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Edinburgh
Curry King Turns Spicy
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Entrepreneur
Tommy Miah is to take on the UK's leading spice producers after
opening a huge factory in Bangladesh.
The
47-year-old city restaurateur, who arrived in Britain at the age of
ten unable to speak a word of English, is launching his own brand of
spices in Britain. The range is set to go on sale to restaurants and
caterers across the UK later this year.
Talks
are also under way to introduce packets of spices - emblazoned with
Mr Miah's face and name - to shops and possibly supermarkets within
12 months.
The
opening of the factory in the northern city of Gazipur is the latest
step in Mr Miah's remarkable business career.
After
taking his first job as a dishwasher in a Birmingham restaurant at
the age of 14, he opened his first takeaway three years later.
Now
the owner of the Raj restaurant in Leith's Henderson Street and the
Indian-themed Original Raj Hotel in Murrayfield, his success in the
UK has helped turn him into a well-known television chef in his
native Bangladesh.
The
60,000 square feet factory he opened in Gazipur in February employs
450 people.
Making
a range of spices, biscuits, Bombay mix and noodles, it is expected
to have a turnover of £6 million in its first year.
Mr
Miah, a father-of-three and grandfather-of-two, said he hoped the
range of spices which are already on sale in Bangladesh would be a
big hit in Britain.
"We're
already talking to several supermarkets here about taking the
products. We are making inroads and I'd like to see the products in
Sainsbury's within a year," he said.
"There's
a huge demand here. My first target is wholesalers and then
supermarkets will take a bit longer.
"Curry
is a £4 billion industry in UK restaurants and just under
£1bn in the supermarkets.
"It's
an expanding market and there is no brand leader."
The
spices and biscuits are expected to be the first products exported
into Britain. "The biscuits have a real Bangladeshi
flavour," he said "We have cinnamon and cardamom flavours
and the lychee-flavoured biscuits are the most popular." The
products are sold under the name One Consumer Products and have been
available in Bangladesh since February.
In
Bangladesh, Mr Miah has also founded a catering school, which has
City and Guilds recognition. The Tommy Miah Institute of Hospitality
Management in Dhaka prepares young chefs to work in the international
hospitality industry. "The idea is for students, when they
graduate, to take Bangladeshi food abroad," Mr Miah said.
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