Fortnum & Mason has unveiled the latest winners of its annual ‘Open Call’ challenger brand discovery scheme.
The 15 businesses will now be listed at Fortnum’s Piccadilly flagship store for an initial three months. They’ll also take part in store tastings and will be displayed in the retailer’s windows.
Winners include the Scandinavian inspired bakery Rag Nordic, which produces a range of small-batch rye breads and seeded crackers. Putney-based Tuck Company makes a range of “school-safe” snacks for children, which are free of nuts, gluten and dairy and made with whole ingredients. Irish Black Butter, meanwhile, blends bramley apples into a spiced conserve.
They were selected from among 450 applications, following a “highly competitive process” that involved pitching to Fortnum’s buyers at Piccadilly, as well as rigorous ingredients principles.
“Each year, the Open Call reveals an extraordinary breadth of talent, and this year has been no exception,” said Liz Morgan, director of buying for food, wine & spirits at Fortnum & Mason.
“The makers we’ve selected bring with them not only remarkable craftsmanship and flavour, but a fresh perspective on how we eat and live today. We’re delighted to welcome them to Fortnum’s and to share their stories with our customers.”
Fortnum’s launched its Fortnum & Maker’s programme in May 2025, as a way of discovering untapped emerging brands for its shelves and boutiques. It was the first time in its 319-year history that it had extended its a challenger brand programme to food and drink brands, having previously restricted its callout to homeware and craft products.
Fortnum’s expanded the number of categories in 2026, adding beauty and wellness.
The other winners include Indi Supplements, a range of plant-based snacks and supplements, and Teffie, which makes snacks with the traditional Ethiopian grain teff.
A range of drinks and booze brands will also be listed. They are “0% alcohol” botanical drinks brand Soba Circus. Irish-based Óir Tonics, which produces a range of sea-moss based functional tonic and Crate Brewery, which offers a range of lighter alcohol cocktails.
Sauces also feature heavily, in the form of fermented brand Slow Sauces and Island Girl, a Caribbean inspired hot-sauce. Kursat’s, meanwhile, produces a range of slow-cooked cooking pastes.
The lineup is completed by Norfolk-based Sucseed, which makes seed and botanical blends to add to meals; Everystate, which blends coffee, cacao and matcha into functional blends; preserved mushroom brand Canny Mushrooms and finally; Krocus & Co, which makes a premium range of saffron-based teas.
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