Gulfood brings Welsh seaweed to the MENA market

Exhibiting at Gulfood for the first time this year is Welsh brand The Pembrokeshire Beach Food Company. Founded by chef Jonathon Williams, the company specialises in food products, including savoury crackers and flavoured salts, made with seaweed from Welsh waters.

For Williams, the company is part of a revival of a traditional Welsh delicacy, called ‘lavar’ (eaten in the traditional dish lavar bread, made with seaweed).

Talking to Caterer Middle East during Gulfood Williams said: “I love using local history and story in what I do. Interest in seaweed dropped off in the UK, and came back into fashion with Japanese cuisine. We realised that British waters were rich in the same seaweed made popular by Japanese cooking.”

Although not currently stocked in the Middle East market, the company supplies 300 stores across the UK, including supermarket chain M&S. The company also supplies products for retail in Sweden, Ireland and the Czech Republic.

The brand, Williams added, is aiming to supply “high-end retail and high-end food services.”

Williams is from the Pembrokeshire region of Wales, where his food business started with what he describes as a “beach shack” specialising in locally fished lobster and crab.

“Most British lobster is exported to Spain and France. It was a shame that there were local people who had never tried the local lobster. I thought it was important to make it accessible within the UK by sourcing locally.”

Since street food has become a strong arm of Williams’ food business, the chef and founder of The Pembrokeshire Beach Food Company currently has plans to join the Dubai Food Festival's food truck activations.

From 2017 onward, he reveals, The Pembrokeshire Beach Food Company will return to Dubai with a view to assessing the emirates' potential for the first food outlet by the Welsh brand.