with the plates, cutlery and glasses, right down to a more basic cardboard box-type hamper. Why did you decide to offer hampers? We’ve always offered hampers. We started with winter hampers, which were ideal for Christmas, and from there we saw an opportunity to expand. What sets our hampers apart is their higher quality – we don’t want to compete with the supermarkets and the high street, because we wouldn’t make any money. Instead we focus on our

passion, which is bringing the small producers, their stories and their passion for food to the public. Are your hampers made to order? We offer both readymade and made-to-order hampers. You can never satisfy everybody, so we put together some hampers with our most popular products, and then we also have the build-your-own option on the website. Where are the products sourced for the hampers? We source most products direct from the manufacturers and producers, a lot of which are small family companies. They source the best produce, and the best people to make it. We use only British

We’re noticing that people want hampers for summer and year-round – not just at Christmas www.farmanddeliretail.com

31/05/2017 13:58

HAMPERS

ADD VALUE

e learned produce, meaning that the final production has to be in the UK. We understand that, for example, coffee is grown across the world, but when they bring it here and roast it, it’s produced in Britain.

ALLINGTON FARM SHOP

CHIPPENHAM, WILTSHIRE

Allington Farm Shop offers a wide range of gift hampers suitable for all budgets. Mitch Bryan tells us why seasonal produce is so important supermarket you can get it with us, and we pride ourselves on that.

Are hampers more popular in the summer or winter months? In previous years we’ve sold more around Christmas, but we’re noticing now that people want them for summer as well. I’ve had enquiries about hampers as gifts for different occasions, such as for the best man at a wedding. I think people are prepared to pay for good food for a special occasion year-round. How do you promote your hampers? We use social media and our website. We also have a small retail unit, where we sell the most. We promote the hampers year-round – less-than-perfect weather doesn’t stop people from having picnics or buying hampers. We try not to label each type for a specific season. How do you deliver the hampers? We use a number of couriers depending on where the hamper is being delivered to, the weight and the products. Shipping is a hidden cost, and we go over the top with packaging, to make sure that things are kept in the best condition possible. The producers have put a lot of care and effort into their products and we want to pass that on to the customer. www.farmanddeliretail.com

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How do you promote the hampers?

Are hampers more popular in the summer or winter months?

Christmas is our busiest time of year for hampers. During the summer months it’s a bit quieter with respect to hampers, just because it’s a quieter time of year, what with people being on holiday. We do get people who want things for picnics, but we’ve got to be careful because things need to be refrigerated. You can’t buy a picnic hamper a week in advance, you have to buy it fresh. That’s the biggest issue we have with picnic hampers.

What type of hampers does Allington Farm Shop offer?

We offer a selection of bespoke hampers in different sizes to suit any budget, as well as offering a few ready-made hampers. We like offering a ‘make your own hamper’ choice, because we have such a varied selection of products that it’s nice for people to choose exactly what they want. In the summer we sell more cheese and biscuits, whereas in the winter we sell more cakes and seasonal products.

Why did you decide to offer hampers?

After expanding the farm in 2008 we decided to

add a hamper offering – before that we didn’t have the space. Hampers are such a great idea as a gift and I know that I personally would like to receive a selection of food and wine as opposed to a voucher for somewhere. It’s a lot more personal, and recieving a hamper shows that someone knows your taste and has put a lot of effort into the gift. Where are the products sourced for the hampers? Everything we have is as local as possible, or at least from within the UK. The meat is from our farm and the cheese is locally sourced – basically, if you can’t buy it in the

What’s the most important thing to consider when adding a hamper offering to your business? I think the main thing to consider is the time of year – offering seasonal produce as part of a hamper is very important. Our hamper business thrives on Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Valentine’s Day and Christmas especially, and you need to tailor the offerings to the specific requirements of the season. I’d also suggest having a varied amount of hamper sizes and styles: we do very small to very large, and the good thing is you can tailor them to suit any price range.

