“These are the stories that line our shelves”: how community is putting the soul back in grocery shopping



Why is it that so many of us are drawn to unique, founder-led stores that are driven by storytellingCould it be because we are often yearning for something personal with which we can find a connection? With food shopping, perhaps it is because we want to know where our food comes from, and that it is sourced and grown responsibly. Sometimes it can be because it resonates with the past and the nostalgia of what once was.  

When I was in Cape Town and staying at Dorp, the owner Gail took me to her favourite store. She knew that I would be smitten – and she was completely correct.  

Walking into Olive Branch Deli is like going back in time, or like walking onto a film set of a black and white movie made in the 1930s. Every inch of space is used to display produce and warestins and jars piled high and cabinets full to bursting. Each item is out on show except for the bread, which is magnificently showcased behind a counter. 

You wouldn’t believe that Olive Branch Deli started by chance. It all began when Omeros Demetriou and his sister Hélène were helping their father in the declining family watchmaking business, situated in the Kloof Lifestyle Shopping Mall. Their father decided to import a locally-produced feta cheese from his home country of Cyprus to help cover the bills. In a tiny fridge under the counter, he offered his clients a sample of the cheese when they came to collect a repaired watch or clock. His tagline soon became: “Have you tried my amazing feta?”  

It didn’t take long before customers were returning to the store just to buy his “amazing feta”. With the watchmaking side of the business still struggling, Omeros and Hélène’s father began to introduce more products: Greek coffee, Cypriot halloumi, baklava, hummus, Greek yogurt, olive oil and even legumes and seedsBefore long, the tiny watch shop was filled with all kinds of Mediterranean treats. Where glossy watch posters once hung, soon an A4 sign bearing the words Olive Branch Deli was proudly displayed.  

The children called their fathers project “the secret deli – but it didn’t remain secret for long. On weekends, tables would be put up outside the shop piled high with a full array of Mediterranean products on display for all to see, buckling under the weight of everything from pickled octopus to platters of dolmades. To the children’s surprise, the secret deli soon began to generate more income than the watchmaking services. 

After several months – during which the owners of the shopping mall demanded that the makeshift deli’s operations be shut down  a small store freed up in the mall near the watch shop. Omeros and Hélène jumped at the opportunity and Olive Branch Deli was officially born.  

Initially, the Olive Branch’s customer base was made up of regulars from the watch shop who, after visiting the watchmaker for their weekly piece of feta, were told to “go to the kids” to buy groceries at their new space. Sales of cheeses and olive oil provided them with cash-flow to expand the range of Greek and Cypriot products. However, a few months into the new venture, it dawned on the young founders that although they had products people enjoyed, they didn’t really have a concept or identity of their own. 

It was at this point that the Olive Branch’s Community Grocers concept came to life. Inspired by Cape Town’s excellent local farmers markets which operate only one or two days a week, the deli became a space where local producers and farmers could sell their products and grow their brands on a daily basis in the heart of Cape Town.  

As they didn’t have a brand of their own, Omeros and Hélène decided to place the focus on their suppliers who already had a substantial following through their exposure at the markets. Their growth from this point was slow but organic. As they visited more and more farmers’ markets around the Western Cape, they found artisanal ingredients and products to compliment, and in many cases outshine, the range of imported products they had started out with.  

Stories like these can be heard from every one of their family of producers and suppliers. Dozens of stories, which many twists and turns, take place between farm and plate and – as Omeros put so beautifully: “these are the stories which line the shelves at the Olive Branch Deli.”  

“Go to the kids”: Omeros and Hélène Demetriou still run the deli and embrace its nostalgia.

When I met Omeros in Cape Town, he told me that stories like these can be heard from every one of their family of producers and suppliers. Dozens of stories, with many twists and turns, take place between farm and plate and, as Omeros put so beautifully: “these are the stories which line the shelves at the Olive Branch Deli.”  

From the day Omeros and Hélène opened the grocer’s doors, customers have loved the storeBy sharing their story through word-of-mouth and recommending products and suppliers, the customers have supported the Olive Branch.   

Like the farmers’ markets from which they drew their initial inspiration, Omeros and Hélène have evolved a business where long-term considerations of sustainability and traceability take precedent over short-term profits and convenience.  

Like the farmers’ markets from which they drew their initial inspiration, Omeros and Hélène have evolved a business where long-term considerations of sustainability and traceability take precedent over short-term profits and convenience.  

Hélène’s contribution to growth at the Olive Branch Deli has been to cultivate a culture of uncompromising humanity and consciousness in their business decisions. These principles have manifested themselves in everything, from the way they manage their internal waste, to institutionalising recycling mechanisms with their suppliers and setting minimum standards when procuring new suppliers.  

Today, the big supermarket giants have turned food shopping into a weekly chore – something we have to do instead of an experience and a pleasure. The Olive Branch Deli’s shift from a traditional delicatessen to a Community Grocer reminds me of the shift we are witnessing today, towards conscious consumption model that takes a productbrand or business’s backstory into accountThe supermarkets that will win hands down in the years to come will be the ones that manage to recreate the joy of the corner shop.  

In the UK, my money is on Stuart Machin and the team at M&S being true to the company’s founders – and making us feel good about our weekly grocery shop.   

Moira.benigson@thembsgroup.co.uk | @MoiraBenigson | @TheMBSGroup