5 Company Updates from Monika

As the evenings draw in and September gently guides us into Autumn, we sat down with our founder Monika Linton, to talk about the exciting plans and the future of Brindisa.

It’s been a year of hugely conflicting emotions and happenings.

Exhausted. Exhilarated. Anxious. Relieved. Lonely. Excited. Doom-laden. Optimistic. Angry. Mellow. 

...just to think of a few.

It has been a sad and heart-breaking time for those who have suffered personal losses, whilst also a time that some have cherished by being able to spend and share times they may never have had with loved ones.

But, September always feels like a fresh chapter and a new beginning and it feels like a good time to share with you some of the exciting plans in the pipeline for Brindisa.

It also feels important to say thank you. Thank you for every purchase made, every newsletter read and for every bit of support. We are determined to keep bringing delicious Spanish ingredients to you whilst doing what we can to make our environment, industry and country better.

MIXING OLD WITH NEW

Moving through our 4th decade of Brindisa we find we have generational gaps, happy differences and complimentary skills.

There are so many young people coming into the business and that's really uplifting. As we introduce better systems and processes it means that the older crew, who know a lot about product and have the stories, can make better use of sharing their knowledge via new modern channels. 

It gives us better ways of making use of the first generation and older folk at Brindisa who don’t necessarily tune into the digital world quite so instinctively.

Because ultimately, some of us are quite old fashioned.

CHANGES TO EU VETINARY CERTIFICATES

From the 1st October 2021 new health certificates will be required from the EU and the rest of the world. This will mean a few changes to our routines and impact the ranges in our shops as we adapt to the new season. As Autumn leads us up to Christmas we want to be sure that we are doing our absolute best for the neighbourhoods that we serve despite all of the challenges already faced with Brexit and Covid. 

We have everything crossed that we can manage this next Brexit hoop on October 1st and work closely with our suppliers to manage this as smoothly as possible!

WELCOMING YOU INTO THE BUSINESS

One thing I'm particularly excited about is our Balham hub. It's transforming into a real interactive food space with new racking reaching to the clouds, a cheese room full to the gunnels, an eco re-build plan for our coach house for more offices, staff space and lots of light!

The aim is to be able to welcome you into the business physically and that is an incredibly exciting prospect.

THE FORGET-ME-NOT PRODUCTS

Since starting Brindisa over 30 years ago, we’ve carved this little niche where we are devoted to Spain and we’re trying to keep small producers front and centre. I think we've neglected them a bit in the past year, but this year the plan is to bring them back to the forefront of our marketing and to create a line of forget-me-not products. 

These products will be the ones we don't want you to forget about because they are incredible and, both the product and food heroes behind them, deserve the limelight!

FOOD RETAILING IS LIKE A YO-YO

The different phases of before, during and after lockdown have really challenged our shops. Like so many shops and markets across the country, anticipating the needs, desires and circumstances of our local shoppers over the next 6 months is a fairly daunting task. 

At our shop in Balham on Hildreth street, we are adapting by changing our opening hours to suit what the Autumn and Christmas mood brings.

Our aim is to meet your needs as best as possible whilst keeping our shops and teams in a strong place too.

TAPAS BRINDISA WILL BE OPENING IN RICHMOND

I am delighted to announce that our tapas sibling, Brindisa Kitchens, will be opening the first Tapas Brindisa outside of the city buzz in the leafy suburbs of Richmond. 

The restaurant is in a beautiful location with riverside views and a large outside terrace. Inside there will be a big open kitchen, intimate booths and counter seating for those who like to watch the chefs in action. I can't wait to show you all more as we get closer to our opening date later in the month. 

I hope to see you in one of our restaurants, shops or even at our warehouse in Balham one day soon!  Our team are busy working on our online shop to make it a much better shopping experience and an educational hub that celebrates the Spanish ingredients and suppliers that bring Brindisa to life.

We all hope that you can enjoy a taste of Spain wherever you may be. 

Best Wishes,

Monika 

Monika Linton