28 | The Grocer | 20 July 2019 Get the full story at thegrocer.co.uk
world supermarkets
consumers seeking fresh, alternative flavours and
British home cooks who have developed greater appe-
tite for oriental cuisine in recent years.”
Online specialists
Specialist online grocers are also benefiting from more
international British tastebuds. Jyoti Patel, founder and
CEO of online Asian grocer Red Rickshaw, suggests
the food industry as a whole is becoming “a lot more
diverse”, whether through restaurants, cookbooks,
blogs and newspapers, or suppliers. As a result, peo-
ple are more educated about food, and more demand-
ing and discerning than ever. Everyone’s in search of
authenticity, even if that means lots of different things
to different people.”
Although the majority of Red Rickshaw’s custom-
ers are still from an Asian background, the grocer is
finding that non-Asian British home cooks and restau-
rants are “increasingly drawn” to its range, especially
for fresh ingredients such as curry leaves and Indian
m a ngo e s. “ We’re ju s t t r y i ng to m a ke s u re t h at t he s ite i s
useful, attractive and usable for everyone,” says Patel.
“Whether they’re experienced with Asian cooking or
just curious.”
She adds: “We’re catering to people who want, or
even need, our level of convenience and accessibility.
Not everyone is able to visit their local store regularly, if
they even have one nearby. And the growth of the world
foods aisle is notable, but there’s just not enough space
in a chain supermarket for all the specialist products
people want these days.”
Yap believes the rise in the popularity of world
foods presents a big opportunity for specialist stores.
“Operators can capitalise on this trend by providing
traditional options using carefully sourced ingredi-
ents, playing their part in educating customers about
the best oriental dishes, while providing an exciting
array of more unusual options.
“It is likely growth in travel to South East Asian des-
tinations will naturally stimulate interest in the cuisine
in the UK. There is a clear opportunity for the industry
to boost ingredient sales by helping to increase con-
sumers’ confidence in their home-cooking abilities.”
Red Rickshaw, for example, has launched a recipe
box brand called Feast Box, primarily aimed at people
who wouldn’t otherwise cook with these ingredients.
So while Korean may be the latest craze, other cui-
s i ne s a re s u re to fol low s u it a s g lob a l t r ave l cont i nue s to
drive interest for a taste of the exotic among British con-
sumers. Who knows, one day Malagasy, Paraguayan or
A rc t ic s up e r m a rke t s m ig ht b e come a h ig h s t re e t s t aple.
For now, though, here are eight specialist stores already
capitalising on better-travelled British tastebuds...
Best Biltong
Best Biltong is a small, family-run
South African company estab-
lished in 2005. It has three stores,
in Kingston, Guildford and Woking,
as well as an online shop.
The company specialises in bil-
tong (dried cured meat) and dry-
wors (a dried snack sausage), but is
“constantly” developing its range,
which includes traditional South
African fare such as boerewors, flat-
ties, rusks and koeksisters, as well
as wines, beers and spirits.
The retailer has a butchery in
Kingston, which exclusively sup-
plies its three stores.
‘We value our brand and are
sticklers for quality control,’ the
company says.
‘Fresh meat and biltong is made
weekly, scientifically tested fre-
quently and tasted daily. For this
reason, we do not wholesale to any
independent outlets or multination-
als and our products are exclusively
available to us.’Delicatezza
Delicatezza is an online Italian deli-
catessen headquartered in London,
founded in 2013 in partnership with
a family-run producer and importer
of fine Italian foods.
The company says on its web-
site that a ‘desire to offer customers
a chance to enjoy award-winning
and exceptional quality produce at
home are the tenets upon which we
are based’.
The company boasts a hand-
made and fresh range, which
includes filled and unfilled egg
pasta, hand-made gluten-free
pasta, ready meals, pasta sauces,Bristol Sweet Mart
Bristol Sweet Mart is a family-
run business based in the heart
of Easton in Bristol, founded
by Kassam Ismail Majothi – a
Ugandan refugee – in 1978. The
business now employs about 40
people and boasts a retail depart-
ment, a wholesale department, and- its latest expansion – a unique
concept deli, all of which sell pan-
Asian food and drink.
It claims to be the biggest sup-
plier of world foods and spices in
the south west of England. It sup-
plies both the general public and
the Indian restaurant trade.
“ We ’ r e c at e r i n g t o p e o p l e w h o
w a nt or ne e d c onv e n ie nc e
and accessibility. Noteveryone is able to visit
their local store regularly”