One of the UK’s most popular songs of 2020 was Blinding Lights by The Weeknd, but perhaps Please Mr Postman by the Marvelettes better encapsulates life for a lot of us. Internet sales as a proportion of total retail sales shot up from more than 20% in November 2019 to 36% in November 2020, according to the Office for National Statistics.
It was an exceptionally tough year on so many fronts, but not one without silver linings: as life rapidly moved online, for small businesses that have been able to adapt their models to meet their customers at their doorsteps, it’s been a time of relative opportunity.
From debates over whether a scotch egg constitutes a substantial meal to questioning whether takeaway tea could be considered a picnic, over the past year the way we dine has had to be constantly redefined. And for the independent businesses keeping us fed during this tumultuous year, a flexible and adaptive mindset has been crucial.
Though many small businesses have faced challenging times, others have embraced the unknown, and despite some ups and downs, are showing that out of chaos, can come reward. For Mandira Sarkar, owner of Mandira’s Kitchen, and deluxe doughnut makers Project D, pivoting quickly has become almost as much of an art form as their products.
Small business owners have found a collaborative spirit online, sharing tips and tricks and creating support networks. Photograph: Getty Images
On a cold December day in 2019, Aisha Jade was huddled at her stall at London’s Surrey Street Market. Earlier that year, Jade, inspired by her Jamaican roots, had launched Carisips, a brand of natural drinks spiced with Caribbean flavours such as tamarind, ginger and sorrel. “I went to the market to test trade – to get feedback from customers in order to improve the product,” she says.
Passerby Jon Quintanilla Del Mar, owner of Quintanillas’ Cordials, struck up a conversation – and generously imparted his knowledge of the sector. As well as getting her to think about the cost of her time and pricing, he told Jade “how to improve the taste and the flavours, gave me advice on manufacturing processes, preserving, even what sugar level it should be at so as to avoid the sugar ta