On our website. We employed a photographer to come in and take professional pictures, and depending on the occasion we’ll put something up on the website suggesting a hamper because it’s an easy buy. We try to publicise them as much as possible and we’ve built a reputation for them.

Do you offer delivery?

We have offered shipping in the past but it’s difficult – nine times out of 10 a hamper won’t arrive looking its best after being with a courier. We say that we can offer delivery, but to be honest we don’t get a lot of people asking, because they know that they can come in and choose the products themselves.

Offering seasonal produce is very important. Our hamper business thrives on Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Valentine’s Day and Christmas

Farm & Deli Retail • June 2017

31/05/2017 13:58

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31/05/2017 13:05

Food&Drink ORGANIC

Soil Association p40

Organic products p41

Queenswood Foods p42

PRODUCTS

JARR Kombucha p43

Organic special

The market for organic food and drink is the strongest it’s been for more than a decade according to retailers, with demand spreading from fruit and vegetables to other groceries. Our five-page special gives a snapshot of the best the sector has to offer right now, from kombucha cocktails and chocolate tablets to wholesaler Queenswood’s top five

www.farmanddeliretail.com

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Farm & Deli Retail • June 2017

31/05/2017 13:21

PRODUCTS

ORGANIC

Organic sales soar As the organic market re-emerges, phoenix-like, from the economic downturn, Soil Association business development director Zoe Willox Dunant says the time is now to capitalise on the increasing popularity of organic foods

Following a period of growth in the 1990s, the organic market took a significant hit from the 2008 recession. “The good news is that the organic produce market has recovered,” says Zoe. “We’ve seen consistent growth over the past five years, and that growth is spread across multiple categories – organic food and drink is occupying every shelf in the market. “More and more people are putting organic products into their shopping baskets. Awareness of organic has become much more widespread as consumers look for health and wellbeing themes in their purchasing.”

Category expansion

“Though fresh produce is one of the mainstays of organic purchasing, we’ve seen some brilliant and innovative new ideas coming out, a lot of them in categories that haven’t traditionally 40

been occupied by the organic market,” says Zoe. “Organic canned and packaged products have been particularly prominent, which as a category is up 12.7% this year, covering everything from tea and coffee to nut butters and spreads. Organic dairy products have been another big driver of growth, particularly with yogurts.”

Organic consumers

A key factor in the organic market’s rise is a growing interest in provenance. “There’s been a distinct rise in conscious consumerism in recent years; people want to know where their food comes from and the environmental impact of their food consumption. I think that’s a big reason for people going organic – the products give that transparency when it comes to supply chains.” The customer base for organic products has been a topic of much Soil

Farm & Deli Retail • June 2017

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Association research. Zoe says its findings indicate a vast range of consumers: “Organic customers range from people in their twenties who are experimenting with new foods to young families who are keen to give their kids the best start in life. Interestingly, organic baby food is one of the biggest penetrators in the market at the moment. We’ve found through our research that there are a number of different motivators behind organic purchasing – there’s more than just one reason to buy organic.” One of these reasons is a growing mistrust from consumers. “Our surveys have concluded that consumers are looking towards organic products to give them a reassurance on integrity.”

Future predictions

Zoe predicts the organic market will only continue to grow. “I think we’re going to see even stronger growth, and the rise in innovative organic products and brands is going to continue.” The Soil Association believes organic products will grow to permeate the food service sector, becoming a staple part of school dinners, hospital catering and restaurant menus. The future really is organic.

