The coronavirus pandemic has been something of a boom time for supermarkets and food retailers who have experienced unprecedented demand for their produce.

We are all familiar with food shortages and long waits for delivery slots which give the impression that the industry is in rude health.

However, for independent food retailers like The Goods Shed in Canterbury the last two months have thrown up some interesting challenges.

But rather than close up for the period, Susanna Sait, 47 and her team decided to roll their sleeves up and get stuck in.

The Goods Shed in Canterbury has remained open during the coronavirus pandemic

Susanna Sait has owned The Goods Shed for 19 years, and in that time she’s watched the business grow into one of Canterbury’s premier dining and local produce stores.

There have been some obstacles to navigate along the way, not least a fire that ripped through the store last year, but nothing as insurmountable as the coronavirus pandemic.

Luckily, Susanna and her team were prepared.

She said: “We could see it was coming so we started our delivery service on March 9.

“We had to learn on the hoof as we’d never done it before but it’s went very well so far.

“The demand for the delivery service was incredible on the first week and we were shifting around 80 boxes.

“At the moment we’re probably still doing 60 boxes a week which shows it’s very popular.”

'We've managed to keep everyone employed'

Many of the Goods Shed's staff have taken up new roles during the pandemic

Central to the appeal of The Goods Shed brand is the large open plan restaurant which looks down onto the store below.

Naturally, this was one of the first things to be closed at the beginning of the pandemic, but thanks to some clever tinkering, Susanna has managed to keep all her staff.

She explained: “We had to close our restaurant and café which was obviously a massive loss of income stream.

“We’re very fortunate to be able to keep everyone employed.

“Many of our chefs have begun to work in the butchery section and our waitresses are helping out in store and doing deliveries.

“Some chefs have started to make meals which can be heated up at home.

“We only furloughed those people who were vulnerable.

“Amazingly we’ve even managed to employ more people, including some chefs from other restaurants.”

'The whole process has been very creative'

Susanna believes it's more important than ever to support local producers

Of course, the transition to a more delivery based store hasn’t been without its challenges.

But according to Susanna, these can often present opportunities.

“The whole process has been very creative.

“The main obstacle we found was having to maintain our supply chain with local farmers.

“We still go to the farms every day to pick up fresh veg and the guys who have worked on our delivery service have been great at adapting to any situation.”

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'One of the positives of the pandemic is people are buying local'

A selection of local produce available at the Goods Shed

It would be incorrect to say the Goods Shed is doing better than ever, but considering the circumstances it finds itself in, it’s fair to say it’s doing better than most.

Although she’s not one to count her chickens, Susanna is cautiously optimistic about the future.

“So far it’s been fantastic, we’re keeping our head above the water financially and we’ve been discovered by a whole host of new customers who have become regulars.

“We might struggle over the winter period as we’re committed to only selling seasonal produce, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.

“One of the only positives from the pandemic is that more people are buying local produce.

“It’s so important we build up a more stable supply chain to ensure there’s enough food for everyone.

“Our priority will always be to stock local produce and support local producers.”