Posted on 01/04/2005 10:34:09 AM PST by jjbrouwer
Dave Darlington is a man with a mission: to bring British and American food to a car park near you.
From Betty Crocker's Carrot Cake Mix to a four-pack of Tetley's bitter, Dave's company, Food From Home, has been supplying the Danish public with over 700 different products from his warehouse based in Randers in Jutland since December 2000.
While Dave has been delighted with the response from the expat community, the Danes queuing at his lorries' pick-up points came as something of a surprise. As did their favourite products.
"Salt and Vinegar Crisps," says Dave. "The Danes buy them by the box."
Crumpets, pork pies and sausages are also popular among the Danes. As is Danish bacon - imported from Manchester.
"You can't get the good lean cuts here - only the streaky stuff," he says. "Now the Danes are seeing how good their bacon really is, and they love it."
Selling herring to the Swedes may prove to be a little more challenging, but Dave, a former DJ, is undaunted.
Encouraged by a Swedish journalist who came across the company on a trip to Denmark, Dave began hopping over the Öresund Bridge to Malmö back in March. Now his lorries, fully kitted out with shelves and fridges, visit Lund and Helsingborg once a month and he plans to work his way up the country.
Next on the list is Halmstad.
"We aim at the smaller towns and cities, where you just can't get this kind of thing," says Dave. "Everywhere we've been in Sweden so far, we've had a fantastic reaction."
So whether you're craving for a packet of Jaffa Cakes or a jar of Welch's Grape Jelly, look for the man in the van. Don't expect booze though - you'll still have to go to Systembolaget for that.
Thanks for this story. Now does anyone know when this guy is in Malmö or Lund next? I'ld love to get my hands on some salt and vinegar chips among other things. Haven't had them in years!
Heh, could use some Salt n' Vinegar up here in Stockholm - they're hard to find these days - guess they didn't sell well enough... :/
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