FILLING THE ORGANIC GAP Raw Slaw

Company: Hurly Burly Live Cultures Launched: January 2017 Naturally fermented slaws which are never heated or pasteurised and are made of 100% certified organic fresh produce. Available in three flavours – Jalapeno and Oregano, Lemon and Ginger, and Turmeric and Cumin – these Raw Slaws are small batch, crafted in Germany using lacto-fermentation and can be put in burgers and burritos or used to liven up meals. RRP £5.25, 410g jar sales@marigoldhealth.co.uk

Organic Hemp Seed Oil

Company: Themptation Launched: March 2016 Small batches, coldpressed and bottled by hand in a London kitchen. Hemp oil has a lightly nutty flavour and can be used as a dressing. Rich in Omega 3, 6 and 9, it can be taken as a health supplement and used on hair and skin. Products include Hemp Hummus, Hemp Chocolate and Hemp Pesto. RRP £7.49, 250ml wholesale@ themptation.co.uk

Organic Coconut Water

Company: Rebel Kitchen Launched: March 2017 Contains polyphenols, an antioxidant that turns pink when oxidized, and has recently won the Healthy Food & Drink Silver Award. Founded by husband and wife team Ben and Tamara Arbib, Rebel Kitchen aims to use the entire coconut, with the water going into bottles, the meat into its yogurts and the husks used as fuel at its plant. RRP £4.99, 750ml sales@rebel-kitchen.com

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PRODUCTS

ORGANIC

ORGANIC STATS The organic market has recorded growth for the fifth year running

85% Over

Coconut Jerky

Company: MightyBee Launched: June 2016 Made from the flesh of organically grown, young Thai coconuts, this snack is available in Chocolate and Hazelnut or Teriyaki and Spicy BBQ, and is free from gluten, refined sugar, dairy and preservatives. The range has been developed in collaboration with raw vegan chef Lorena Loriato, ensuring they maintain the MightyBee ethos to keep its food 100% sustainable. RRP £1.80, 15g swani@mightybee.com

Organic Mozzarella

Company: Laverstoke Park Farm Launched: 1996 Asian water buffalo milk is used to make a large portion of Laverstoke’s products; the buffalo graze freely on organic pastures to produce a protein-rich milk for their mozzarella. A different, tougher texture to most mozzarella in the UK, this cheese softens after several days and can be eaten with tomato, or cut into quarters and eaten immediately. RRP £2.80 01256 772680

Gnocchi

Company: Little Pasta Organics Launched: July 2015 A specialist pasta brand for children, offering parents a range of easy-to-prepare organic pastas with no added salt or sugar. The Gluten Free Gnocchi is ambient and the only product of its kind on the market. Other products from Little Pasta Organics include dinosaur, animal, travel and teddy bear pastas. RRP £2.49 ciao@littlepasta organics.com

African Tigernut & Macadamia Butter

of people put something organic in their shopping basket every year

Company: Bim’s Kitchen Launched: March 2017 Made with tigernuts – a root vegetable, as opposed to a nut –, lightly toasted macadamia nuts, sunflower oil and a touch of sea salt. Bim’s Kitchen is a family business based in north Wales that uses modern African recipes, inspired by traditional African dishes and ingredients. This nut butter can be used as a spread or a cooking ingredient. RRP £6.95, 170g jar sales@bimskitchen.com

In the past year the organic market has grown by 7.1% in the UK

Organic sales in independent retailers has grown by

6.3%

in the past year

Karma Cola

“

Company: Karma Cola Co Launched: April 2014 Karma Cola is made from Fairtrade organic cane sugar and real kola nut grown by the Mende and Temne people of Sierra Leone. The company also sells Lemony Lemonade and Gingerella Ginger Ale. Part of the proceeds from each bottle go to the families of the growers through the Karma Cola Foundation. RRP £2.50 bottles sales@karmacola.co.uk

If you sell both organic and non-organic products, give the customer a reason to choose the organic at point of selection. Choose one message that will resonate with your customers, and change their shopping behaviour. Is this a heath purchase, a save-the-bees purchase, or a sustainability purchase? Pick one message, otherwise the reasons to shop organic get too complicated. Al Overton, head of buying at Planet Organic

”

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All organic farms and food companies are inspected at least once a year

In 2014, the team at Newcastle University found organic crops are up to 60% higher in a number of key antioxidants than conventionally grown crops

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PRODUCTS

ORGANIC

The organic strategy Nicki Stribley, sales director of organic wholesaler Queenswood Foods, discusses best practice in organic food display, marketing and promotion How can a food retailer best market organic produce to customers?

