The Hatchery

The Hatchery, my collaborative incubator for ambitious food entrepreneurs, brings together exciting fledgling food brands enabling them to benefit from some of the advantages that large businesses take for granted – knowledge, reputation, scale and financial resource.

Already two young businesses in The Hatchery have hatched and flown to early success – Smorgasbord Swedish meatballs – headed by Chris Monks – has gained extensive early listings in Sainsburys, Asda, Ocado and Costco and is now flying high; and The Gym Kitchen – headed by young entrepreneur Segun Akinwoleola – launched into Asda with huge success and is now also doing great things in Co-Op stores.

A pre-requisite for joining the Hatchery is that the brand has a mission-driven entrepreneur behind it. The key to beating the large, soulless corporate brands and the bland supermarket own-labels is to create a brand with personality – a brand that makes you feel something. If you think you fit the bill, get in touch wilfred@theblackfarmer.com

Smorgasbord

www.smorgasbordfood.com

Born out of his love of all things Scandinavian, in particular Swedish Meatballs, Chris Monks has developed Smorgasbord into a major force in the UK market. The brand offers authentic Swedish recipes and a wide range of delicious meatballs including a snacking and a veggie range. Soon Smorgasbord will be opening its online shop offering an exciting range of Scandinavian favourites. Meatball products available at Sainsbury’s, Asda, Ocado and Costco.

Flavours of the Windrush

I am passionate about Caribbean cuisine – the flavours of my childhood and I am committed to making these distinctive flavours more widely available. Flavours of the Windrush uses traditional recipes and original flavours to bring Caribbean food out of the ‘World Cuisine’ aisle and into the supermarket ready meal and takeaway sections to make it more accessible and widely known.

Kitcham Brothers

www.thekitchambrothers.com

Inspired by my Devon neighbour’s herd of pedigree Friesian dairy cows which graze on my farmland, I created The Kitcham Brothers to produce a range of single estate cheese.

Bamboo Burma

Founded by Yakub Llewelyn Ahmed Kyi and inspired by Burmese tradition where food is a way to welcome others into your home and show gratitude and thanks, Bamboo Burma is thriving. Burmese cuisine is celebrated as a delicious and customary part of Burmese culture which the founders of Bamboo Burma love to share with customers. Offering quality and convenience with ready to eat meals, these appeal to the time poor customer whilst providing delicious, healthy food which often caters to dietary requirements.

The Gym Kitchen

thegymkitchen.com

Headed by budding entrepreneur Segun Akinweleola and encapsulated by its tagline ‘food to fuel’, Gym Kitchen provides tasty, nutritionally balanced ready meals to busy, health conscious consumers. With rapid growth and store presence, this really is a brand to watch. From healthy ambient meals to ready meals and nutritious snacks, as well as breakfast options and meats, the Gym Kitchen really has it all. More than a food brand, it’s a lifestyle. Available now at Asda and Co-op.

It’s A Black Gurl Thing

Founded by Scarlett Emmanuel-Jones, this pioneering brand seeks to provide a solution for people of black and mixed heritage who experience issues with their hair by offering excellent hair products from shampoos to conditioners and oils. It is prepared to devote care and attention to developing an effective good quality product which brings a community together who can create to one another and share their stories. Striking a balance of premium quality at an affordable price, It’s A Black Gurl Thing will deliver cost-effectiveness without compromising on quality.

ActivEat

Available online at www.activeatfoods.com

Born out of adventure, perfected in the kitchen! ActivEat makes nutritious & delicious adventure food to fuel your active lifestyle. Its founder Jemma Rix impressively rowed the Atlantic using these delicious and practical meals and has continued the ActivEat adventure since. From rowing oceans to marathons, we’ve got you covered with products packed with flavour, energy, and morale to help you achieve your goals.

Trust Your Gut

Founded by Jemma Rix, Trust Your Gut embodies a lifestyle that celebrates your gut health. Trust Your Gut’s gut friendly food products are 100% natural and contain no allergens or artificial sugars. We keep ingredients simple, products delicious and guts happy. Empowering you to live a life as unique as your gut! #trustyourgut

Don Wilfred Rum

Available online at theblackfarmer.com

I have always wanted to create my own Rum to pay homage to my ancestors and my love of flamenco. Thus was born Don Wilfred! The brand celebrates being black whilst maintaining a broad customer range through excellent taste. With a premium look and feel, Don Wilfred is sure to stand out on the shelf and captivate consumers. Currently sold on The Black Farmer Farmshop, Don Wilfred enjoys the excellent reputation associated with that for the proven quality and delicious taste of The Black Farmer products.

Caribbean don wilfred rum fruit

Peng

Peng is a forward thinking vodka brand promoting newness and creating a buzz. With a striking appearance, the product appeals to a young and urban demographic. At an affordable premium price it is accessible and boasts fantastic flavours. In a market experiencing huge growth, with a forecasted 60% growth by 2025, we expect business to be booming.

FlavourPost

Headed by Anki Koivumaki, FlavourPost is a revolutionary online marketplace which connects artisans and food businesses with customers both locally and from around the world. The brand mission is to connect the world one flavour at a time! With low seller commission at 5% and expanding product categories, FlavourPost has lots to offer. Buyers can search by product, as well as location, and delivery options include international, local and local pickup so the consumer reach is large.

The black Scotsman

From start to finish creating The Black Scotsman tartan has been an exciting journey. As a British Jamaican I was amazed to discover that there are strong historic links between my place of birth and Scotland. Now I know why I feel so strongly drawn to all things Scottish. I was not only delighted, but wanted everyone to be able to share the experience. The tartan design is absolutely unique to me, The Black Scotsman. I found a Scottish manufacturer to weave the tartan in the most authentic tradition – take a look at the first throws being woven here. The throws and scarves are the first products to be ready – 100% soft, fine lambswool they are lightweight, but beautifully warm. And there’s plenty more to come. So watch this space.

I Am Halal

I am Mohamed Adel Sidiqi, co-founder of ‘I am Halal’. Together with Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones, I started ‘I am Halal’ to sell only Halal “Certified” products.

Before moving to the UK I had my own Food and Beverage eCommerce business in the United Arab Emirates. However, finding genuine Halal products here is a little difficult compared to the Middle East, Asia, or Africa, as you are never sure what the local butchers are selling and where their meat is coming from.

Then I met Wilfred, who is also known as The Black Farmer. Raised in Birmingham, Wilfred grew up with Muslim friends and is a very close friend of the Muslim community in the UK. Wilfred had the idea of starting a Farm Shop dedicated to only Halal lifestyle products as he had been getting many requests from his friends and customers for genuine, premium Halal products.

We take pride in what we sell, and I am happy that now my Muslim brothers and sisters can shop for a unique range of Halal meat and food products without having to worry whether it’s Halal or not.

Most importantly ‘I am Halal’ is for anyone who is interested in Asian, Middle Eastern and African cuisines and lifestyle.

We sell only Halal Certified products certified under reputable Halal Accreditation Bodies.

If you want to know more about us and ‘I am Halal’ or if there are any Halal products you would like us to stock, please feel free to contact me on adel@iamhalal.co.uk