About Eat Me
What does it mean to raise a child (read company) with the dignity of being an unrepeatable miracle of atoms that have never before constellated and will never again constellate in that exact way?
Who calls themselves Eat Me?
My name is Ankit. I am the son of the mum (self-professed chutney queen) and son (a sort-of chef) team that started a small company teasingly named by my dad, Eat Me Chutneys.
Although the exact founding date eludes us, one of the first activities Mum and Dad embarked on was selling Tamarind & Fig chutney at the weekend markets in Sydney. Little did we know, this resulted in a year-long journey to find suppliers and growers that look after their land. Fairtrade Australia facilitated contact with a gaggle of global and local suppliers and Eat Me eventually became the one and only company in Australia and New Zealand (and 1 of 2 globally) to offer certified Fairtrade chutney. Let’s face it, this is kind of a big deal.
What's with funny looking produce?
While at markets, we found ourselves engaging in weekly yarns to farmers who have seen things and been around. It confirmed what we suspected - a lot of unsold and excess produce was being discarded in the supply chain. To promote self-esteem amongst wonky yet gorgeous produce - seemed like an appropriate mission statement thing for Eat Me.
Why do you like making chutneys?
We don't have a good answer, but probably, we're not sure, probably, its because a chutney is a very simple product but it is very complicated to make a really nice chutney. And we love complicated things.
Your postcard pitch?
We thought you’d never ask.
We're a little different (and delicious). Just like people, fruits and vegetables are rejected for their lumps, bumps and blemishes, twists, kinks and colour. We say embrace them all. We rescue produce from smallholder Australian farmers and convert into lip-smacking products. To date, we've rescued over six tons of produce and converted it into, well, lots of jars of chutney that we've then sold. So, we're guessing there's people who actually like them.
Who do you make chutneys for?
Some people like variety and textures of a chutney. They enjoy the visual artistry of a delicious chutney that has highs and lows. They like remembering where they bought the chutney or who they received it from. They love seeing them in their fridge; they love having special part of the fridge dedicated to chutneys. And when it’s down to the bottom of the jar, they scoop out every bit - first with a spoon, then a spatula and if needed, call upon their trusty index finger to finish the job. For re-fills, they don’t need reminders on shopping lists. They just know.
They are allergic to uninteresting supermarket offerings - they delight in out-of-the-way and the rare, the well-made and hard to accomplish. And at times, provocative. To them time is an ingredient and luxury isn’t necessarily in the product but the ability of hands to transform an ingredient into something magical. They see value in the makers knowledge; a connection in where the chutney was made and what it was made from; and a charm in knowing that nothing quite like it exists in the world; from the recipe to the textures in the jar, right down to how the maker was feeling when it was made.
These are the people we’re working for. Curious people of any age - indefatigable, intelligent, resourceful, restless and mischievous.
What about pins and mugs?
We make food products - we will only ever make food products. We will focus our minds on making only that. It will keep us plenty busy - no pins, t-shirts or mugs. No distractions from the main thing - that will be the only thing. Tote bags, maybe.
Ok, there you go. That’s us (at least on our good days).