Why is it important for farm shops and delis to promote organic food?

More and more people nowadays are aware of what they’re putting into their bodies. Since they dropped during the recession in 2008, organic sales have steadily been building back up, which I think is likely to be a push from a younger marketplace. Young people are more health aware than middleaged people, and I think part of that can be traced back to social media. If you go back even a few decades, there wasn’t that opportunity to spread information to large numbers of people at the click of a button, whereas these days you can post on Facebook or Twitter and that information is out there instantly. The message around the benefits of organic food is growing at a rate of knots, so it’s a great time to promote your organic offering. 42

The Soil Association launches a retail pack every September, and this year it’s also launching a webinar that shows retailers how they can best utilise the retail pack. This is all available on the Soil Association website, and offers a huge amount of help and knowledge for retailers to take advantage of.

Should a display of organic foods differ to a display of non-organic? It’s difficult, because there’s a lot of small retail space out there. You may feel you have little choice but to place all your organic products in one section under the heading ‘Organic’, but I would suggest placing them among their nonorganic. That can help to encourage impulse buyers to consider the organic alternatives next to the item they were going to buy.

How is the organic food market expanding?

It’s grown significantly in the past few years, but it’s generally been making a comeback since the last recession. The market is currently in excess of £2bn, which is actually higher than it was prior to the recession, so it’s definitely moving in the right direction.

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You can get organic versions of almost any food or drink product now. We recently visited the Natural and Organic Products Europe show and saw promotions of everything from organic frozen ready meals to organic chilled pitta breads and dips. The sector is seeing a new category of organic convenience foods, which is wonderful – previously, organic cooking was quite hard work and largely involved cooking meals from scratch. A lot of manufacturers now appreciate that people have limited food prep time and are looking for meals that are quick and easy as well as healthy.

What can a food retailer do to maximise organic sales?

One of my customers has told me he keeps a close eye on the price of organic and conventional commodity stock – if when he comes to buy them in there isn’t a big difference between the two versions of a product, he only stocks the organic. He finds his customers appreciate when he explains that the conventional product was almost the same price.

Further information www.queenswood foods.co.uk

QUEENSWOOD’S BESTSELLERS Açai berries

Company: Sambazon Launched: June 2016 Sambazon’s açai (pronounced ah-sigh-ee) berries are harvested sustainably in Brazil. High in protein, healthy omegas, antioxidants and fibre, and are fair trade and vegan. RRP £5.99 for four 100g sachets Contact Queenswood for stocking information

Sparkling Elderflower

Company: Rocks Drinks Launched: March 2017 Rocks Drinks’ newest offering is a sparkling blend of elderflower and its own Devonshire spring water. Boasting a 100% ‘squished’ process, all of its drinks are made using special machines that use the entire fruit, with real sugar as opposed to sweeteners and no artificial flavours. RRP £1.99 nicky.manning@ 3vnaturalfoods.com

Chocolate Tablets

Company: Mulu Launched: January 2017 The only chocolate bar sweetened with SugaVida (Palmyra Jaggery), a natural sugar containing Vitamins B12 and B6. The Evolve chocolate tablets range from the sweet Mylky coconut chocolate to the dark and complex 85% bar, all of which are raw organic, vegan and stone-ground. RRP £2.49 chris@muluchocolate.co.uk

Kids’ Juice & Smoothie Cartons

Company: Pip Organic Launched: June 2014 Made from 100% organically grown fruit, these ambient juices are not available in large supermarkets, providing independent and speciality operators a point of difference. RRP £3.99, multipack ivo@piporganic.com

Ghee

Company: Happy Butter Launched: October 2016 Made from grassfed cultured butter by an artisan Devon producer, steeped in tradition and cooked in small batches over a naked flame. Used for frying, baking, roasting or to add to milk for a Golden Latte. RRP £8.95 www.happybutter.co.uk

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ORGANIC

Meet the supplier

JARR Kombucha

JARR Kombucha was the first company in Europe to sell kombucha – a fermented tea popular in the US – on tap. JARR talks organic ingredients and the market for raw products We worked up from one jar to two, three and so on until we were at over 1,000L. We take those cultures and propagate them in smaller vessels at our SCOBY farm, then work up from bigger tanks to our final fermentation tanks. The tea itself comes from two different estates, both of which are organically certified. We have a green tea from Sri Lanka and an oolong from Taiwan.

