Sales of Spain’s spicy store cupboard staple are rocketing in Britain. Now one producer is taking on the Spanish by making its own chorizo, writes Amy Golding
Give them meat this Christmas. Granted, it's not usually high up on festive gift lists but this is Matthew Chiles' message this year.
"We're hoping to sell our chorizo as stocking fillers so our customers can give the gift of meat," reveals the co-founder of British chorizo producer The Bath Pig.
It might sound hare-brained but the company could be on to something. Chorizo is currently the UK's fastest-growing meat snack [Kantar Worldpanel 52w/e 5 September]. And Bath Pig has been picking up listings for its three variants Original, Spicy and Garlic & Herb (rsp: £3 a pack) like there's no tomorrow. The sausages are stocked by Budgens and 700 farm shops. Talks are under way with Ocado as The Bath Pig sets its sights on winning over the multiples.
Not bad for a company only launched in June 2009. It all started when Chiles, who used to work in IT sales, took wife Naomi on a Spanish holiday. Any hopes of sun, sand and sangria soon disappeared when Chiles revealed that the couple would be spending their holiday touring the country's pig farms to research his latest venture. Back home in Bath, Chiles' first chorizo made from local pork was hung up in co-founder and full-time oncologist Tim French's airing cupboard. And so The Bath Pig story began.
The company's first outing was at last year's Glastonbury Festival, where the the pair made a killing selling chorizo and halloumi baps. "It was a fantastic success and generated £15,000 in sales," says Chiles. Buoyed by the success, The Bath Pig began hatching its plans to take chorizo national.
Growth has been spectacular. In January, to meet demand, the Bath Pig teamed up with Yorkshire cured-beef company Bare Earth to build two curing rooms at the latter's Ripon HQ. Now, just 18 months after the company launched, it is knocking out 5,000 sausages a week and not just for farm shops. It also supplies Raymond Blanc's Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons eatery and has been endorsed by respected chef Mark Hix.
The pair believe that with the growing public appetite for chorizo and the continued buzz created by celebrity chefs, now is the time to drive the business on. The multiples will be key, accepts Chiles, who believes the Britishness of the product is one of its chief selling points.
"I want to stay loyal to the farm shops that have supported us since we launched," he says. "But I understand that to have a nationally recognised brand we are going to have to get the big retailers on board. Supermarkets are always talking about British meat, but for most cured ranges they still have to rely on imported produce."
Not for much longer. A snacking product for the multiples is on the cards and Chiles will be calling for shoppers to "give the gift of meat" at Christmas markets in coming weeks. "We set up the with the aim of going national," he says. "Production is now much slicker and so is our packaging. There's space for us in the market."
All he needs now is a snappier slogan.
Give them meat this Christmas. Granted, it's not usually high up on festive gift lists but this is Matthew Chiles' message this year.
"We're hoping to sell our chorizo as stocking fillers so our customers can give the gift of meat," reveals the co-founder of British chorizo producer The Bath Pig.
It might sound hare-brained but the company could be on to something. Chorizo is currently the UK's fastest-growing meat snack [Kantar Worldpanel 52w/e 5 September]. And Bath Pig has been picking up listings for its three variants Original, Spicy and Garlic & Herb (rsp: £3 a pack) like there's no tomorrow. The sausages are stocked by Budgens and 700 farm shops. Talks are under way with Ocado as The Bath Pig sets its sights on winning over the multiples.
Not bad for a company only launched in June 2009. It all started when Chiles, who used to work in IT sales, took wife Naomi on a Spanish holiday. Any hopes of sun, sand and sangria soon disappeared when Chiles revealed that the couple would be spending their holiday touring the country's pig farms to research his latest venture. Back home in Bath, Chiles' first chorizo made from local pork was hung up in co-founder and full-time oncologist Tim French's airing cupboard. And so The Bath Pig story began.
The company's first outing was at last year's Glastonbury Festival, where the the pair made a killing selling chorizo and halloumi baps. "It was a fantastic success and generated £15,000 in sales," says Chiles. Buoyed by the success, The Bath Pig began hatching its plans to take chorizo national.
Growth has been spectacular. In January, to meet demand, the Bath Pig teamed up with Yorkshire cured-beef company Bare Earth to build two curing rooms at the latter's Ripon HQ. Now, just 18 months after the company launched, it is knocking out 5,000 sausages a week and not just for farm shops. It also supplies Raymond Blanc's Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons eatery and has been endorsed by respected chef Mark Hix.
The pair believe that with the growing public appetite for chorizo and the continued buzz created by celebrity chefs, now is the time to drive the business on. The multiples will be key, accepts Chiles, who believes the Britishness of the product is one of its chief selling points.
"I want to stay loyal to the farm shops that have supported us since we launched," he says. "But I understand that to have a nationally recognised brand we are going to have to get the big retailers on board. Supermarkets are always talking about British meat, but for most cured ranges they still have to rely on imported produce."
Not for much longer. A snacking product for the multiples is on the cards and Chiles will be calling for shoppers to "give the gift of meat" at Christmas markets in coming weeks. "We set up the with the aim of going national," he says. "Production is now much slicker and so is our packaging. There's space for us in the market."
All he needs now is a snappier slogan.
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