Howdah, a gourmet Indian snack company and social enterprise, has secured a product listing with leading supermarket chain Morrisons.
The deal places the innovative Manchester-based start-up’s snack range – comprising Onion Bhajis, Peanut Pakora, Bombay Puri and Bakarawdi Bites – on the shelves of 135 Morrisons stores across the country. Morrisons is a supermarket committed to supporting local communities and economies by stocking its shelves with a larger portion of food and drink that is sourced from local suppliers.
The company’s founder, Falu Shah, moved to the UK from India in 1988. She and her son Akash decided to set up Howdah in order to recreate the treasured and authentic Indian flavours found in their family home. The company’s range of products use original recipes, traditional spices and locally sourced Indian ingredients to bring flavours from Falu’s homeland to dinner tables across the UK.
Howdah’s commercial journey began at London luxury retailer Harrods. Falu provided the department store with samples, and they were impressed with Howdah’s combination of traditional Indian recipes and gourmet approach, leading to an offer to launch the products and for them to be stocked exclusively in Harrods for six months.
Howdah has since expanded into more than 150 fine food and farm shops across the country. Last year, Falu was approached by the BBC to pitch her business onDragons’ Den. A full feature of this pitch was aired in February 2017.
The Morrisons listing was achieved following support from the Business Growth Hub, part of Manchester Growth Company, which provided Falu with business guidance at several workshops, including the Recipe for Success programme.
Recipe for Success consists of a series of free to access seminars enabling small businesses to get in front of medium to large retailers to find out more about a range of issues including pricing, insight about what major retailers expect from suppliers, and advice on product development.
Falu Shah said: “I am very proud to have achieved our first supermarket listing, which is a major milestone in the growth and development of Howdah as a global brand. Our great relationship with Morrisons’ buyer Noor Ali, and support from the Business Growth Hub, have been critical to our success. Given the rapid growth of the world food sector, Morrisons is the ideal platform for our snacks to reach British consumers. I feel that this is the launchpad for Howdah’s role as an ambassador of the exciting expansion of the world food market in Britain. “
Michael Hadfield, growth business advisor at Business Growth Hub, said: “Falu was looking to upskill to engage with larger buyers and create opportunities for her brand. At the same time, she was looking to identify barriers along the way and source information and services to overcome these barriers.
“She was able to learn from industry experts on how to engage with large multiple buyers and large food service companies, practice her pitching technique and network with other food businesses. In addition, she continues to receive one-to-one support and has received advice on vending contacts, links to universities and developing a commercial proposal for supermarkets – which we are delighted to see has come to fruition with this superb Morrisons listing.”
Noor Ali, senior buying manager, world foods, Morrisons, added: “We are always looking for innovative products and niche markets – this was definitely one of them. I was also impressed with Falu – she came across very well, knowledgeable and passionate about her range of snacks.”
A small company with big ideas, Howdah is partnered with Indian NGO Akshaya Patra. As part of the #Howdah1for1 campaign, each 100g bag sold gives away a free school meal to a child in India as a means of encouraging education. So far, the company has given away over 35,000 meals.
In addition, the company is working alongside charities in Manchester, including The Real Junk Project, to give away snacks on a regular basis, ensuring Howdah’s success is of continual benefit to the local community.
If you’re a business owner on the hunt for the Recipe for Success, the Business Growth Hub will be launching the next wave of its programme at the end of this year.
Furthermore, being a fully-funded ERDF scheme means that there is no cost for the qualifying businesses.