PRODUCT

KOMBUCHA

How did you start out?

We started about two years ago, but we weren’t in bottles until April 2016. Before that we were just in our kombucha tap room, which was the first in Europe. It started when my friends, who run Crate Brewery in Hackney Wick, visited me in Los Angeles. I was living with my parents and fermenting my own kombucha in small batches. My friends suggested, jokingly, that I move over to London and learn how to scale up with them.

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What organic ingredients do you use? Organic sugar and tea are very important to the process. The SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) doesn’t want any outside interference. The process starts with an initial culture, which is either purchased or received from someone. We purchased our initial culture from Happy Kombucha, which sells organically certified SCOBYs, to make sure that we were creating organic Kombucha.

Due to their recent popularity in the US, the Soil Association’s Zoe Willox Dunant believes probiotics could be the next big thing in the British organic market. What probiotic benefits does Kombucha have?

We don’t use the word ‘probiotic’ on our bottles – legally, you can’t call a product probiotic in the UK. It’s called beneficial bacteria, and starts with acetobacter, which is present in every bottle of kombucha. Acetobacter is a bacteria that creates the cellulose bacteria of the SCOBY, and in conjunction with yeasts such as brettanomyces and seccharomyces you get your SCOBY. You can also get lactobacillus depending on the conditions, which is

The trend is moving towards raw and unpasteurised products the beneficial bacteria present in Greek yogurt. All are classified as probiotics, but we call them beneficial bacteria on our bottles. Raw kombucha seems to be integral – what’s the problem with pasteurisation? We’re members of the Kombucha Guru’s organisation, which is a collection of all the brewers in Europe. The organisation decided that kombucha should be classified as a raw, unpasteurised product. Kombucha isn’t kombucha if it’s pasteurised, as it kills any beneficial bacteria. The idea is that it’s living, and the body can digest it more efficiently because

PRODUCTS

it’s natural and raw. If it was pasteurised it could be transported at ambient temperatures – at this stage it has to be kept refrigerated at all times. A lot of brands are doing high temperature processing and finding that it damages a lot of the nutrients. The trend is moving towards raw and unpasteurised products, creating something that’s living, exactly as it would be found in nature.

How popular is kombucha likely to become?

In America it’s in every supermarket. We were the first people in Europe to put it in a keg and sell it on tap. It’s currently so widespread in California that they have kombucha bars inside supermarkets, and it can be found on draught in gas stations throughout Oregon.

Further information www.jarrkombucha.com

KOMBUCHA COCKTAILS Kombucha lends itself to cocktails as it’s lower in sugar, sharper and more complex than a tonic or soda, with a unique flavour. The bite of the kombucha balances well with spirits.

Ginger Kombucha

Vodka Raspberries Agave nectar

Original Kombucha Gin Cucumber Ice

Passionfruit Kombucha

Cachaça Agave nectar Salt Celery stalk

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31/05/2017 13:19

NEXT BIG THING

OLLY’S OLIVES

Next big thing...

