Food scientist Jared Spencer grew up with “every allergy under the sun” – so when he created Caribbean-inspired, plant-based snack brand RIDDIM, there’s no way it wasn’t going to be inclusive and allergen-friendly. From Coconut Punch popcorn to Jerk BBQ plantain chips, Jared’s plan is to prove the UK has an appetite for island flavours. And looking at the Wholefoods and Selfridges listings he’s already secured, we’re thinking he’s right.

What is RIDDIM Snacks?

RIDDIM is an award-winning, culturally-relevant  snack brand, inspired by the vibrance and dynamism of the Caribbean. RIDDIM is all about telling Caribbean stories and capturing the essence of the region, in its simplest form: its flavours, its energy, its rhythms and its flows.

All of RIDDIM’s products are made to recipes without the top 14 major allergens and are entirely plant-based. Our mission is to bring authentic, exciting Caribbean representation to the UK snack market and tell Caribbean stories with the passion and verve they deserve.

What is the story behind RIDDIM? What were your personal dietary restrictions that led you to see a gap in the market?

I wanted to create something that was both socially and dietarily inclusive, showcasing the true vibe and energy of the Caribbean while also ensuring that our range was accessible to all regardless of dietary restrictions.

Growing up with every allergy under the sun in the early 2000s, the options for allergen-friendly products were minimal to say the least. So, this range is also an ode to all the people who have ever felt excluded from food – an indulgent range that all can enjoy.

From cocoa tea to jerk BBQ, why is it important to you to introduce snackers to flavours of the Caribbean?

I think that UK consumers are really looking for new and exciting flavours that allow them to explore different cultures and taste and do so authentically. The Caribbean has played such a  big role in crafting British culture, from music to food and everything in between. What we wanted to do with RIDDIM is introduce the UK to all the flavours of the Caribbean bringing to the forefront smaller islands whose impact may not be as widely known – places like Barbados and Grenada (big up the Spice Isle!).

Your stockists include Selfridges and Wholefoods. What does it mean to you to see customers be so receptive to a brand built strongly on your heritage and upbringing?

I want to say that it’s surreal that such established upscale stockists have listed RIDDIM, but it’s actually not. RIDDIM was made to be a premium offering in direct opposition to the inaccurate Caribbean trope that pure heritage brands fall under: budget, lower quality products that you can only find in an off licence. I wanted to prove that a Caribbean-inspired brand can not only exist in the most exclusive of retailers, but that it can outperform its competition.

You’ve already secured household name stockists and a Great Taste Award on your journey so far. What is the next milestone you want to hit?

I want to make sure that we are able to share RIDDIM with the Caribbean diaspora in the UK. This was built for them – I hope it makes them proud! 

What’s your professional background and what expertise did you bring to RIDDIM?

Luckily for me, I am a Food Scientist by profession. It’s my job to help launch and scale food and drink concepts. I watched products I’ve helped bring to market succeed, and I asked myself, “why not me?”.

“I want to make sure that we are able to share RIDDIM with the Caribbean diaspora in the UK”

Once you had the idea and had developed the products, what were the steps you took to building the brand?

I’d have to write a thesis in order to answer your question properly but the TLDR would be that everything we did while we were building RIDDIM was underpinned by one question: how can we do justice to the Caribbean story?

We wanted to showcase its best parts: its fast paced, high-energy moments but also its ‘soon come’, low tide vibe.

What’s been your biggest challenge so far?

Convincing buyers that RIDDIM deserves to exist and that there’s a market for it. Put it on a shelf and watch us prove that consumers resonate with us! 

What do you want to achieve with RIDDIM in the next five years?

We’ve built a pretty cool brand and we’re hopefully coming to a supermarket near you soon with our snacks; but we are now asking ourselves how we can bring RIDDIM’s energy to different food and drink categories… Stay tuned!

–

Jamii members get 20% off RIDDIM Snacks – find out more