Recently launched virtual marketplace www.meltedinside.com, which helps artisan food and drink producers promote their produce, has seen over 100 makers from across the UK join so far.
Around 30 of these makers' products have been named in this year's prestigious Great Taste Awards with a mix of 1, 2 and 3-star accolades. This year 12,777 products were entered and judged.
Melted Inside founder Candy Bowles said: "We try to feature the best artisan products available and seeing so many achieve Great Taste Awards shows that we have teamed up with the best of the best."
Great Taste is the world's largest and most trusted accreditation scheme for fine food and drink. Each product is fastidiously blind tasted by selected chefs, buyers, fine food retailers, restaurateurs, food critics and writers over 60 judging days.
Melted Inside makers who achieved at least one star include: La Tua Pasta; Artisan Raw; Palace Culture; Lakeland Mues; Noble and Stace; Nutcessity; Yare Valley Oils; The Ribble Valley Gin Company; Margot and Montanez; Hogg Norton; Raw and Wild Company; ChicP ; Cru 8
Candy added: “Melted Inside helps shoppers discover amazing and delicious products while giving artisan food and drinks makers a platform to share their passion. We encourage our makers to take the front stage to tell their stories through videos, images, podcasts and even recipes and blogs.
“We understand that many makers have limited resources and like to focus on creating amazing food. Melted Inside aims to make it enjoyable for shoppers to buy from these passionate producers and makes it easier for the artisan makers to engage with more customers and share their incredible stories. I strongly believe that we should all know where our food comes from, who makes it and how it is made. Provenance matters to people more than ever and passionately made, delicious food deserves to be discovered and appreciated wherever you are.”
As well as tasting amazing, some of the produce allows shoppers to make a difference by helping others when they purchase. For instance, 5th Season Fruit supports charity Farm Africa and Harry Specters chocolate provides employment opportunities to people with autism - a condition that the owner cares a lot about for personal reasons.
Candy launched Melted Inside during lockdown to offer people a greater choice of lovingly made products during a time of isolation and social distancing. She describes piloting a new marketplace during the lockdown as “a leap of faith, to put it mildly”.
“Working with the artisan makers is proving a wonderful experience. Their passion and commitment to what they do is simply inspiring and humbling. This realisation helps me appreciate what they make even more and the stories of many of our makers are just fascinating,” she added.
Melted Inside exists to share the love of what artisan makers do every day and the love they put into creating products for shoppers looking to buy real food from real people. If you are an artisan food maker and interested in joining Melted Inside please email a href="mailto:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it." data-content="Good Market community - a curated platform that makes it easier to find and connect with social enterprises, responsible businesses and changemakers who are creating a better world.
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For more information, interviews, images or if you would like to review one of Melted Inside’s products please contact Suzi Christie a href="mailto:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it." data-content="This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it." data-type="mail">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 07590 591140