Ready meal firm agrees £60,000 export deal to Hong Kong

Ready meals manufacturer Granny Mary’s has exported 34,000 of its new range of frozen meals to Hong Kong.

The Derbyshire-based firm said the range was specifically designed for British migrants living in Asia that missed British meals. Granny Mary’s first Hong Kong order came to around £60,000, and the company said it would become a regular shipment.

Granny Mary’s director Alistair Sutherland said: “We teamed up with a Chinese importer and we have our first contained of 34,000 frozen meals shipping at the end of October.

“It’s the first order, worth around £60,000, of what will become a regular shipment.”

The meals were all made without using any additives or preservatives, the company said.

‘Without using anything artificial’

“We have always been proud to make pâtés and potted meals without using anything artificial, so we wanted to keep up that tradition with our new range of home-style meals,” said Sutherland.

“The expat community wants to eat food that reminds them of home, and one dish they told us they really missed was chicken tikka with pilau rice.”

The company exported 20 different dishes including cottage pie, roast chicken with stuffing and beef bourguignon. Side dishes included bubble and squeak, swede and carrot and creamy mashed potato.

The firm had to change its logo – an old photograph of the original Granny Mary – before exporting to Asia, as the Chinese believe it’s bad luck to use old photos of ancestors, it said. The new logo was made by combining the original 1927 logo with a traditional Chinese lucky cat.

‘Appeals to our customers in Asia’

Sutherland said: “The new logo reflects our long history, but also appeals to our customers in Asia.

“It’s basically our family’s wildcat crest morphed into a Chinese lucky cat, complete with a waving, raised paw. We also managed to work in some extra Chinese ‘good luck’ symbols around the edge, too.”

Meanwhile, new government plans to boost food and drink exports could contribute £2.9bn to the UK economy, environment secretary Andrea Leadsom claimed. She said Japan alone had a £185M export potential.

Granny Mary’s export deal – at a glance

  • £60,000 order for ready meals from Hong Kong
  • 34,000 frozen meals being shipped at the end of October
  • 20 different types of meal in total