WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE MANX ‘STARTISAN’ As part of Jamie’s prize for winning the ‘Manx Startisan’ award he receives a guaranteed listing in leading Manx food retailer Shoprite’s stores which will shortly be stocking his ‘proper’ lemonade and ‘real’ ginger beer. Like Jamie’s Roots BevCo, many of the established local Manx food producers that are stocked on Shoprite’s shelves started out from the grain of a good idea. They are all linked by the common factor of passion in their product and a commitment to quality that makes their product stand out. Shoprite’s team will look to help Jamie with areas such as branding, packaging, marketing and pricing that are essential
Pesticides, to name a few hazards. Just recently, the state of Hawaii placed several bee species on the endangered species list. We think this is crazy! As Albert Einstein said ‘no more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man’ We are incredibly fortunate that the Isle of Man has been granted a Verroa Mite free status by the European Union. Additionally, our farmers use very little herbicides and pesticides and we were recently recognised by UNESCO as the first Island nation to achieve an official World Biosphere Region status. Our mission is to set up a bee farm on the Isle of Man to produce honey to sweeten our healthy low sugar drinks. We will allocate 10% of our annual profits to be re-invested in all things related to the wellbeing of bees.” Jamie’s products are already prominent in a number of local stockists including well-known health food restaurant Greens, Noa Bakehouse, Riley’s Garden Centre, Freshly Squeezed, the Alpine Café and 14 North, Bath & Bottle and the Little Fish Café and his delicious range of fresh drinks will shortly be gracing leading Manx food retailer Shoprite’s shelves. MANX STARTISAN
Can you become a Manx Startisan and join the local food revolution. The Isle of Man has a large number of well established local food producers, particularly involved with meat and dairy industries, that allow large food retailers like Shoprite to operate ‘import substitution’ where they can support local producers by offering local alternatives. However, the Island can always support more niche providers which not only benefit the local economy but also provide premium quality, healthy alternatives to well known brands with provenance that can be tracked back directly to local sources. New businesses are being set up by local people who are passionate about food and drink who are creating products that reflect those premium quality values
to listings with a multiple retailer, and Roots BevCo has the chance to follow in the footsteps of many of the wellestablished companies that started out as home based operations and have now gone on to reach the stage where they can now be exported to UK and international markets. Jamie will also receive free use of a unit in Shoprite parent company Isle of Man Enterprises’ Village Walk Shopping Centre in Onchan for a six month period and Jamie has already discussed plans with Shoprite to create a branded presence and series of pop up evenings in the unit.
with delicious, home spun products that are far superior to the mass produced, well established alternatives. John Speakman, Senior Buyer, Shoprite, who was one of the judges for the Manx Startisan award said: “In my job one of the things that really stands out is the quality and potential for the local food market. Shoprite, as a local retailer, is committed to the local market. He continued: “We stock a wide range from local producers on our shelves and are always happy to discuss any ideas with local producers and are keen to help them to establish themselves in the local market. Jamie epitomises that quality and we are all really looking forward to working with him on growing his drinks business.” agenda
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