Home > In the Press > From flavoured pork scratchings to spicy Indian tea
Food start-ups battle it out in Virgin StartUp’s 2017 competition.
Nick Coleman, co-founder of flavoured pork scratchings brand The Snaffling Pig Co, and spicy Indian tea brand Tuk Tuk Chai, founded by husband and wife Rupesh and Alexandra Thomas, have been named among the semi-finalists of Virgin StartUp’s Foodpreneur 2017 competition.
The Snaffling Pig, based in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, and founded in late 2014 by friends on a £500 bet, last year won £70,000 in backing from Nick Jenkins, founder of personalised greetings card company Moonpig, on BBC2’s Dragons’ Den.
The brand has crackling varieties that include fennel and maple, and ham and Colman’s Mustard.
Tuk Tuk Chai was founded in 2015 by the Thomases after they were unable to find in the UK the spiced tea they fell in love with on a trip to India.
Alongside six other semi-finalists, the two firms will open pop-up shops in a shopping centre for a week from June 30 as part of the competition.
Other finalists include Dan Pawson of salmon skin crisp business Seachips and Ryan Panchoo of gluten-free doughnut brand Borough 22.
The winner will have the chance to run their business in a flagship shopping centre for six weeks.
