Hurrah for start-up business GREAT BRITISH CONFIT
GB Confit make game & meat confits for the Food Service and Speciality Ingredients sector, enabling chefs to easily add innovation to their menus. Confit Burgers, Pizza, Wraps, Salads and Deli Boards made using their quality Confits and Rillettes are going down heartily and are perfect for busy ‘bon vivants’ everywhere!
Great British Confit, based in Warwickshire, is a start-up business which has successfully shown year-round demand for their products at food festivals and from local businesses. The Company produces a range of quality confits made only from British game and livestock using traditional methods. Not only that – GB Confit is also SALSA’s 1,000th Approved Member – and their success is indeed well deserved!
Confit (pronounced ‘con-fee’) comes from the French word confire which means literally "to preserve". A traditional food of southwestern France, a confit is any type of meat, vegetable, fruit or fish that is first lightly cured and then cooked slowly over a long period of time as a method of preservation. The curing stage is very important to add depth of flavour – this time-consuming but vital step is often missing in some products pertaining to be confit!
GB Confit is the brainchild of business partners Ian de Courcy and Adam Poole, who discovered they shared a passion for confit whilst treating lawns for Ian’s other business TopGrass. In 2014, Ian decided to take the plunge and go with his new business idea after being awarded two innovation grants from Coventry University Enterprises Ltd. Their versatile products can be enjoyed hot or cold, and are the perfect elegant, fuss-free solution to year-round menus. They also work well with salads or as a quick and delicious menu idea for the busy, festive season ahead.
Ian and Adam have developed a range of confit meats that are lightly cured and slowly cooked in British cold pressed extra virgin rapeseed oil. Today, Confit Pheasant, Confit (free range) Duck, Cider-cured Pork Confit and Ale-cured Grass-fed Charolais Beef Confit lead the range, with other recipes in the pipeline. They have also developed a range of Rillettes, similar to a pâté, from each of their meats. GB Confit’s rillettes recipes are unique; they are a blend of confit meat and cassoulet (a French-style stew made with British Fava beans) resulting in a lower fat content and more flavour. Their Pork & Apple Rillettes has just won a Great Taste Award. All products are vacuum-packed and available chilled with a life of 3 months or can be frozen. They are also free of preservatives Sodium Nitrates and Nitrites found in bacon and other cured meats as the long, slow cooking process and vacuum-packaging does all the safe preservation necessary.
SALSA Approval was recognised as an essential requirement if GB Confit were to meet their business objective of supplying foodservice distributors and foodservice chains. The Company joined SALSA in February 2016 and used the resources available by SALSA to assist in their audit preparations.
Ian, who had trained as a Food Technologist, had previously managed a BRC-accredited factory supplying M&S. He applied the same rigour to the SALSA certification and was impressed that SALSA had specified their Standard Requirements in a way that could be practically achieved by a small business. He comments, ‘The support prior to our first audit was fantastic. I attended an excellent SALSA Food Labelling workshop and we engaged a SALSA mentor to do a pre-audit which I would thoroughly recommend. Help on documentation was given by the SALSA team throughout, and by using their online Tools & Tips and Guides, I felt well informed in my understanding of the Requirements. Having prepared well, the audit itself was demanding but quite an enjoyable experience!’
GB Confit flew through their audit and was proudly flying the SALSA flag by July 2016. Gaining Approval has helped the business significantly. ‘We turned to SALSA to enable us to reach a wider market and approach new buyers; gaining certification has done just that!’ Ian adds. ‘As a direct result we have had three major foodservice distributors, one leading pub chain and one manufacturer interested in our products. We’re very excited about the future and growing the business through doors that our SALSA Approval has opened.’
GB Confit is a worthy holder of the SALSA 1000th Approved Member award – all their ingredients are sourced in the UK, and their innovative products made in the UK. They are truly representative of all a SALSA member stands for: a successful, innovative UK micro-business, committed to excellence, and with a big future.
For more information about GB Confit Ltd please see the SALSA Directory or visit their website: www.gbconfit.co.uk