Olly’s Olives It’s been a busy couple of years for Olly Hiscocks, founder of Olly’s Olives – after winning the Grocery Accelerator and the Young Food and Drink Entrepreneur of the Year award, all before he was 25, the sky’s the limit for Olly and his innovative olives

he idea for a snack pouch of olives began two years ago, when Olly was sitting on his friend’s sofa, thinking about the way that popcorn had exploded onto the snack market with colour, character and variety. “I’m an absolute olive fanatic,” says Olly. “I’ve loved them all my life. I was thinking about how there was no stand-out brand of olives and especially none pushing boundaries with colour, character, flavour and innovation.” The next morning, Olly headed down to his local market and bought the necessary ingredients to start working on his new idea. He came up with the first flavours and used his friends as test subjects, and went on to trial his olives on a market stall, where he received a very positive reception. All the while he was designing 44

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the branding and personality behind each flavour: The Bandit, The Captain, The Connoisseur, The Hippie, The Explorer and The Veteran. Going for gold Olly had just graduated from the University of Manchester with a degree in Neuroscience: “I had secured a place to study postgraduate Medicine with a thought to become a doctor, but I had this unshakable desire to start my own business. I was really enjoying what was going on with the olives, so I entered the Grocery Accelerator.” Olly was up against 350 entrants but found that he and his olives, in their plastic pots with homemade stickers, kept on getting through the rounds: “I ended up at the finals. There were 12 of us and it was the first time I’d ever done a pitch. I remember not being able to sleep the www.farmanddeliretail.com

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OLLY’S OLIVES

mentorship, Olly found that he was still struggling to gain the traction he had hoped for. “I went to a food and drinks start-up talk where I listened to a speaker who said that you need to back your own beliefs and follow what you think is right. One thing that I would say to anyone starting a business is to always go with what you, deep down, want to do.” Follow your dreams Olly returned from the talk inspired, and decided that he wanted to pursue his initial idea: an ambient, snack pouch of olives with flavour and freshness. “I contacted the whole olive world, sending emails to Australia, Greece, Turkey, everywhere. I told them I had a product idea and asked if they could help night before, tweaking all of these numbers – I was forecasting that I was going to sell a million pots of olives in two years. “I pitched to a room of industry experts, and two days later found that I was chosen as one of the six. At that point I left my job and told my parents that I wasn’t going to be a doctor, I was going to sell olives for a living – I’m sure you can imagine their faces.” Moving forward Olly’s success at the Grocery Accelerator lined him up with a £60,000 investment. He moved into a production unit and started to scale up, but came across a significant hurdle in terms of the promised investment. “My time with the Grocery Accelerator has been interesting,” he says. “They’re great people who gave us an insightful experience into the food industry, but there was a www.farmanddeliretail.com

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problem with the funding. I don’t know whether it was Brexit or the investors, but unfortunately we never received the money. “I had to make a decision a few months ago to step back from the scheme, as it was decelerating my business. They’ve actually gone on to raise the money for the people that stayed. They were doing everything they could, and I think it was out of their hands.” Back in September 2016, Cotswold Fayre announced Olly as the Young Food and Drink Entrepreneur of the Year at the Speciality Fine Food Fair, with £1,500 worth of funding and a year of mentorship from Paul Hargreaves, the founder of Cotswold Fayre. “He really got to grips with the business and helped me figure out the best routes to market,” says Olly. Even after this new source of funding and

I’m an absolute olive fanatic. I’ve loved them all my life. I was thinking about how there was no stand-out brand of olives and especially none pushing boundaries with colour, character, flavour and innovation

NEXT BIG THING

me. One factory came back to me from Greece, and I’ve been working with them ever since. We’re now launching the new product, and it’s going to completely shake up the olive world.” The new ambient snack pouch aligns with everything Olly has wanted to do since he started out, taking what was traditionally an accompanying food and making it an accessible snack. He knew that there were similar products on the market, but they were all pasteurised, and Olly believed this ruined their texture, colour, flavour and nutritional value. “What we’ve done is use modified atmosphere packaging, which involves removing the oxygen from the pouch and replacing it with other gasses – it’s very innovative. We’ve got a high quality processing plant which maintains the highest hygiene levels, and we make sure that only quality products go into the pouches. This means they don’t need to go in the fridge and have a 15-month shelf life.” Olly’s future plans aren’t modest, having recently earned a place on the Seed Fund 2017. He aims to be an olive pioneer, pushing the product to new levels with engaging flavours and branding. Most of all, however, Olly wants to have some fun. He’s looking at new characters, colours and pack sizes, and is driven to make olives a foodstuff that doesn’t just sit on the table anymore – “Welcome to the Olivelution!”

