Twins have a recipe for success with their Chinese dipping sauces
A brand new range of Chinese sauces intended for dipping has been creates by a pair of twin sisters and are now on the shelves at Sainsbury’s, packaged in bottles from Beatson Clark, one of the leading glass manufacturers.
Lisa and Helen Tse were able to get Sweet Mandarin up and running after they received a £50,000 investment from the Dragon’s Den TV programme. This followed on from the success of their Manchester based restaurant was named by the F Word, the Gordon Ramsay show in Channel 4, as the Best Local Chinese Restaurant.
Now they’ve won a contract to supply three of their dipping sauces to 500 Sainsbury’s stores across the UK – and to cope with the increased production the sisters approached Beatson Clark for help.
“We’re delighted to be working with Sainsbury’s,” said Lisa Tse, Managing Director of Sweet Mandarin Sauces. “It’s a dream come true for a British manufacturer like us to work with a partner who, like us, believes food should be at the highest quality.
“The deal has meant a huge increase in production so we needed to find a reliable and flexible partner who could supply us with a bottle which reflects the quality of the range itself.
“Happily we found it very easy to work with Beatson Clark, who were able to supply us with a 250ml white flint bottle which is just perfect for our dipping sauces.”
Beatson Clark, which specialises in low volumes for high-end niche food and drink manufacturers, is supplying a standard white flint 250ml Marasca bottle with a standard ROPP neck finish from its general sale range.
“Our extensive general sale range of bottles and jars is an excellent way to launch a new product onto the market,” said Lynn Sidebottom, Sales and Marketing Director at Beatson Clark.
“The range is very popular with our customers and features a wide variety of standard shapes and sizes, many of which are available from stock and can be delivered immediately.
“Glass is perceived as a high-quality packaging material but it needn’t cost the earth: choosing a product from our general sale range is a very cost-effective option for smaller food companies.”
Sweet Mandarin, one of Manchester’s first Chinese restaurants, was opened in 1950 by Helen and Lisa’s grandmother Lily. After years of being asked by customers for take-home pots of the restaurant’s famous dipping sauces, Lisa and Helen decided to bottle and sell a range of sauces based on original family recipes.
Until now the sauces have been sold online and in specialist Chinese wholesalers, so the Sainsbury’s deal capped a truly successful year for the business.
The new range of gluten-free sauces – Barbecue, Sweet Chilli and Sweet & Sour – has been hand-mixed by chef Lisa in the Sweet Mandarin kitchen and each one tells part of the tale of the Tse family history.
Using secret recipes passed down through generations, Lisa adds a modern take on the authentic flavours and aromas found in China’s street markets and used by her mother, grandmother and great grandmother.
Sweet Mandarin’s restaurant quality sauces are now on sale in approximately 500 Sainsbury’s stores in the ‘Free From’ aisle. They are vegan accredited and contain no gluten, no monosodium glutamate and no artificial colourings.
