​Social media helps Northern Ireland's Scott’s Crispy gain exciting sales in Britain

The family-owned and managed enterprise is now supplying its wide range of crispy onions, a product it pioneered, to the influential Artisan Food Club at Babington in Somerset, a major internet-led supplier of artisan foods to independent retailers throughout Britain.

Jodie Brown, sales and marketing manager at Scott’s, explains: “We originally followed Marcus Carter, the founder of the Artisan Food Club, on Instagram and had become interested in his innovative company. We thought the concept behind the business was brilliant.

“We then noticed that Marcus was listed to attend a food and drink showcase here organised by Invest NI and decided to invite him to call at our stand, which he promised to do.

“He sampled our crispy onions on the stand and spent time talking to us about the products and his business. Marcus absolutely loved the product and was keen to get them listed on his website."

The show led to an account being agreed that listed all five flavours of the retail packs of Scott’s Crispy Onions, meaning customers in England, Scotland and Wales can purchase them via Artisan Food Club. We then ship directly to them.

“We have only just set up the account and have already received orders over the internet from new customers in Britain. Marcus will work to increase awareness of the brand there and how the product can be used,” Jodie says.

Marcus Carter formed the Artisan Food Club in 2012 “to search out exciting new artisan food and drink brands”. It was based on his conviction that there were thousands of delicious food and drink products being made by talented artisan producers across the UK. Whilst the quality of the products couldn’t be questioned, many were untested beyond the farmers’ market, and were being overlooked by traditional wholesalers, which were only able to work with brands that had a proven

sales background.

This was a situation that didn’t benefit anyone, especially not consumers or Independent retailers who were stuck selling the same products as the shop down the road. For the customer, the shopping experience was lacking, and many artisans struggled to grow their businesses.

A passion “to help independent food companies have a voice’ has been the driving force behind many of his ventures and is now the primary aim of the Artisan Food Club.

Over the next few years Marcus, who grew up in North Wales and developed experience in farming, agricultural management and food production, worked closely with independent retailers, to enable them to try these exciting new brands risk-free.

Feedback was positive as retailers saw footfall and basket spend grow, consumers enjoyed all the exciting new brands and flavours, and the artisans working with the Artisan Food Club, saw their weekend passions grow into sustainable businesses.

He knows about the challenges of small food businesses and in food production from a BBQ sauce venture. Armed with this knowledge and experience, Marcus subsequently created ‘Carter Food House’, a national wholesaler to butchers and fish shops and the ‘Virtual Farmers Market’, an online sales platform for artisan producers, the latter leading to Artisan Food Club.

Leading independent retailers, now customers of the business, include Selfridges and Partridges, both in central London, Cobbs in Scotland and Stoneleigh in England.

The listing is regarded by Scott’s Crispy Onions as another significant presence in its targeted market of large and small retailers in Great Britain.

It’s a marketing drive which is beginning to yield substantial sales for its products that include convenient snack pots and the first gluten-free crispy onions. The handy snack pots now account for around 15 percent of its business, reflecting its longstanding commitment to innovation in products and customer-focused marketing.

The crispy onions, furthermore, have been exported to major supermarkets and independents in the Netherlands, Denmark and even as far as Australia.

The company, which employs around 20 people, began producing unique ready-to-eat crispy onions in 2013.

The onions, which can be eaten hot or cold, are produced fresh daily to ensure consistent restaurant quality for both professional chefs and home cooks.

As well as being essentially plant-based, the crispy onions are suitable for vegans and vegetarians and are now also gluten-free.

The company hand-peels, seasons and cooks the onions to ensure consistent product quality. The crispy onions do not contain any artificial colours or preservatives. They are cooked in rapeseed oil and are low in saturated fat.

Rapeseed oil is a key source of Omega 3, containing around ten times more than olive oil.