Wade Lyn, MD of Birmingham-based Cleone Foods, is bringing the taste of the Caribbean into UK supermarkets. And he’s the right man for the job.
Jamaican by birth, Lyn came to the UK in 1966, growing up in Birmingham. After studying industrial design and teacher training, he joined Jamaican pattie manufacturer Comlong Caterers in 1986. Two years later he realised the gap in the Caribbean foods market and founded Cleone Foods. Since then, he says, the company has grown to become market leader for Caribbean and Jamaican patties, with a 55% share of the UK market.
Jamaican patties, he explains, are Cornish pasties Caribbean-style – light pastry crusts filled with meat, vegetables and various spices. They are the “fast food of the Caribbean” and Cleone manufactures seven different varieties through its Island Delight brand. “I want to look at what products we can successfully transmit from the Caribbean category to the British food palate,” says Lyn. “I am now working closely with retailers to develop a definitive Caribbean segment in-store, rightfully positioning Caribbean cuisine alongside other ethnic food sectors such as Italian, Indian and Thai.”
And this, he says, could be a challenge. Although the Island Delight range is already distributed to 10% of supermarkets, including 28 Asdas, 56 Tescos and 65 Sainsburys, Lyn believes that retailers could provide more space for Caribbean products. “Tesco and Asda have large ethnic areas, but Sainsbury has a small area,” he says.
Cleone is planning a range of Caribbean products for the deli counter including chicken jerk, pork jerk and curried lamb. “Our main concept is to launch curried lamb plus cocktail patties,” says Lyn. “Once they are successfully launched there will be a range of jerk chicken and pork to go with that.”
Jamaican by birth, Lyn came to the UK in 1966, growing up in Birmingham. After studying industrial design and teacher training, he joined Jamaican pattie manufacturer Comlong Caterers in 1986. Two years later he realised the gap in the Caribbean foods market and founded Cleone Foods. Since then, he says, the company has grown to become market leader for Caribbean and Jamaican patties, with a 55% share of the UK market.
Jamaican patties, he explains, are Cornish pasties Caribbean-style – light pastry crusts filled with meat, vegetables and various spices. They are the “fast food of the Caribbean” and Cleone manufactures seven different varieties through its Island Delight brand. “I want to look at what products we can successfully transmit from the Caribbean category to the British food palate,” says Lyn. “I am now working closely with retailers to develop a definitive Caribbean segment in-store, rightfully positioning Caribbean cuisine alongside other ethnic food sectors such as Italian, Indian and Thai.”
And this, he says, could be a challenge. Although the Island Delight range is already distributed to 10% of supermarkets, including 28 Asdas, 56 Tescos and 65 Sainsburys, Lyn believes that retailers could provide more space for Caribbean products. “Tesco and Asda have large ethnic areas, but Sainsbury has a small area,” he says.
Cleone is planning a range of Caribbean products for the deli counter including chicken jerk, pork jerk and curried lamb. “Our main concept is to launch curried lamb plus cocktail patties,” says Lyn. “Once they are successfully launched there will be a range of jerk chicken and pork to go with that.”
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