F&D Heroes Issue 1

Food & Drink Hero:
Great British Biscotti
Whisper it quietly, there’s a foodie revolution taking place in Dorset. Not an
angry mob, placard-waving revolution but a thoughtful foodie takeover being
led by Paul Rostand and his small huddle of discerning biscovites.
Great British Biscotti was born from a series
of nagging thoughts that started whirring
around my head and refused to go away. Why
was it that over the course of 2,000+ years
Biscotti had never evolved beyond almond?
Why had no one taken the trouble to perfect
the texture and make it more UK consumerfriendly.
We Brits like a biscuit that won’t
break your teeth. I was convinced my team
could solve this long-standing dilemma by
creating something not too hard yet not
too soft.
We thought, ‘Why not launch the first ever
range of savoury biscotti?’ - brilliant for
idle snacking with a drink, accompanying
a thoughtfully choreographed cheese or
charcuterie platter, or as tasty croutons for
dropping in soups/salads; even a perfectlyproportioned
canape base.
In the blink of an eye our range grew from five
up to 20 including some classics like Pecan
Pie, Sour Cherry & Chocolate, Sweet Thai
Chilli etc. We also spied the potential for the
range to go into foodservice for catering and
cafes, so developed a standalone range of
1kg boxes and grab-n-go twin packs.
When we started Great British Biscotti in a
small kitchen back in early 2016 I had no idea
how fast it would grow and how demanding
the journey would be, I had a vague idea
because in a past life I’d run a food import
sales and marketing business, but in those
days I was using other people’s factories
around the world.
We started with two small table top ovens
and a small domestic mixer. That was March
2016, by June we’d moved into a 1,500sq ft
industrial unit, which felt like moving into an
industrial mansion. I was confident it would
last forever, but by October that same year
we had outgrown it and had to move into our
third bakery where we currently reside (about
4000 sq ft). Already, I can see the next
move looming, as we are nearly out of
space again.
When starting a business, you have
to dedicate your life to it 18 hour days,
seven days a week, waking up at
3am worrying about getting an order
completed in time or cash flow.
Initially its ’fun stress’, baking your first
biscuits and setting up your first bakery.
But, this can quickly turn into ‘deep
stress,’ which can seriously damage
your health unless you can learn to
stay on top – easier said than done, but
mindfulness/meditation certainly helps.
Friends and family can sometimes get
a little tired of you talking about biscotti
and the technicalities of how it’s baked
24/7, too.
The most rewarding factor
is developing your team and
understanding that you are helping
make their lives better. I’m truly blessed
with an amazing 12-strong team and
we all believe that even greater success
is lying in wait around the next corner,
which for now is more than enough.
greatbritishbiscotti.co.uk
@GBBiscotti
@greatbritishbiscotti
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