Salisbury
Great Taste retailer case study
Salt. Deli Kitchen, situated on the A30 in near Salisbury is a new incarnation of the very successful Thyme and Tides in Stockbridge. Following ten years at the old location, Salt. Deli Kitchen was set up in 2022 by Iain and Sally Hemming. It is a deli, farm shop and café providing quality ingredients to go and fresh food served in house.
Iain Hemming, co-owner and founder of Salt. Deli Kitchen has been in the food and drink industry for most of his adult life and finds being a member of the Guild of Fine Food helps to guide some of his key buying and business decisions.
He says: “It can be quite a lonely world at the moment, you’ve really got to be on the ball. You have to get out there and use your eyes and ears to see what the market is doing and how it is changing. We are all responsible for our own success, but being a member of the Guild of Find Food has really helped us, not only do I read Fine Food Digest from cover to cover each month, but the Latest Industry Advice updates and the Town Hall meetings are invaluable. Just knowing we’re part of a wider community and that there is a support network behind us is really reassuring and it has helped me make some quite brave decisions.
We are all responsible for our own success, but being a member of the Guild of Find Food has really helped us
“Our industry is under so much stress at the moment, we really need to work together as a team, the Guild is the hub in the middle of a wheel, it helps to unite us. As independent retailers we can’t always advocate for ourselves, so its important to be part of something bigger, there is strength in numbers. My prediction is that there will be a lot of casualties in our sector over the coming months and years and the cream will undoubtedly rise to the top, so being aware of issues and how to navigate them is fundamental to our survival.
Just knowing we’re part of a wider community and that there is a support network behind us is really reassuring
“Keeping ahead of the competition is obviously important in any industry, and for us that looks like getting to great producers when they are still in their embryonic stage, before the big retailers get their claws into them. The awards are an excellent benchmark for what is good and what I should be putting in my shop and on my menus. To be able to do that with the added bonus of building relationships early on is the key to success and providing our customers with top notch products.
the Guild is the hub in the middle of a wheel, it helps to unite us.
“Almost all of our stock comes from independent producers, it’s so important to us to support local businesses and provide our customers with artisan products that we know they will love. For us its all about being able to tell a story, we want to know who has created our products and where they have come from, what the ethos behind them is and how much love and hard work has gone into the making process.
The awards are an excellent benchmark for what is good and what I should be putting in my shop and on my menus.
“We try to avoid ultra processed foods where at all possible, welfare is important to us and we only source ethical produce. Obviously everyone is concerned about their margins, so we do have to keep price points in mind, but quality, seasonality and freshness are equally key. Another real consideration when bringing in new stock is minimum order quantities and this is where the Great Taste awards come into their element. I can buy with much more confidence if I know that something meets the Guild’s rigorous standards.
Almost all of our stock comes from independent producers, it’s so important to us to support local businesses
“From the consumer point of view, the stars are an instant indication of quality that can be spotted immediately on the shelf. In particular a 3-star really tells our customers what to look out for and it shows them that we know what we’re doing, we have good stuff in stock!”
