DELI OF THE MONTH

George Bennett - owner of Jorge Artisan Foods - has an uncompromising approach to, and passion for, product sourcing that has seen him develop his own successful range of oils and balsamics, as well as a dedicated customer base for his Aladdin’s Cave-style speciality food shop in the East Midlands.

Interview by Tom Dale

Straight to the source

YOU’VE HEARD OF the phrase ‘to strike oil’? Well, George Bennett, owner of Jorge Artisan Foods near Grantham in Lincolnshire, certainly has.

The former chef’s range of plain and avoured extra virgin olive oils is arguably the shop’s main attraction, drawing in customers from all over the UK – and farther a eld – and proving perpetually popular with his regulars. “Last Saturday seven out of ten sales included one of our oils,” says Bennett.

A product of Bennett’s commitment to onthe-ground sourcing and product development, these lines are what his operation is all about – discovering producers across Europe and assembling their wares in his Aladdin’s Cavestyle boutique.

His own range – sold under the JORGE brand name – sits alongside thousands of other handpicked lines in his 70m2 unit in a small shopping district in the grounds of Belvoir Castle.

Bennett’s journey into speciality retail began a er a burgeoning career as a chef – working with the likes of Jamie Oliver – was cut short by a major spinal injury in 2010.

“For the rst few years, I couldn’t do anything,” he says. “I thought I’d come back to the family home, sort myself out and go back to London, but it just took so long to recover.”

While he was holed up, the former ne art student began developing recipes and making jams and chutneys when a chance encounter with the manager of Doddington Hall Farm Shop prompted him to begin selling his products.

Then, in 2013, he began working with small family estates in Greece and Italy to launch a range of EVOOs and balsamics, and the ’JORGE’ range started to grow. Using connections forged during his time working and living on the Continent, he had the oils and vinegars bottled under his brand and imported.

A er selling his range at food shows and events, and growing his reputation through private catering jobs, another chance encounter in 2018 led him to open his retail operation.

“I’ve always liked the idea of opening a deli-café,” he says. And then, while working at an event at Belvoir Castle, he was asked to open a unit at a new artisan village, which was being developed on the site of derelict pump houses and engine rooms at the foot of the castle. Bennett took the chance and opened Jorge

VITAL STATISTICS

Location: The Engine Yard at Belvoir Castle, Belvoir, Grantham

Turnover: £210,000 (pre COVID) Average spend: £50 Retail floorspace: 70m² Gross margin – shop: 40% Sales split (retail/foodservice): 60/40

MUST-STOCKS

JORGE Pesto EVOO

JORGE Raspberry Balsamic Vinegar

Whole truffles JORGE fresh Nocellara olives

Colston Bassett Stilton

Handmade Seville marmalades

JORGE ceramics

Myers Lincolnshire plum loaf Handmade pasta from Puglia

JORGE Moroccan Hummus

’Nduja JORGE Smoked Salmon Pâté

Tuscan Ragu Sauce

JORGE Lime EVOO

Artisan Foods.

From the start, Bennett had a clear concept. “I wanted a place to sell my own products, stock the best artisan foods I can nd from across Europe, and to sell some dishes that showcase the best of the ingredients that we sell.”

And, three years on, his vision is being borne out – albeit hampered by COVID. “Before the pandemic, we would head over to Europe or somewhere in Britain every month – I’d book a place to stay, get in touch with contacts in the region and go and explore the food – visit small olive estates and wineries, cheesemakers and other producers. I love it.”

“Jorge Artisan Foods, as the name suggests, is about the artisans. I didn’t want to get a shop and just ll it full of things that you can buy anywhere – I wanted to do something di erent, something that’s got the products I’ve discovered myself.”

And this commitment to uncovering the rare and exciting has earned Bennett a dedicated customer base. “We get people who spend £200 every week,” he says. “They’re not picking up high-end essentials, they want to see what I’ve got and try something new.”

