Amazing Artisans: Hershil, Dips'

It was really great to chat with Hershil, our Amazing Artisan this week, and find out more about his delicious dips, sauces and dressings.Still being in the early stages of his business, Hershil gave us a great insight into the beginnings of a startup food business. We wish him well on the rest of his exciting foodie adventure!

Tell us the story of your business. How did you come up with the idea?

Basically the name came from my Mum because her name is Dipp and everyone calls her Dipps! We thought it would be a good fit with a lot of the products that we are launching, like the Chilli & Garlic paste.

Was your Mum into food; are these her recipes?

Yes, they are her recipes - we made them at home to eat. Every now and then [we would] give them out to friends and family and they really seemed to like them and ask for more.  I think that’s the key when you give your friends stuff; they tend to say they like them but they always used to ask for more or used to ask where did we get that from.  That’s where the idea was born really.  We saw different people trying it and liking it [and] have just taken things on from there.

What was your motivation for starting your own business?

Our house has always been a big “foodie” house and we have always been quite fussy with our food. If we don’t like something we will say so, if we do like something we will really tell people.  Food is where my passion is; I love cooking, so does all my family.

Do you have a background in food?

I have no professional background in food, except Christmas dinner – cooking for 15 to 20 people! My mum is vegetarian and a lot of our friends are vegetarians so we had to effectively cook 2 dinners, one of them being vegetarian.

Are these vegetarian then?

Yes they are vegetarian, vegan as well. It is a matter of how a person uses it. A vegan can use it just as easily as someone who eats meat; it works just as well on a bacon sandwich as on a veggie burger!

What's the most exciting thing about being an entrepreneur?

I suppose its getting your product out there and seeing what kind of a response you get from people. I think that’s the most exciting thing.  I have had a cross section of people trying it and they really liked it but until people actually start parting with their hard-earned cash you can’t really know how successful or unsuccessful something is going to be. I like the new product development side of things and being a bit creative trying to put something out there that people might not have seen before.

Are you working closely with your family?

Yes my sister, my brother-in-law started working on it, [and] theres me, my mum, my dad and my cousin as well.  My parents have got their own bakery they have been running for quite a while now so we kind of all just pitch in.  My wife helps out as well!  

What challenges have you come across?

Quite a few I suppose, like trying to find the right people to source your ingredients from, trying to find the right people to source packaging from, machinery, the different types of packaging that are out there.  Luckily with my sister being a graphic designer we’ve got someone who can handle that side of things.

Have you found that as an emerging food producer it’s hard to get help from established industry professionals?

Yes it can be difficult as obviously they have got their own pressures and things to deal with. The money that we [can] offer compared to a lot of other people is quite nominal, so it can be quite difficult to get their help.  Luckily I’ve been along to a few events and had some help from various people that have been in a similar position and that’s been quite helpful.

So do you think there is a market for people looking to help emerging Artisans in getting their products onto the High Street?

Yes I think there are people out there who do want to help, it’s just a matter of marrying the two together.  Most of my time I spend on Google doing searches for various things that I need.  I might put in what I think is the right term the manufacturers might be using a slightly different term. [This] then means that I miss out on a whole bunch of people that could have potentially helped me out just because I am not aware of the technical jargon that is involved in that industry or in that field.

What advice would you give to someone thinking about starting their own business?

If you really want to do it just put some plans into place because you can always test out the market while you are still working.  [Give samples to people who] don’t really know you so they’ve got no obligation to you as a person and you can get some honest feedback off of them.  I would tell people to go for it but at the same time its not going to be a bed of roses.  I think I heard recently that if you want launch a new product its going to cost you in a region of about £75k.

What kind of business support do you want to receive or wished you had received?

It would have been quite handy to know about all the different government schemes there are out there to help people out - they are not well advertised.

Would you anticipate you would need support and advice for getting the product onto someones shelves or do you have a plan of action for that?

I’ve kind of got a plan of action and I have been lucky enough to meet various people that would help out.  Have heard of Simply Galactic? They try and help brands get into the supermarkets.  As a small producer quite a lot of things get left by the wayside because you are so focused on getting your product out there and launched that, for example, you do not notice that the packaging blends in with all the other packaging on the shelf.

How have you found out about these people?

Mostly through Twitter.  Twitter has been brilliant and its such a good place to find people who can help.  Even if they cannot help you personally they will point you in the direction of someone who can. I see Twitter as a networking tool; finding the right people to learn more about yourself and your product.

What would you like to see in a food hub that showcases new producers?

It would be really good if people could get not just the product in their hands but the back story to the product as well.  It would be nice to have a little area where people can cook up their products – a demonstration area people might be able to use.

You can find Hershil tweeting away here, or if you're interested in finding out more about what Dips' are up to, you can email him at hershil@dipltd.com

Are you an Amazing Artisan who wants to be featured on our blog? We'd love to hear from you- drop us a Tweet @KitchTablePro with the hashtag #AmazingArtisan or send us a message to hello@kitchentableprojects.com