Further information www.ollysolives.com

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31/05/2017 13:09

REGIONAL GUIDE

YORKSHIRE

Rhubarb

Regional guide

Yorkshire & The Humber We take a gourmet gambol around God’s own country to discover native produce, top shows and markets, plus our pick of local products Ale

Yorkshire is the spiritual home of traditional English bitter, including John Smiths, Theakstons and Timothy Taylor in Keighley. Now new-wave ales from state-of-theart microbreweries are ensuring Yorkshire’s status as the UK’s craft beer capital, too. Brass Castle Brewery is an award-winning microbrewery in Malton that produces cask ales and craft kegged beer and bottles, while Little Valley Brewery in Hebden Bridge delivers 100% organic real ales, plus a Fairtrade ginger pale ale. www.brasscastle.co.uk

Ginger beer

Yorkshire was the birthplace of ginger beer, and Fentimans’ is ‘botanically brewed’ with added fermented ginger, giving it a unique flavour. Amazing with gin. www.fentimans.com

Henderson’s Relish

No foodie’s guide to Yorkshire could be complete without mentioning Henderson’s 46

Relish. Referred to locally as Hendo’s, it began life in Henry Henderson’s General Merchant Store in Sheffield, back in 1885. The recipe is a secret known only to three family members – managing director Pamela, her son Simon, and her daughter Julia. What we do know is it’s gluten-free, and among the ingredients are tamarind, garlic oil and cayenne pepper – which must be at least partly responsible for its deliciously spicy kick. www.hendersons relish.com

Liquorice

Pontefract has a long history with liquorice, which was first used by the Greeks and Romans as a cold remedy and sweetener. More recently it was associated with Yorkshire stalwart Bassetts’ Allsorts. Now Pontefract’s newest liquorice farmer Farmer Copleys is hoping to open a liquorice garth in the near future, harvesting the black stuff from 100 locally grown plants. www.farmercopleys. co.uk

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The best January rhubarb comes from the area between Leeds, Wakefield and Bradford, known as the Rhubarb Triangle. Yorkshire Forced Rhubarb is traditionally grown by candlelight, and is one of the few Yorkshire food names to have been awarded Protected Designation of Origin status by the European Commission. Master growers E Oldroyd & Sons have five generations of family expertise under their belt, and among many others supply newcomers Square Root London, who use the rhubarb in their brilliant small batch Rhubarb Soda, handmade in Hackney. Founder Robyn says: “Working with the rhubarb farmers of Yorkshire has been key to the success of our Rhubarb Soda. At the moment we’re making the most of the Stockbridge Arrow crop, an excellent tangy, juicy red variety.” sales@squarerootsoda.co.uk

Cider

Like beer, cider has been getting crafty for a while now, and in a quiet corner of Yorkshire newcomer Colemans Cider (established October 2014) has been bottling the fruity stuff with startling success. Its recently released Rhubarb Cider has been snapped up by retailers across Yorkshire. Owner Marc Cole says: “Our craft ciders are made in small batches using 100% apple juice and other locally sourced fruit. All we add is champagne yeast and a little sugar. We use fruit that would otherwise go to waste, swapping apples for cider or apple juice with local communities.” colemanscidercompany@gmail.com

Yorkshire Forced Rhubarb is traditionally grown by candlelight, and is one of the few Yorkshire food names to have been awarded Protected Designation of Origin status by the European Commission

