Thank you for taking the time to read our first blog in our series
‘The Heart of our Company’
Every month we will be doing a Q&A with one of our Customers or Suppliers from all across the South West, if you are reading this and would like to get involved just drop us an email to info@iscafoods.co.uk or message us on facebook. We are very much open to other ideas for this Blog series too.
Thank you to Ide Community Shop who are the first of our Loyal Customers to take part in our Question & Answer blog.
Q: Can you tell us abit about Ide Community Shop and how long it has been running?
A: Ide Community Shop was started by local people in 2009 when the previous shop closed due to the ill health of the owners. It moved to its purpose-built premises in 2013 and is still staffed and run by volunteers.
Q: What do you like the most and least about working in the food industry?
A: As we are a community shop the best bit is being of service to the villagers and getting to know them personally and going over and above the normal service of service a standard shop can offer and helping them out in various ways and looking out for the older members and checking they are ok if they have not been in etc
Q: If you were putting together a Cheese board what would be your top 3 Cheeses?
A: Somerset Brie, Barnstormer Cheddar and Cornish Yarg
Q: Have you seen an increase in people shopping locally since the Pandemic?
A: Definitely – people are coming in a lot more as we are smaller and limiting number in the shop at one time, so they feel safer and because they just do not want to go into town with more people around. Also, as more people are home working and home schooling they are coming in as not travelling to work or school etc
Q: How long have you been a Customer of Isca?
A: 10 Years plus
Q: What are some of your best-selling products? Have these changed during the past year?
Bacon, cheese, crisps, eggs, milk & wine
A: Sales have gone up across the board on most lines – a lot more alcohol has sold during lockdown as people have to drink at home. Chocolate and crisps sales have also increased as people treat themselves more as a result of having to stay in. Also, more lunchtime type foods are selling as again people eat at home and feed their children more at home rather than them having school dinners.
Q: Is there anything we don’t sell currently that you’d like to see available?
We get everything we need of you and think you carry a great range – we especially like all the local products as we try and buy as much local and support local producers and suppliers much as we can. This has always been our policy since the start
Q: When Covid has decided to leave us alone and we can finally start to do fun things again, what is the first thing you are going to do/ or have booked already?
Definitely to have time with friends and family – I have so missed seeing people especially the older relatives during this time
Q: Where is your favourite place to eat locally?
A: Hard to say as we have so many great local places around us – the two pubs in the village by the shop, The Huntsman Inn, and The Poachers Inn both are great places to eat with brilliant atmospheres and have fantastic landlords and again are a huge part of village life. Further afield the London Inn at Morchard Bishop is great with an exceptional landlord in Vera and they offer fantastic home cooked food in huge portions.
Q: As a very valued Customer is there anything we can do better to improve the service you are receiving from us?
A: Isca offer great service and great customer care skills on every level – no improvement necessary
(just to confirm there was no free cheese given from Isca as a bribe for this answer!)
