Guest Pour: Teals, Somerset
How did Teals begin?
What Have Been the Challenges?
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A family getaway. A new venture. A solo adventure. Whether for work or enjoyment, the UK sees a whole lot of traffic, and many of us are used to making those necessary pitstops along the way—looking for food, toilet breaks, and a stretch of the legs. It’s often dreary—a necessity rather than choice—and one that our friends, Teals, believes needed to be changed, looking to reconnect people to the journeys behind the food, the people along the way, and the region they park up in.
Teals, which sits between North Cadbury and South Cadbury on the A303, comprises a food market, butchery, deli, gift store, and restaurant among its offering—a whole world away from the usual suspects dotted across the UK.
From the very beginning of Teals journey, the founders, Ash and Nick Sinfield, looked to do something different, wondering what would happen if they built a space on the side of a busy road – a place where locals as well as travellers – could come and get a really clear sense of the area: through food and produce, gifts and people. Today, just three short but challenging years later, Teals is a proud B Corp, and very much a part of the community—with plans to take their vision further.
We sat down with Ash to chat about the guest experience and the future of Teals as we celebrate B Corp month, championing businesses keen to positively change the future for the better.
"Before we started the business, we felt strongly that the offer on the UK roadside needed choice. The current experience is standardised and impersonal, with food products often highly processed, loads of plastic, and limited access to local products: you could be driving through any county in the UK and have no idea what that county produces or creates.
We wanted to offer a space where if you stop off in an area you don’t know, you can walk in, and get a clear sense of what that county is renowned for: what they grow, make, produce. You can get a taste of it, sampling locally sourced food in the restaurant and shopping it in the food market. You can step into the gift shop and have the same experience. It’s offering people a different route. The idea behind Teals is to provide a window into that region."
Like Origin, we’re a challenger brand. We aim to create a high quality but accessible environment; it’s designed for everyone.
"We opened in the middle of the second Covid lockdown, which was a challenge in itself—we could only open part of the business (the food market, and the food to go offering). One of the challenges of filling a building with sustainably, locally sourced products and food, is that you have to be single-minded while, at the same time, ensuring the offer stays great value for our guests—and we find that if personal values align with sourcing values, then guests appreciate the value and make an active choice to support local.
We have hundreds of relationships with direct suppliers, which we believe is crucial—it means that we know that the money is going back directly into the local communities, and that’s part of the impact we can make as a business.
We’re always looking to improve the experience and offer for our guests; we really try to make sure they have a great time when they’re with us. People come because they know they’re going to have a delicious, vibrant, and nutritious food and drink experiences and be looked after—it’s a bit of light and hope in what feels like a dark and depressing global environment."
"We’ve got a busy year ahead! We’re just about to submit our planning application for a second Teals, up in Stamford, Lincolnshire, and we’re also looking to expand here in Somerset. We’re conscious that we’re running out of space, and we want to be able to continue to give customers great service as we grow—even when they’re only parking up for a coffee to take-out. That guest experience is key. Lincolnshire will continue this vision, with nature and outside space key considerations.
We’ve never really pushed a message of sustainability onto our guests; when we first started out, we recognised we were new – and that we were doing something new – and needed to earn our place alongside some brilliant businesses who have been doing amazing things for far longer. We try to let the place speak for itself— actions can speak louder than words. There’s an understanding when you walk in: you’ll notice the minimal plastic and the milk refill; the fact that all food is cooked on site, sourced locally. Now we’re three years old, and have our B Corp certification, we’re at a point where we can challenge ourselves to get better and lead a little more where we are experts—still not preaching, just turning up the volume a touch."