The Tipsy Kitchen

Now that pandemic related restrictions have eased, we can all look forward to entertaining friends and family once again and can enjoy re-connecting with our loved ones… and what better way to do that than over a delicious meal?

Sounds idyllic in theory doesn’t it, but in reality we know that preparing a tasty treat for the family can entail a lot of work for the host! Fear not – The Tipsy Kitchen are here to help!

Holly Griffin founded The Tipsy Kitchen during ‘lockdown’, having been abruptly shipped back to her parents’ home and wanting to start a business that was truly helpful to people. The concept was developed in a way which enables the host to sit back and take care of preparations, without the stress of cooking for a group of people.

Based in the Vale of Glamorgan, The Tipsy Kitchen provides pre-prepared home cooked meals for delivery and takeaway throughout Cardiff and the Vale. Along with all of the wonderful food, they include clear and concise instructions, making mealtimes stress, prep and chop-free so all you need to do is take it to the table and tuck in. This concept is perfect for busy families and individuals wanting to eat well whilst also enjoying the social aspect of hosting a dinner. The Tipsy Kitchen also provide subscription service meal plans, as well as a healthier range of balanced meals from The Healthy Shelf menu.

Holly says:

“We are still a very small start-up business in the initial stages of growth. However, I do believe there is a gap in the market for such a service in this area, so we are excited to see how our business will develop as we move forwards.”

Cywain have supported The Tipsy Kitchen to analyse the company’s strengths and provided opportunities to allow the company to develop and grow.

Dedicated Cywain Development Manager Nia Môn has been on hand to point Holly in the right direction for support through webinars, workshops and one-to-one meetings. Cywain provides support for food and drink start-ups in Wales and Nia identified that The Tipsy Kitchen could benefit from workshops on marketing and social media in particular, but also in specific areas such as packaging, food labelling and from the support of ZERO2FIVE’s Food Industry workshops.

Holly continues:

“So far, I have been operating at full capacity within my small team and my customer base has grown by local word of mouth. The support from Cywain has been largely focused on food safety – this has enabled me to produce the correct standard of labels to allow me to sell within my Pop-Up Shop this Autumn.”

Nia Môn says:

“It’s great to see The Tipsy Kitchen already spreading their wings, trialling retail opportunities which in turn creates brand awareness. Further support from Cywain on scaling up the business through increased production and marketing will move Holly and The Tipsy Kitchen on to the next level.”

Since trading started from The Tipsy Kitchen’s website in December 2020, Holly has started employing 2 team members, moved to a permanent commercial kitchen base to facilitate the increase in production, and has gained customers on subscription meal plan services.

“As we approach the one-year mark, I have huge aspirations for The Tipsy Kitchen” says Holly. The plan is to increase weekly repeat sales through a push in the marketing of our subscription meal plan service, to increase brand awareness through the Pop-Up shop and gain a broader customer database in general.

Holly also hopes to employ an extra person through the Government’s Kickstart Scheme in order to continue to increase production and capacity.

The Tipsy Kitchen’s website features ‘Tasty solutions for the time-poor’ and offers a delivery service bringing pre-prepared meals to your door. Family favorites include Chicken, Ham & Leek Pie and Lasagne al Forno… and you can even build your own burger!

The Tipsy Kitchen is definitely one to watch and can currently be seen in a Pop-Up shop in Cowbridge trading on the high-street until mid-November.

If you are keen to follow in Holly’s footsteps and start your own business, Cywain are here to help. With support ranging from webinars and one to one sessions with experienced mentors from the food and drink industry, to opportunities to participate in business growth programmes such as Cywain’s Scale-Up Challenge and test trading opportunities at renowned food and drink events across the UK.

Why not get in touch to find out more about how Cywain can help you start and grow your food and drink business in Wales.