The Source is a private initiative created within Leeds Kirkgate Market by Leeds-based food marketing business Shelf Life. It has proved so successful in 2011, it is relinquishing its prime location and moving to new premises – just a few yards away!
A completely innovative concept for a market stall, The Source is on a mission to ‘make Leeds Kirkgate Market more famous for food’ inviting shoppers to experience the flavours of the market and beyond, encouraging us all to reconsider shopping local.
The Source provides a ‘pop-up’ space for food retail, street food, demonstration, information and promotion, inviting existing traders to join them to show off their produce, and bringing new local food retailers to the market on a regular basis –giving market shoppers a taste of food and drink the Leeds way.
The Source project was the brainchild of Nick Copland and Rebecca Roberts of Shelf Life Ltd. – the idea was to create an exciting, energetic space to celebrate the great food in the market, but also where other local food businesses could trial, test, research and retail products and ranges without investing in a long-term contract on a market stall.
Rebecca Roberts has been delighted by the response – from both the general public and the artisan food industry, ‘We are amazed that so many great, authentic food businesses found a ready market right here – customers in Leeds Kirkgate Market showed that they love great quality and good value. Regular market shoppers have been more than happy to buy food they could clearly see was individually made, unique, authentic or simply accompanied by the people who make it.
‘Over the last 9 months we have brought specialist bakers, chilli sauce, local makers like Pudsey pickles, American desserts, Caribbean jerk chicken, African samosas, farmhouse soup, Gujerati cuisine, a Yorkshire pudding street food, and loads of new products including Pepped-up Ketchup, Yellison Farm Goat Cheese and Yorkshire Chorizo! Some have gone on to develop more robust business plans and move towards getting their own stalls.
The original stall was so successful it began to attract interest from food businesses who could easily see the potential. The team behind The Source have now decided to move their operation to a new stall, right at the top of Butchers Row and are looking forward to starting Chapter 2 of their amazing story soon.