And this is no mean feat considering the retailer’s relatively remote location. Situated between Grantham and Nottingham in a heavily rural area, Jorge lacks any sizable population centres to serve it with passing trade.

Nevertheless, Bennett has grown his brand’s following by running pop-up shops in nearby towns, doing private catering that showcases the shop’s lines, and utilising the name his oils, balsamics and preserves have gained to draw in customers from across the country. “We get a lot of people who’ve bought our stu online who will come up for the day and get to know the shop.”

However, the retailer’s location was to prove problematic when COVID struck. With travel restricted, trade dried up almost entirely, says Bennett. “We went from turning over more than £200,000 in 2019 down to around £70,000 last year.”

The regular customers largely stopped venturing out to Jorge and all the tourists and passing trade from the neighbouring castle dried up entirely. Bennett furloughed his entire team and sustained the business by developing his online shop and delivering orders locally. “A few of our customers who usually live in London had come up to their country homes, so we were doing a lot of deliveries for them. It felt like I was a personal shopper for some!” he said.

He also made gi bags from his stock and donations from producers for NHS sta and distributed them to local hospitals – something that contributed to the retailer’s nomination in the 2021 Farm Shop & Deli Awards.

Since then, trade has remained slow in the physical store, and Bennett has had to reduce his range and bring in some “ ller” items to keep the shelves stocked. “We used to have loads of fresh lines – locally baked bread, amazing fruit and veg – but we’ve stopped that for now, it’s just not viable.”

Jorge Artisan Foods’ deli counter has also taken a big hit. Where before it was full of whole cheeses, salamis and hand-prepared

antipasti, it is now reduced to pre-packs and a lone bowl of olives. But most disappointing for the former chef was the loss of his foodservice trade.

Bennett creates small plates, antipasti, and tapas-style dishes to showcase the ingredients on his shelves and drive customers to the exclusive lines he stocks.

With the end of COVID in sight, and government restrictions coming to an end, however, the owner has a plan.

Although it’s currently still a building site, Jorge will be opening a tasting room-cum-retail operation 20-minutes’ drive from the current site.

“The idea is to have groups in to do wine, cheese and charcuterie pairings and tastings to get people trying the things that we sell here and let them know about the shop,” he says.

Also in the new unit will be a production kitchen to help Bennett to grow the private catering side of his business and allow the producer-retailer to manufacture greater volumes of his preserves and dishes.

“The items I create are such a big draw for the business,” he says. “I started making our own-brand hummus and sh pâtés as a one-o . Now, if we don’t have it people complain.”

Bennett has an undeniable nous for quality that has seen him introduce many successful ranges to his operation – both food and nonfood.

To show o his culinary creations and for oil and balsamic samples at shows, Bennett bought a range of artisan tapas-ware and ceramics from Spain and, a er repeated requests for the source, he decided to begin importing a selection.

“We worked with a guy out in Spain who painted all of these amazing handmade ceramics and we worked on some designs with him to create an exclusive range for JORGE.

“Now it’s a huge part of our o er.”

With more new ranges in the pipeline – both Bennett’s creations and some imported lines for which the owner has collaborated with a Spanish producer – and his new site opening within months, things are looking up at Jorge.

Having not bene ted from the same boon in trade that other food retailers have received during the pandemic and been hit with huge importing issues due to Brexit – some deliveries due in the New Year are still missing in Continental Europe – Bennett could have easily lost hope.

He has however taken the time to work on recipes and private catering jobs, develop the concept of his new tasting room and grow his online trade – even picking up orders for his branded balsamic from Milan. And with travel restrictions slowly easing, he is excited to get back on the road to uncover more unique products.

“We’d been growing the business and its following year-on-year before this, and it’s been a tough year,” he says. “But now I’m just looking forward to getting back to the side of the business I’m really passionate about; discovering amazing ingredients and creating dishes to show my customers what they’re all about.”

jorge-artisan-foods.co.uk

I didn’t want to get a shop and ll it full of things that you can buy anywhere – I wanted to do something di erent