Marcus Richards
Marvellous Mix Limited is a food production company involved in the production of a pastry snack popularly known as “Chin Chin”.
Marvellous Mix Chin Chin is a delicious, crunchy but soft cookie snack. It can be enjoyed individually and also served at events or parties as a treat to guests whatever the occasion or weather. It can be served with both hot and cold drinks. Peanuts make a great accompaniment for those who love them. it presently comes in two varieties. Original and Chilli.
Marvellous Mix Limited prides itself in making a delicious, soft but crunchy Chin Chin snack.
Tell us about yourself?
I never thought of starting a business when I arrived in the UK. However, after the birth of my first child, a boy, I was not able to return to work. He was born with a condition known as Osteogenesis Imperfecta (Brittle Bone disease). Our life was completely disrupted. We stayed in hospital longer than expected and the hospital became a part of our lives for a long time even till date. My husband struggled to cope financially as he was missing work a lot to take us for hospital appointments. When things settled down a bit, I had to think of what to do as I hated being home waiting for the next home visit or hospital appiontment. I loved caring for my baby but I have never liked being idle.
My husband was used to buying some chin chin snack on his way from work sometimes. I get upset anytime he brings what he buys home. I had to appeal to him not to buy them as that is something I can do. They were usually too oily and hard. I grew up making chin chin as a young person for my aunt and I knew how a good chin chin should be. In fact, in those days, it was rarely seen in stores. It was made only for special occasions.
One day, I told my husband to buy me a rolling board, rolling pin and a wok on his way home. He did! That was how I started making Chin Chin.
One day a sister asked me to prepare some for a party and I did. At the party, a caterer called me after eating the chin and gave me my first contract to supply her chin chin. Soon after that, I decided to approach a nearby shops close to my house – an Asian shop. Surprisingly, the owner not only took what I brought but paid me cash. I went home grinning from ear to ear.
Thus, began my entrepreneurship journey.
If you could go back in time a year or two, what piece of advice would you give yourself?
Hold on. Never give up. Reach out and seek help when it gets tough. Things can get overwhelming sometimes but it often gets better with time. There is always a way out and you can always find people who are able to help.
What problem does your business solve?
Marvellous Mix Chin Chin was introduced into the market so as to offer a great alternative to those who love chin chin and who are often disappointed that what is being sold in the market was hard and too oily.
We changed the packaging from plastic containers to a resealable paper kraft pouch bag for better presentation and longer shelf life. I believe it is a grand snack and deserves better and our customers are grateful for it.
What is the inspiration behind your business?
Marvellous Mix Chin Chin was introduced into the market so as to offer a great alternative to those who love chin chin and who are often disappointed that what is being sold in the market was hard and too oily.
We changed the packaging from plastic containers to a resealable paper kraft pouch bag for better presentation and longer shelf life. I believe it is a grand snack and deserves better and our customers are grateful for it.
What is your magic sauce?
Our product comes in a resealable pouch paper bag for longer shelf life.
It has no added preservative, colourng or flavouring
It is delicious, soft but crunchy.
It is clean, neat and not crumbly
It tastes great.
What is the plan for the next 5 years? What do you want to achieve?
Our vision is to get a listing in a major supermarket and to move into a bigger premises within the next 5 years. We want to roll out other product varieties in addition to the two varities we are currently offering. There is so much to do with our product ” Marvellous Mix Chin Chin” and we are excited about the future.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far?
The biggest challenge has been the Covid-19 pandemic. We have had to hold back on our plans to secure a bigger premises. We were also forced to let go of some staff as a result of the lock-down. A major issue is hiring competent and relaible staff as our work is quite demanding.
How do people get involved/buy into your vision?
Making our customers happy is our priority. Our customers want to be able to buy Marvellous Mix Chin Chin from all their favourite shops close to them. They want to be able to find and add it easily to their grocery basket anytime they are shopping in store. We need buyers and distributors to achieve this.
We are looking for partnerships with food distributors, snack food buyers, supply chains, vending machine suppliers and wholesalers to help make our products available across the UK and Europe.
