The pie maker, which already produces Halal products at its factory in Swansea in South Wales, is aiming to take advantage of what it sees as a growing interest in British foods. Once some initial technicalities are resolved, the firm says it should be ready to export at full capacity within six weeks.
Traditional British taste
“We’re looking at a range of traditional British pies, to start off – beef and onion, and chicken and mushroom pies. We’re already talking to some customers out there, and there’s interest,” said Wilf Lewis, managing director of Lewis Pies.
“With this particular market, it will be a baked, wrapped and frozen product – the logistics of getting a fresh product to the Middle East are difficult. So this will suit the freezer cabinets,” he added.
Lewis said it was still too early to estimate sales volumes for the firm’s exports to the region: “It’s a reasonably new market and new product for the region – we’re quite excited, but I wouldn’t want to put numbers to it yet. In terms of the types of supermarket chains out there, there are 500 branches that could potentially take these products, so we’re optimistic that the volumes will be good.”
Tapping Halal consumers
Lewis Pies already had an existing relationship with the Yearsley Group, so the new export agreement was a natural extension, said Lewis. Yearsley expressed interest in Lewis Pies’ Halal products for distribution not just to the Middle East, but also to other countries with substantial Muslim populations, such as Germany and France.
“But the UAE is particularly interesting to us, because it’s a showcase for British products in the Middle East, through the large supermarket chains there, so we’re quite excited about that,” said Lewis, adding that the firm was also targeting markets such as Bahrain and Qatar.
He said there were no significant changes planned for the company’s export products: “There are minor changes we need to make in terms of getting the right type of Halal accreditation, which differs for each country.
“In terms of the product, we feel there’s a demand for a more traditional British product, rather than trying to change the taste of the products to suit the market – research has told us consumers want to try British products, and are keen to try them in their traditional state.”