
Focus Friday: Bombay Pantry
Fri Sep 18 2015

We have teamed up with Tesco Taste Bud to bring you the best new Irish food producers, and tell you all about their products. Today, on Focus Friday we talk to Emma Sheehan of Bombay Pantry.
Wicklow-based Bombay Pantry creates award winning Indian food, handmade from scratch using traditional methods by a team of highly trained Indian chefs. Bombay Pantry won three stars at the 2014 Great Taste Awards for their Bombay Chicken Curry, Butter Chicken Masala and Butter Masala sauce. Based in Kilcoole, Bombay Pantry operates seven takeaway restaurants in the Dublin region and supplies ready meals to a number of retailers including Tesco Ireland. Their delicious range of ready meals contain no MSG, no preservatives and 99% of their meals are gluten free. We caught up with Emma to find out more.
Can you tell us a bit about your product?
At Bombay Pantry we produce an award winning range of authentic Indian chilled meals and sauces, made from all natural ingredients, no gluten containing ingredients, sourced locally where possible. We produce a range of Indian meals and simmer sauces ranging from mild in spice to hotter options. 6 of our products have won Great Taste Awards, we recently won a 2-star Gold for our delicious Chicken Korma.
What inspired you to create your product?
In conjunction with our offer of chilled meals, we also have 7 shops in greater Dublin area. It was customer demand that led us to creating a range for our own shops which in turn led to successfully breaking into retailers. We knew there was no quality branded chilled Indian range on the market, and decided it was time to bridge that gap and give Irish customers a taste of real Indian food.
How has your product evolved since it has launched?
The way we make our products has not changed, we still cook in small batches to preserve the vibrancy of colour and taste. Our team of Indian chefs continue to use authentic cooking processes, where flavours are layered on to each other, all of which contributes to the great taste and quality of the products. What has changed is the range itself, as customers now opting for hotter flavours, we have introduced spicier options into the mix, such as Chicken Jalfrezi and Butter Chicken Masala.
Who is your customer?
As our range consists of meals and simmer sauces, I would say our range appeals to those who are time poor and appreciate a good quality meal prepared for them. Our sauces are a big hit with Mums who like to create their own dinners by adding vegetables and proteins to sauce to create a delicious family meal, without the hassle of having to make the sauce from scratch.
What tips would you give to someone who is starting out and wants to launch a food-related product/business?
I certainly think that the local enterprise offices and Bord Bia are extremely helpful to start up food businesses, they have a wealth of knowledge and experience that is hugely beneficial. Also, know your margins and costs J
Where can you buy this product and how much will it cost?
Available in selected Dublin Tesco stores.
For a full list of stockists visit www.bombaypantry.com
Simmer sauces RRp 3.65 Meals from 4.50
What does the future hold for your business?
It’s very exciting times, our simmer sauces have just been launched and we are delighted with the customer reaction. We will continue to focus on what the customer is looking for and deliver a quality product which we are very proud of.
Bombay Pantry is one of the 20 Irish food and drink producers that have joined this year’s Tesco Taste Bud programme in partnership with Bord Bia.
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