Introduce yourself.

What is Lilliput Trading Co?

For people who care about the provenance and quality of their food, Lilliput Trading Co, is an independently minded curator and supplier of genuine artisan foods, sourced from the Mediterranean basin and Iberian Peninsula, carefully selected for quality, flavour and integrity of production.

What inspired you to join the natural health sector?

Our interest has always been food that is unadulterated, natural and full of flavour. Such as Extra Virgin Olive oil, Unprocessed Olives, Aged balsamic vinegars, 100% nut butters and Tahini, to name a few. Natural food is a natural fit.

Where did you get the idea for your brand?

The name Lilliput came from our small artisan grocery store, Lilliput Stores, which we set up in Stoneybatter Dublin back in 2007, and its name in turn came from The Lilliput Press, a small and fiercely independent publishing company also based across the road from us in Stoneybatter. The name Lilliput represents for us our pride in the concept of being small and independent. Small as in small batch, quality driven products, Independent as in free to pursue our own values and instincts. The second part of our brand name comes from our origins going back to 2002 when we initially started out as market traders specialising in quality Mediterranean produce hence the Trading Co part.

What makes your brand unique?

I don’t know that we are unique but what we do try to do is bring together the best quality products we can source and provide them in a simple unpretentious format and at a reasonable price. It started with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, then Aged Balsamic Vinegar, we try to find genuine small artisan producers producing great products, but that might never get to market outside their own country.  And so it has become our mission to develop a collection of artisan larder staples and quality natural ingredients that can be relied upon to deliver flavour, provenance and bang for buck.

What are your company’s core values?

We strive to bring authentic foods to people in a fair and transparent manner that develops trust and confidence. We seek to develop meaningful relationships with our suppliers and customers built on integrity and a shared purpose. We are curious, always looking out for new product and producers on the culinary horizon. We are grounded in our appreciation of good food and good practices. We hope our products resonate with people.

How do you support your community?

Our Local community is Stoneybatter in Dublin 7, where along with our warehouse, we have Lilliput Stores an artisan grocery store & café that serves and acts as a meeting place for the local community. We try to provide quality wholesome food to our neighbourhood and also attend two weekend markets nearby.

We support local two local Boxing clubs and also have a partnership with Bohemians Football club

What has been the most rewarding part of your brands journey?

When people express satisfaction and an appreciation of our products it is very encouraging and gives you a lift. Customers coming back for more or making a product part of their routine is all you can ask for.

What in your opinion makes Irish brands unique?

Again I don’t know that Irish brands per say are particularly unique but rather it is the relationship between a local brand and their customer; and so an Irish brand will be closer in relationship to its customer by virtue of understanding their customer better or reflecting their customer needs better. For us our brand aims to gather under one name many disparate artisan products from the many cultures of the Mediterranean Basin and Iberian Peninsula. We then try to make each product as approachable as possible in a clear and unfussy style that is both familiar and trusted. And in so doing take some of the home work out of process that otherwise might be daunting and require a lot of trial and error.

What is your favourite product from your brand?

My new favourite is our new stone ground Tahini from Lebanon along with real Pomegranate Molasses. Our Tahini uses the finest premium quality Sudanese sesame seeds; it is produced by a small family business in Kesrouan in Lebanon.

Our Pomegranate Molasses is an exceptional product and an everyday must-have in a kitchen. It is 100% natural and sugar free; it is prepared with care by a small-scale women’s cooperative in Akkar, North of Lebanon.

Tell us about something that has shaped your brand?

Working on market stalls for 24 years, making & selling the best quality Mediterranean food to satisfied customers; it is the original ‘Market Research’ that thought us what works and what resonates.

What do you hope to accomplish in the future?

The goal is to bring together a range of products under our ‘Lilliput’ brand that occupies that optimal sweet spot where, quality, tradition and value meet. Is it authentic, is it clean, is it tasty and is it worth it.

We really enjoy the process of seeking out good things and we hope to keep doing just that.