How To Make It In Fine Food

“The first thing you need to make it in the fine food and drink industry is genuine quality and pedigree, because you’re dealing with people who know what they’re talking about. Perhaps unsurprisingly, I’ve found this isn’t so much the case when it comes to dealing with supermarkets. Secondly, you need to be genuine; communicate as a human being and not as a faceless, corporate company. Have your own name on email addresses, and talk to people in the fine food industry as you would a friend rather than a corporate customer – that means no PowerPoint presentations or boring waffle.

“The great thing about the speciality food sector is that you’re talking to intelligent adults who set up their own businesses out of passion, and are probably sitting up at their kitchen tables at 9pm doing their accounts. Being successful in this industry means being honest and true to what you believe in. Don’t try to pull the wool over people’s eyes; they can see through it.

“These are fantastic times for the independent and speciality food markets. As the economy is improving, people are turning away from discount food and wanting to spend a little more on quality. There’s a huge rise in delis and farm shops again, as people can see the value and worth of good food. In the mass-produced market, cheap market things aren’t looking so rosy, as the only way to grow is to produce higher volumes at lower prices, meaning more work for less money. The good thing about the way we work – producing our own product from the ground up – is that we don’t need to be lowering our prices to keep business… And it’s fun!

“Quality is key to the future of our industry. There’s huge potential in our sector for creating something entirely bespoke, which you simply can’t make using mass-produced methods. Everyone appreciates something personal and unique.”

The full interview can be found in the July/August issue of Speciality Food, which you can download for free here