PROMOTION Thrings Eats... with Paul Rostand, Great British Biscotti A life as a foodie and the idea of putting a twist on a 2,000-year-old Italian biscuit has helped Paul Rostand build a new category in snacking. He tells his story to Pascale Devlin, Solicitor at the Romsey office of the law firm Thrings. (I ve been in the food business forever," says Paul Rostand, in an capital when he'd much rather have been trying out new flavours. Gluten-free and vegan products are in development, and the next focus is on getting biscotti into sweeping the floors in the warehouses separate brand, The Artful Baker, was restaurants, cafes and hotels, They developed for sale thorough Asda and can already be found at the likes of Chewton Glen and London's Royal Lancaster and Cafe Royal Hotels, and there's a feeling that Paul won't rest until they are on the tea and coffee British Biscotti to appeal nationally and to international markets, and office surrounded by boxes of sweet products in rustic-style packaging and savoury biscotti. It's a kong way from his first job as a teenager, can now be found in more than 600 farm shops around the country. A of his family's food import business. After time spent working for a food manufacturer in France and as a other supermarkets. Key to the business's success has coffee trader in London, Paul returned been taking a traditional product biscotti are twice-baked biscuits t0 take over the family firm and trays in hotels nationwide. widened it to import food from around invented to keep the Romans the world - bringing Aslan and Indian marching - and giving ita new twist. favourites such as pakoras, bhajis and This has meant going beyond the traditional almond recipe to create Despite its growth, this remains a Hampshire company and the region is very important to Paul and his brand. more sweet varieties using chocolate, He uses local ingredients as much as he can, sells through local wholesalers spring rolls to UK supermarkets. These early experiences gave him a passion for quality and a keen eye that spotted an opportunity when he met a cranberry and orange, and some surprising savoury versions. Cheddar and belongs to organisations small producer of Italian-style biscuits, with chorizo, jalaperio or fennel, including Dorset Food and Drink and who was selling on Lymington Market sun-dried tomato and olives, and wild Hampshire Fare. garlic and rosemary are among the lines baked and packaged at a rate of up to 80.000 biscuits a day. "We now sell more savoury than sweet products," says Paul. "Sometimes it's still quite hard to sell - until you get people to try it. We do fairs and get people to sample it and once you get it into people's mouths, they love it. As with any growing business, funding has been a challenge - Paul laments the time he has spent securing four rounds of venture That's a personal passion but it's also driven by a change in attitudes. "Consumers want to support local producers, they want to know where their food comes from and what's in it," he says. "It's so important and the supermarkets now know that too - they have to give customers what they want." as New Forest Biscoti, Paul got involved, bought the founder out and began to grow the business, starting in a "glorified kitchen" in March 2016 which the company had outgrown by June of that year. A move to a larger 1,500 sq ft unit only lasted a further three months before the business moved to its current premises in Christchurch in November 2016. Paul now has 10 employees and it won't be long before this bakery is also outgrown. The brand was renamed Great Countryside Education TrustP THRINGS ih support of the For more information about Thrings solicitors, please visit www.thrings.com Contyside Education Trst PROMOTION Thrings Eats... with Paul Rostand, Great British Biscotti A life as a foodie and the idea of putting a twist on a 2,000-year-old Italian biscuit has helped Paul Rostand build a new category in snacking. He tells his story to Pascale Devlin, Solicitor at the Romsey office of the law firm Thrings. (I ve been in the food business forever," says Paul Rostand, in an capital when he'd much rather have been trying out new flavours. Gluten-free and vegan products are in development, and the next focus is on getting biscotti into sweeping the floors in the warehouses separate brand, The Artful Baker, was restaurants, cafes and hotels, They developed for sale thorough Asda and can already be found at the likes of Chewton Glen and London's Royal Lancaster and Cafe Royal Hotels, and there's a feeling that Paul won't rest until they are on the tea and coffee British Biscotti to appeal nationally and to international markets, and office surrounded by boxes of sweet products in rustic-style packaging and savoury biscotti. It's a kong way from his first job as a teenager, can now be found in more than 600 farm shops around the country. A of his family's food import business. After time spent working for a food manufacturer in France and as a other supermarkets. Key to the business's success has coffee trader in London, Paul returned been taking a traditional product biscotti are twice-baked biscuits t0 take over the family firm and trays in hotels nationwide. widened it to import food from around invented to keep the Romans the world - bringing Aslan and Indian marching - and giving ita new twist. favourites such as pakoras, bhajis and This has meant going beyond the traditional almond recipe to create Despite its growth, this remains a Hampshire company and the region is very important to Paul and his brand. more sweet varieties using chocolate, He uses local ingredients as much as he can, sells through local wholesalers spring rolls to UK supermarkets. These early experiences gave him a passion for quality and a keen eye that spotted an opportunity when he met a cranberry and orange, and some surprising savoury versions. Cheddar and belongs to organisations small producer of Italian-style biscuits, with chorizo, jalaperio or fennel, including Dorset Food and Drink and who was selling on Lymington Market sun-dried tomato and olives, and wild Hampshire Fare. garlic and rosemary are among the lines baked and packaged at a rate of up to 80.000 biscuits a day. "We now sell more savoury than sweet products," says Paul. "Sometimes it's still quite hard to sell - until you get people to try it. We do fairs and get people to sample it and once you get it into people's mouths, they love it. As with any growing business, funding has been a challenge - Paul laments the time he has spent securing four rounds of venture That's a personal passion but it's also driven by a change in attitudes. "Consumers want to support local producers, they want to know where their food comes from and what's in it," he says. "It's so important and the supermarkets now know that too - they have to give customers what they want." as New Forest Biscoti, Paul got involved, bought the founder out and began to grow the business, starting in a "glorified kitchen" in March 2016 which the company had outgrown by June of that year. A move to a larger 1,500 sq ft unit only lasted a further three months before the business moved to its current premises in Christchurch in November 2016. Paul now has 10 employees and it won't be long before this bakery is also outgrown. The brand was renamed Great Countryside Education TrustP THRINGS ih support of the For more information about Thrings solicitors, please visit www.thrings.com Contyside Education Trst