A 75% increase in sales of local products, over the last four years, has convinced the owners of a deli-pub in north Yorkshire that there is real profit to be made from stocking speciality foods.
“We held our first Farmers’ Market last year and forecast a two percent increase in the number of people attending the second one this July,” said Ashley McCarthy, owner of Ye Old Sun pub. “It’s a small percentage but in this climate it’s also a very welcome one,” he added.

The deli is adjoined to the back of the pub and now plays host to over 250 local or regional products. The owners believe customers are now more interested in the pub food because it’s sourced from producers close to home. “Stocking fine food has made the pub more popular,” said Mr McCarthy. “The deli now feeds custom into the pub, whereas when we started we thought it would be other other way round,” he added.

Maximising sales with homemade goods is also proving to be a real success. “We smoke our own meats and fish and we also bake in-house, which is very popular,” said Mr McCarthy. “We know that people want to know the ethics of the food they’re buying, so we see this as an opportunity to form even stronger relationships with old customers and appeal to new ones too.”

by Nicola Mallett

http://www.specialityfoodmagazine.com/site/index.php/content/news/pub_deli_seizes_speciality_food_opportunity/