A self-confessed meat lover who launched his posh pork scratchings brand on the back of a bet has now turned it into a multi-million pound business.
Nick Coleman, 35, from Essex, came up with the idea of Snaffling Pig in 2014, when his friend challenged him to set up a business on just £500.
Three years later, the company which produces gourmet pork scratchings, or pork crackling to be exact, has a turnover of 3.5 million a year.
Nick, who also runs a medical supply firm, told the Sun Online: “The bet enabled me to see if I could start a new business with a very limited capital.
“Instead of worrying about how to make money, I focused on what was I the most passionate about and what did I really enjoy doing.”
The answer to these questions turned out to be British pubs and pork scratchings, which Nick describes as the two loves of his life.
By focusing on flavour and packaging, Nick transformed the humble pub snack into a gourmet item sold at John Lewis.
Snaffling Pig uses prime cuts of pork, to add a maximum of gusto to the product.
Meanwhile, a mason jar-style packaging is set to give the snack a revamp.
“The pork scratching is double cooked which makes it a loft softer, so it’s not going to break teeth but it will still keep that crunchiness,” Nick explained.
And all that effort paid off.
Nick and his business partner, Andrew Allen, who he met at Aston University, appeared on Dragons’ Den in August last year.
That’s where they snaffled a £70,000 investment from Moonpig founder Nick Jenkins in return for 20 per cent of the business (that they have since bought back).
Nick’s tips on how to create a crackling business
Here are a few things you should focus on when starting your business, according to the Nick Coleman
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To be very clear about and stick to your values: Ours are “do great things”, “have some fun” and “don’t be a d***”.
You should always come back to these values when you are talking to your customers or recruiting new staff. - Surround yourself with the right people: One of the main reasons behind my success are the people I surround myself with, who are better at their jobs than I am. They support me and advise me and by giving them the room to grow, my business is doing better. As an entrepreneur you need to take a step back and trust your team.
- Never compromise on quality: When it comes to quality, you have to make you sure that you’re proud of everything that goes through the door.
- Challenge yourself: I am constantly thinking “Can I do things better?”. Getting to know other people, coming up with new ideas and constantly innovating is very important.
Snaffling Pig now has a team of 16 people, split between finance, design, sales and distribution.
Meanwhile, the range has expanded from a couple to nine core flavours.
These range from salt & vinegar to the Great Taste winning perfectly salted and even pig of doom (very hot chili).
They also launched a pork scratching festive countdown that contains 24 mini bags of gourmet crackling treats, which is available at Debenhams and John Lewis.
For £13, fans can also treat themselves to a so-called Pig Night In, which include two bags of crackling in flavours of your choosing and a couple of beers to wash them down with, all neatly housed in a natty gift box.
So while healthy eating is all the rage at the moment, it seems like business is booming.
“Everyone is looking at health at the moment, but when there’s a trend in health there’s also a trend in indulgence,” Nick said.
“And if you’re going to be naughty you might as well have something of quality with great ingredient. People still need that indulgence as part of a healthy balanced diet,” he added.
The business owner is hoping that he will continue to surprise his customers and eventually expand the company internationally.
The firm just launched a cook book with 40 recipes to make sure you’re getting protein into your meal.
Nick said: “My favourite part about my job is seeing my team develop and observing how things are evolving without me having to kickstart everything. Seeing how customers react to the final product is also a treat.
