​Redcloak Fish Bar thrives with expert support and comprehensive product range

Utilising our comprehensive product range while also tapping into our industry expertise is resulting in business growth and improved customer satisfaction at Redcloak Fish Bar in the pretty harbour town of Stonehaven on Scotland’s northeast coast

Twenty-three-year-old Jamie Russo may seem like an overnight success, having won two prestigious industry awards this year - Drywite Young Fish Frier and Best Newcomer - just nine months after taking over Redcloak Fish Bar. However, his journey started much earlier, at the age of 14, when he took a part-time job at the takeaway until he turned 18.

Now the business owner, Jamie acknowledges there's much more involved this time around: “There is a lot more stress in my life now. Before I just came in, did the job and got to go home stress-free! But Redcloak is a special place for me because it's how I got into the industry. It is where I started.”

Introduced to Ceres by his previous employer, Jamie was interested in exploring how other Ceres products could improve his new takeaway. Equally keen to support new businesses, we sent Jamie a parcel containing samples of all the Ceres products. “At this point, I didn't have a shop, so I had kilos of batter, curry, gravy, pre-dust, everything delivered to my house,” he says. “There must have been at least 50kg of batter!”

Saving the batter mix for when he finally had the keys to his shop, Jamie was immediately impressed with the quality and ease of use of the Ceres product range. These have not only opened up new avenues for Jamie to expand his menu but boosted his turnover too.

“I knew after using the Ceres Mushy Peas Seasoning it would be a lot easier for us because all the ingredients are in one tub. Staff can measure the amount that they need rather than having to add salt, sugar and artificial colourings and I know it's always going to be consistent.

“The previous owner used tinned mushy peas and we are selling a lot more now we make our own. The staff always hope there's some extra tubbed up at the end of a shift so they can take them home. At one point I had to tell the staff to stop eating them because we were going to run out. They've got an addiction to them!”

Ceres batter, gravy and curry mixes are also now store-cupboard essentials, as is our Louisiana Seasoning. In a town with several well-established fish and chip shops, this has given the takeaway a point of difference.

“We do Louisiana-coated chips and we get regulars that now come in just for those,” he says. “We’ve also played around using it to create a spicy fish which we put on as a lunchtime special and it went down an absolute treat. I put it on anything, to be honest - if I’m frying chicken I throw some on - it's so, so versatile.”

Jamie’s relationship with Ceres has grown beyond simply being a customer. He values the educational aspect of understanding the products he uses, with managing director Stelios on hand to help him learn more about where they are sourced and how they should be handled.

Jamie explains: “Stelios has been brilliant from the start. He was there to give me advice on things like batter consistencies, storage of the batter, and why some weeks it is slightly different than others. Understanding that there are slight differences in the protein level in the wheat means I now know to make adjustments - either a slightly thicker or thinner batter - which means I can create a better product for my customers.”

Jamie shares this knowledge with his staff, empowering them to deliver the best product to customers even in his absence. He emphasises the importance of Ceres' naturally produced ethos across its entire product range, which resonates strongly with today’s customers.

“They appreciate unprocessed, naturally occurring ingredients,” Jamie explains. “Understanding this and communicating it to our customers is key. Ceres products are made with natural ingredients and contain fewer allergens, which helps us cater to a wider audience while maintaining a high quality product.”

Jamie uses the Ceres online shop for quick and reliable restocking of key ingredients as well as sourcing accessories that help him improve his products, such as our flow cups for batter. He comments: “Our main wholesaler comes twice a week but sometimes they don't have everything in stock or I might have run out of something before they are due. The fact that I can easily go to the Ceres online shop and quickly order it for the next day takes so much stress away.”

A forward-thinking business owner constantly looking to improve, Jamie finds Stelios a useful soundboard when mulling over key business decisions, adding: “You can speak to Stelios about anything and he will help. For example, I asked him about self-service kiosks before we installed one recently. Another time, he advised me on issues relating to staffing. Also, the wide range of articles Ceres produces on its blog is extremely helpful in keeping us up-to-date with what is happening in the industry and providing stories that we can take something from. I found a recent one on self service kiosks particularly useful in making a decision to install one at Redcloak. I’m constantly looking at improving on what I’ve done so far and Ceres is a big part of that.”

Stelios Theocharous, Managing Director at Ceres, comments: “We are proud to have worked with Jamie from the beginning. He is a fantastic customer, he is very proactive and always wants to learn more about the industry, the processes and practices involved and the products available. He’s already accomplished so much, and we’re confident he will achieve even more in future.”