BUSINESS
Starting a food business cont.
Sally Newall, Simply Ice Cream, www. simplyicecream. co. uk
What sparked the initial idea for your business?
Simply Ice cream was set up in October 2005 on the back of a catering business that I have run for the last 28 years. I started thinking about trying to get some time back, especially on weekends, to spend with my husband and four children. The idea was to create a product that could be sold into retail that was produced and distributed throughout a normal working week. It turns out this was very naïve as I quickly realised that all the promotion and marketing that comes with building a business needs to be done through market stalls / events / trade shows / sampling in store etc. which predominantly take place over the weekend, so I ended up working harder than ever – regularly working 12-18 hour days and every weekend.
What was the first step you took in getting off the ground?
Initially, we approached a local farm shop to see if they would sell our ice cream for us and then gauge how it sold; it’ s very easy for friends and family to tell you to launch a product that they enjoy but you need to cover a wide customer base who will be constructively critical. The initial packaging was just a plastic tub with a sticker on top in a range of four flavours – vanilla, chocolate, strawberry and honeycomb. We spent over a year deciding how we wanted the tubs and the general overall company branding to look and the range now includes 32 flavours. In the first six months, we supplied one farm shop; the following year five outlets; 16 the following year; and in 2008 we went into Waitrose and decided to devote more time to the ice cream and less to the catering.
What’ s been the toughest challenge you’ ve faced so far and how have you overcome it?
In year two, we changed from plastic tubs to paper and introduced the current look of the brand. We had to order 50,000 pots initially, which were being printed in Italy by a company based in the UK. When they arrived they were all out of register and the whole lot had to be redone, which set us back six months and delayed our launch into Waitrose; very disappointing at the time! Growing the company in our existing space is a constant challenge but doable – I firmly believe you should maximise on what you have available and not overstretch the business. Our biggest challenge to date was a restructure we made to the business two years ago enabling me to start working on the business again and not in it.
What’ s been your biggest achievement to date?
Still being in business! The food industry is a tough industry to work in – regulations change constantly, costs are going up, and challenges as a result of Brexit will impact for a good few years to come. However, we believe we have a loyal growing fan base and wonderful staff who are committed to seeing the company continue to achieve success.
In your opinion, what separates a product that will be a success from one that won’ t?
Packaging is key, followed by taste – a consumer’ s eye will be drawn initially by packaging. Getting that initial sale is key and something that stands out on the shelf is half the battle in getting your product picked over a competitor. Once bought, the product needs to deliver so it needs to taste good. You need to think about quality, ingredients, where you sit in the market place, how you get it to
market, supply chain, and marketing spend etc. Social media influences are huge these days and we all need to look at these platforms to market to the next generation too. Initially, promote the product as much as possible at events, markets, and instore samplings to get people trying the product and gain a loyal fan base – if you don’ t have consumers on board, you won’ t be selling anything.
If you had one piece of advice for anyone thinking of launching their own food or drink business, what would that be?
Running your own business is a constant learning curve. It never fails to amaze me how many curve balls get thrown on a daily basis especially when you are trying to wear many hats in a small company. I have ensured that I seek specialist advice along the way which has been invaluable. Think about logistics too – frozen distribution is a nightmare; if I had my time again I would seriously think twice about a frozen product!
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