About us

Origin8 – our story

The idea for Origin8 grew out of a shared passion for the highest quality food among the deli-café’s founders, Jane Scriven, Stephen Tutt and Julia Harbage.

“Stephen and I had worked for a large multi national, with me running fresh food factories and Stephen in sourcing,” says Jane. “I wanted to set up the best deli-café possible, with fantastic ingredients and a terrific chef working with wonderful produce.

“The economics of large-scale food production mean that smaller suppliers of specialist foods often get squeezed out, because they simply can’t match the scale that’s needed. I wanted to use what they offer and Stephen pointed out that if we wanted to make a real difference, all the products ought to be local. He was right.”

Stephen adds, “The more we thought about it, the more it made sense and our mantra became Local food matters. It simply isn’t necessary for the ingredients in a dish to come from as far away as Thailand, Brazil or Kenya. A chicken shouldn’t have the carbon footprint of a jumbo jet. That led to another guiding principle – The shorter the journey, the fresher the food.”

Jane and Stephen left in 2005 to pursue the dream and persuaded Julia, who has a background in admin, marketing and communications, to join them. It took two years before they finally opened the door of their first outlet, in St Andrew’s Street, Cambridge, opposite the entrance to the city’s Grand Arcade.

In the meantime, they scoured the Anglian counties of Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk for small suppliers of great-tasting food and drink, from livestock farmers to cheese-, jam- and wine-makers, looked for the right premises – and did some very hands-on research.

“Through the cold winter months of 2006, we found out whether local people would buy into our ideas by setting up a food stall at Cambridge market. We carried out old-fashioned research by talking to people and it became very clear that our future customers were searching for the way things used to taste – fresh, zingy and full of flavour – and not for mass-produced, preserved, bland, long-life products,” says Julia.

“A lot of people want to know where their food comes from and want to be reassured that it’s been reared and grown ethically and with care.” For example, when we say that the pork in our hog roasts comes from pigs that are raised in the traditional way, we really do mean that the pigs are allowed to rootle in the woods.”

Origin8 today

It’s now almost  two-and-a-half years since Origin8 opened its doors in June 2007, offering hot and cold food to eat in or take away, as well as ingredients for people to cook at home. In 2008, the business expanded into corporate, event and conference catering, plus punting picnics and hampers that are especially popular at Christmas. The online  shop offers a free home delivery within local Cambridge postcodes and a country wide delivery service.

Everything uses the same Anglian ingredients to provide food and drink that give a real sense of place.

“In 2008, we won the Ixion Challenge to find the business most likely to survive and thrive in the current financial climate,” says Jane. “This year we were chosen as official caterers to the Darwin 2009 Anniversary Festival in July, Cambridge University’s most important event during its 800^th anniversary year.

“To be shortlisted for the Telegraph Magazine Shop Awards 2009 was an incredible hat trick. It tells us that people really like what we’re doing, which is the best reward of all.”

Stephen sums it up, “It hasn’t been easy to nurture a business through the recession and endless building and road works outside out shop didn’t help but we’ve gradually built up a base of customers who really appreciate our combination of genuinely local food and drink, springing from the rich agricultural and culinary traditions of the Anglian counties. We are especially proud that more than 80 suppliers in the six counties are now supported by Origin8.”

The environment and recycling

Our local environment is important to us. We actively reuse, recycle or compost virtually everything in the shop.

Our cups are made from cornstarch and are biodegradable. Our cutlery is made from sustainable wood – and it’s easier to use than plastic alternatives. Our napkins and plates are made from sugar beet pulp and are composted.

All our glass and cardboard waste is recycled. Our food waste is composted and turned into soil conditioner. Almost none of our waste is sent to landfill.