Thriving Edinburgh restaurant breaks into retail after foodie success
The surge in demand for its Mexican mixes has prompted a thriving family-owned brand to make a significant six-figure investment into three new products fit for supermarket shelves.
Run by two Scottish brothers, FreshMex has taken on the retail sector with the creation of two natural seasonings and a salsa dip – recipes which are used across the brand’s restaurant menu from meat marinades to vegetable rubs.
Having grown from its roots as a street food pop-up at farmers’ markets, FreshMex now operates restaurants in both Aberdeen and Edinburgh and has entered into advanced talks with retailers for its new range of products. Its first Scotland-wide listing goes live in a matter of weeks.
FreshMex’s £100,000 outlay in its retail goods follows continued success for its burrito restaurants, after it retained the title of Deliveroo’s most ordered dish in Scotland for the fourth year running and saw revenue climb beyond £2.5 million.
The Tex-Mex firm carefully curated the recipes of its three products to encapsulate its fresh and natural ethos. Its two 30g sachet rubs consist of a smoky Tex Rub and a sweet Mex Rub with paprika undertones and its 195g jar of Chipotle Salsa is flavoured with smoked jalapeño peppers.
The recipes are all vegan friendly, low in salt and sugar and its packaging is fully recyclable. Robbie Moult, founder and co-owner of FreshMex, hopes this will appeal to a wide customer demographic.
He said: “Our launch into retail is another exciting step for us, having grown from such humble beginnings.
“The idea for FreshMex came to me in 2015 following a road trip through California. This trip opened my mind to new cultures and cuisines that I wanted to bring to life in the UK – providing fresh, natural and authentic American-Mexican fusion street food with no microwaves or freezers in sight.
“Now, we are experiencing a major upwards trajectory having gone from pop-up to prime time, with a series of accomplishments under our belt. Our retail launch comes as a result of high customer demand for our products.”
FreshMex was founded by Robbie as a small-scale start-up attending farmers’ markets and music festivals, before achieving its first physical street presence in 2018.
Its inaugural fast casual restaurant in Aberdeen was launched with the objective of providing customers with good honest food served with a smile.
Due to the subsequent breakout of Covid-19, as well as a fire in the Aberdeen branch – which meant several months of restoration efforts – the two brothers were faced with several challenges early on in the brand’s inception. Despite this, the business opened its first Edinburgh restaurant on Lothian Road in the height of the pandemic.
Chris Moult, co-owner of FreshMex and brother of Robbie, said: “While we have had to face many setbacks and current challenging times for the hospitality industry, it has been great to be able to help Robbie on this journey, developing the brand that we so passionately believe in.
“Across the board, we have an energetic team of over 55 employees, thriving restaurants in the heart of two Scottish cities, a flourishing online presence on Deliveroo and now, our very own range of tex-mex products that will soon be seen across many supermarket shelves.
“It’s a real testament to the hard work, time and effort that Robbie and the team have spent building the brand to one of such high reputation. It’s only just the start for FreshMex.”
FreshMex is a family-owned business run by Scottish brothers Robbie and Chris Moult. The business was founded by Robbie in 2015 at 22 years old who had a passion for authentic, fast and fresh Mexican cuisine.
The brand has grown from its humble roots as a street food pop-up to a Mexican restaurant brand. Its first thriving restaurant in Aberdeen was launched in 2018 and as a result of its success, an Edinburgh branch was launched shortly after in 2021.
Its ‘fresh and natural’ ethos means that no microwaves or freezers are used in its food production, with its Aberdeen restaurant being recognised in 2019 at Deliveroo’s inaugural UK Restaurant Awards, picking up the Best Pop-Up To Prime Time accolade. The FreshMex burrito was the nation’s most ordered dish on Deliveroo in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021.
The Scottish start-up won an EDGE award in 2018 and £60,000 of growth capital from the UK’s biggest funding competition, as well as receiving support and guidance from Scotland Food & Drink and Scottish Enterprise throughout their continued growth journey.
The brand has plans to open a further branch following its product launch to supermarkets. Its tex-mex seasoning sachets and salsa are the exact flavour profiles of the ingredients used throughout FreshMex’s recipes, with the majority of its dishes containing these specific seasonings.
