Nestled in the heart of the Yorkshire countryside, The Yorkshire Kitchen began as a small family experiment blending heritage recipes with fresh local produce. What started as a simple idea - reviving a treasured 19th-century brandy butter recipe - soon evolved into a fast-growing artisanal butter business. Today, the company’s sweet and savory creations are stocked in shops across the country and sold at vibrant markets and festivals. In this interview, the founders, Jamie and Sarah, share their entrepreneurial journey and explain how Loyverse supports their continued growth.

What is your business about, and how did you start your journey as entrepreneurs?
We come from a farming community and are surrounded by excellent produce. My wife, Sarah, has a family recipe for something called brandy butter - traditionally enjoyed at Christmas or on Christmas pudding. It’s an old recipe, likely dating back to the mid-1800s. Every year she made it, and everyone loved it.

While on paternity and maternity leave from our corporate jobs in Spain, we decided to start a small business. We joked, “We’re not busy enough with two young children and full-time jobs - let’s set up a business!” So that’s what we did. We began selling sweet butter simply for fun, combining the wonderful local products around us with this very old recipe.

Soon we realized we couldn’t sell only brandy butter, so we expanded into other flavours - cilantro, cinnamon, honey, and more. We couldn’t produce the butter fast enough to meet demand. We started in our kitchen, which inspired the name “The Yorkshire Kitchen,” and from there the business grew. Farm shops and delis began approaching us to stock our products, and eventually we expanded nationally.

We began with sweet butter, and based on customer feedback, we later introduced our savory butter line, which has become our most popular range.

Sarah’s background in marketing helped develop our packaging and brand design. I’m a scientist, so I focused on the recipes and setting up our commercial production space. We started out selling at Christmas markets and craft fairs, which are still an important part of our business. That’s where Loyverse has been especially useful to us.

What features of Loyverse have been most useful in your business?
Loyverse has been extremely useful, especially the shift management feature, which lets us register all cash intake. It also allows us to track card payments. I appreciate the flexibility to customize the printed receipts, but most importantly, Loyverse helps us keep track of our stock.

Do you use Loyverse only for the Christmas market?
No, we have grown significantly since then. We now do a lot of face-to-face selling - not just at Christmas markets, but also at country shows and food festivals. The business is much bigger now.

Do you plan to open a physical store?
We don’t have plans to open a physical store in the near future. However, we are stocked in about 50 to 60 farm shops and delis across the country, so other shops sell our products for us.

When did you start using Loyverse in your business?
We started using Loyverse six months ago. Previously, we used another POS system that primarily handled card payments. We could only see the total amount taken each day - nothing more.

We’ve now integrated Loyverse with our payment system Teya, and all sales go through Loyverse. It has become essential for tracking item stock and printing receipts. It’s also very neat and user-friendly. I like that we can add barcodes for each item and simply scan as we go. It has been incredibly useful.

In terms of reporting and analytics, how valuable is the data you obtain from Loyverse?
It’s very important. We check the Back Office reports all the time. I’ve also downloaded the Dashboard app on my phone, which I like as well, though I prefer working in the Back Office.

Have you integrated Loyverse with any other systems or platforms, such as e-commerce or accounting software?
I use the Wix platform, and I used to think Loyverse didn’t integrate with Wix. But I noticed that Wix is actually listed in your Marketplace. It’s something I want to explore further because I believe it could be extremely useful for us.

What improvements have you noticed in your business since using Loyverse?
It has made a significant difference - and I’m not saying that just because of this interview. The biggest improvement has been in inventory management. We used to take far too much stock to events, but we’ve now reduced that by 50% or more. The Back Office reports, especially “Sales by Item,” are incredibly helpful. We know exactly which flavours we need, so we take only what’s necessary.

It has also improved our production planning. Before Loyverse, after returning from a market, we would try to guess which butter we needed for the next event. Now we simply check the Back Office to see what we sold and plan accordingly.

What is your vision for the future, and how do you see Loyverse supporting your growth?
Loyverse has already helped us a great deal. We want to expand our stock and be present in more deli shops and similar retailers. We are continually growing through various sales channels, especially face-to-face selling.

The next step will be integrating Loyverse with our Wix website and using Advanced Inventory for more robust inventory management. The price is reasonable for what it offers, and I believe Loyverse will continue to help us scale.

Do you have any advice for aspiring entrepreneurs?
Choosing the right tools is very important. As I like to say about Loyverse: “The juice is worth the squeeze.” The bit of effort you put in up front will save you a lot of time and energy later.

It may seem daunting at first, but Loyverse is incredibly user-friendly and easy to work with. After the initial setup, it becomes immediately helpful. I’d say - don’t hesitate, just go for it. As an entrepreneur, you’re often very time-poor and need to handle everything yourself, and Loyverse helps you work more efficiently and get things done.