‘Versatile’ Auntie’s Sauces hopes to shake up Indian food market
A UK-based traditional Indian sauce brand with a modern twist is hoping its “versatile” range becomes more than an accompaniment to a poppadom.
Auntie’s Sauces has launched a range of “highly versatile table sauces” that can be used for dipping and as a marinade or cooking ingredient.
The sauces were developed by ‘Auntie’, an octogenarian and former successful restaurateur who decided retirement wasn’t for her. Along with her granddaughter, Shireen and grandson- in-law, Greg, she has married her knowledge of traditional Indian spices and flavours with modern western tastes and created a brand they hope will fill a gap in the Indian
food market.
Gregory Dhaliwal Davies, co-founder, said: “There’s nothing quite like our sauces.
“They taste great, are full of great flavours and they’re versatile – you can dunk chips in them, use them on cheese on toast, use them as a marinade or a table sauce. We sell our tamarind sauce in catering packs because chefs use it as their secret ingredient.”
The husband-and-wife team recently left successful careers and Auntie has come out of retirement “because the demand is there”.
“We’re now stocked in over 30 different shops and expanding rapidly. We’ve had great success at food markets and food festivals – we sell out wherever we go,” said Dhaliwal Davies.
The range includes three main sauces – tamarind, chilli mango and ginger coriander – and the recently launched Indian ketchup.
“It is now our best-seller, everyone loves it. It’s got an extra dimension of spice and flavour that your usual ketchup doesn’t,” said Dhaliwal Davies.
The company is currently finalising deals to move into bigger premises in order to up their production and is set to launch a range of pickles in the near future.
“We’re very ambitious and we want to take these sauces nationally – we see there’s a gap in ethnic foods, they’re a bit old and dated so we’ve come up with something fresh and exciting that calls on tradition at the same time.”
Auntie’s Sauces are sold to the trade in cases of six bottles for £13.80 (£2.30 a bottle, £3.70 RRP. The range is currently distributed by Hot Cakes and Artisan Foods.
This story appeared in the April issue of Fine Food Digest. You can read more on the digital edition here.
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