SHOP TALK IF I’D KNOWN THEN WHAT I KNOW NOW... DOM PULSFORD, co-founder, Two Belly, Bristol
The name Two Belly isn’t – as many people assume – about eating in excess. It’s about two people (me and my wife, Lara) pursuing a life in food and drink. When we met, Lara was in beer sales and I was managing The White Horse in Parsons Green. We fell in love with one another and with the idea of embarking on a joint venture involving artisanal beer and cheese. I did the Retail Ready course and Level 1 of the Academy of Cheese with the Guild of Fine Food. Emboldened by their encouragement, I handed in my notice and, in late 2017, went for a seasonal job at Neal’s Yard Dairy. I was completely open about what I wanted to do. I immersed myself in cheese and did as many extra shifts as I could. By this point, we had found a site. It was a ‘first fix’ with A1, A2 and A3 shop use, so perfect. It had previously been an off licence, which stood us in good stead for what we were planning to do. Our vision was to combine the best UK farmhouse cheese with the best beers from Bristol, the UK and abroad (the Belgians make some fantastic beer for cheese) in a retail setting with an eat-in offer. We installed a big sharing table where people could sit and eat cheeseboards and toasties, and held tasting events, which made us a really popular and exciting venue. Obviously, the pandemic forced us to change tack. It accelerated the development of our online shop and, by the third lockdown, we had completely shifted to a retail model. We put in extra shelves in place of the sharing table and expanded our range. We still do our takeaway toasties, as our regulars would object if we stopped those! This period taught us that there is no point in sticking to a plan if it’s not working. We started out focusing on British cheese but extended this to include French and Swiss cheeses in response to customer demand. Also, at the start, we stocked five or six natural wines; now we sell upwards of 80. We see all of these changes as a positive evolution. Going forward, we are going to stick to retail on this site. We know our hospitality format works, but these premises are too small to do both. In future, we hope to launch something akin to what we were doing originally – a beer and cheese bar – at a different location. In the midst of the pandemic, our bread supplier opened a food shop on the opposite side of Bristol and asked us to run the cheese counter. It’s been a good way to test our ability to run a second site. We have learned that it is achievable and it helps that we already have a name in Bristol, but we are still having to build loyalty from scratch. It is almost like starting another business in terms of the time and effort it requires. Interview: Lynda Searby Photography: Stuart Key
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May 2021 | Vol.22 Issue 4
