Thea brings the taste of Sri Lanka to North Queensferry with Sri Spice Ltd

Inspired by the aromatic dishes she ate while living abroad, Thea Samuel started selling Sri Lankan curry kits in 2015

Why did you start in business?

Whilst living and working in Sri Lanka in 2007, I stayed with a lovely local Sri Lankan family. Amma (mum) cooked the most amazing curries on an open fire with clay pots.

The food was so fresh and healthy. After coming back to the UK, I started experimenting in my kitchen whilst on maternity leave and, after a lot of taste testing, I produced my Sri Lankan style curry kits and side dishes to sell in 2015.

Who has helped you along the way?

My mum has been a massive support and my Business Gateway Fife adviser Fraser McKee has been amazing.

Start-up training through Acorn Enterprise in Rosyth has also been invaluable.

What was your biggest mistake?

I had decided to launch Sri Spice Ltd at Bankfoot Gala in May 2015, but the graphic design element took much longer than expected.

I ended up having to agree proofs at motorway service stations whilst coming back from holiday with the children, which was stressful and led to me not noticing a spelling mistake.

If I could do it again, I would have added in extra time for contingency planning or, at least, delayed the launch until I’d had enough time to triple check everything.

What is your greatest achievement to date?

Repeat customers are my biggest achievement – I still have many customers who have been buying my kits since I launched.

Some have even spoken to shop owners about stocking my kits in their local area.

The benefit of making up my own original recipes is that people repeat buy because there are no other similar kits available.

What do you hope to achieve in the future?

My hope would be to go back to Sri Lanka and speak to my old manager about buying ingredients, like curry leaves and spices, direct from the people with disabilities that he is trying to support.

Most people in Sri Lanka pick curry leaves from a tree in their garden. If they could pick the leaves, dry them in the sun and send them to me that would benefit us all.

Do you want to recruit in the future?

Yes. I have used agency staff previously for busy periods, but it would be great to be able to recruit people who love and know spices and have a keen interest in curry and cooking in general.

What is the hardest thing about running your own business?

Finding the time to get everything done. Especially the more boring but necessary jobs, such as the paperwork.

Any advice to wannabe entrepreneurs?

Speak to as many people as you can who are currently doing what you would like to do, or something similar.

Thea Samuel has passed on her tips to people thinking of starting a business.