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Wensleydale Cheese

The Wensleydale Creamery, based at Hawes in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, is home to the famous Yorkshire Wensleydale cheese and has a 1,000-year history of using traditional methods to handcraft cheese to time-honoured recipes. Another Yorkshire cheesemaker making perhaps more modern cheese waves is The Courtyard Dairy. Opened as recently as 2012, owners Kathy and Andy Swinscoe have already bagged numerous awards. For spring, Andy is recommending Dale End Cheddar: “Made by social enterprise Botton Camphill Community, they have only 30 cows. Traditional Northern breed Dairy Shorthorn’s, they are kept out at pasture, milked daily and their unpasteurised milk made into a 18-month old cloth-bound Cheddar. It’s tangy, powerful and rich.” www.thecourtyarddairy.co.uk www.wensleydale.co.uk

WHAT’S COOKING? James Mackenzie, Michelin star chef and proprietor at The Pipe and Glass Inn in South Dalton, reveals one of his local staples… “It has to be Three Little Pigs chorizo, which is produced in our village of South Dalton. They are farmers with a family-run business producing fantastic chorizo and salami from their own rare breed pigs, which I love to showcase on our menu for its provenance and great taste.” www.pipeandglass.co.uk

SHOW TIME FARMER’S MARKETS, FOOD FESTIVALS AND EVENTS

YORKSHIRE

York Food Festival

Malton Food Lovers Festival

When 27-28 May Malton has a fantastic monthly food market and is also home to the Food Lover’s Festival, which is regarded as one of the best in the country. Best for Spotting celebrity chefs; Butter Bees handmade butter; Groovy Moo ice cream; toffee vodka. Where 01653 692 849; www.maltonyorkshire.co.uk

Pontefract Liquorice Festival

When 9 July Liquorice lovers can enjoy talks on the history of liquorice, as well as food, craft and gift stalls from around the region. Best for Anything and everything to do with liquorice. Where 0345 8506 506; www.experiencewakefield.co.uk

When 3-6 August Over 100,000 visitors are expected to visit Huddersfield’s town centre over the four-day weekend in early August, where 90 stalls will sit laden with a smorgasbord of fantastic local produce. Best for Incredible pork pies; chilli jams; Yorkshire vension; artisan bread and pastries. Where St George’s Square; www.foodanddrinkfestival.org.uk

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When 22 Sept to 1 Oct The York Food Festival takes over the city’s streets for around 10 days every September. Expect a large market, pop-up bars, outstanding street food, chef demonstrations, tastings, dinners, cookery lessons and more. Best for Delicious local produce from the likes of Sand Hutton Asparagus, Niddwick Farm Beef and The Bluebird Bakery. Where Throughout the city; www.yorkfoodfestival.com

Stokesley Farmer’s Market

When First Saturday of every month, 8.30am-2.30pm Part of the Northern Dales market collective, which sees over 65 traders every month, the market only offers produce that is grown or produced within 50 miles of the market town. Best for Organic vegetables, British charcuterie, Italian puddings – and don’t miss the Clucking Pig’s amazing Scotch eggs. Where Market Place, Stokesley; northerndalesfarmersmarkets.com

Huddersfield Food & Drink Festival

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REGIONAL GUIDE

Harrogate Fine Food Show

When 26-27 June, 10am-4pm With over 170 exhibitors showcasing their best and newest products, the show includes a seminar timetable packed with business information and advice for food retailers to boost their profits. What’s on • ‘Store Design Inspirations’, led by Paul Chamberlain, commercial director of small shops association ACS, reveals the latest in food store design and merchandising. • Jilly Sitch demonstrates her best seasonal display ideas in ‘Seasonal Merchandising Magic’. • ‘Tame the Spirits’ sees the top mixologists sharing their top tips in keeping a bar crowd happy. • ‘Flatter your Platters’ hears from the UK’s top charcuterie suppliers advising the perfect cheese and cured meat combinations, including a tasting session. • Consultant chef Stephanie Moon instructs attendees how to turn deli counter and fridge leftovers into fresh and tasty foods in ‘Money Making Nibbles’. Where Yorkshire Event Centre, Harrogate HG2 8QZ

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