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Shahid with his new collection of Eid Party Mix
He’s keeping it sweet for Muslim munchers
30/ 9/2005
LIFE is tasting very sweet for a Rochdale businessman who has
launched a new selection of halal confectioneries to cater for the
growing number of Muslims in the north west.
Shahid Ahmed of Sunshine Snacks Ltd sells lolly pops, penny sweets,
vanilla fudge, fruit balls, candy pencils and many more children's
favourite and guarantees his Muslim customers that they are not
'haram'.
Father-of-two Shahid said winning a business award last year for
marketing ordinary sweets was the inspiration for his new
products.
He said: "A few weeks after receiving the award I started
approaching Asian businesses with my sweets but I was told by
almost everyone that they would not sell as they weren't
halal.
"This got me thinking, and after much research we realised there
was a huge gap in the market, so we decided to launch a new range
of halal sweets along with vegetarian and non-sugary sweets."
Ordinary sweets contain gelatin, made from the hooves of pigs or
cows, and often dyes, such as cochineal made from crushed
beetles.
Shahid imports his sweets from countries including Turkey and
Spain, which do not contain any of these additives.
He said: "Our sweets are not only ideal for Muslims, but for
vegetarians and anyone concerned about all the e-numbers that go
into food.
"We also have non-sugary sweets which are mainly aimed at
diabetics. My mum suffers from diabetes, but she's got a sweet
tooth, and will tuck into sweets whenever she can. She says she
can't tell the difference between my sweets and ordinary
ones."
Sunshine Snacks was launched when Shahid quit his studies to start
work at his father's grocery shop on Oldham Road, Rochdale.
He has now closed the shop and moved to bigger premises in the
town. They also have a depot in Leeds and are in the process of
opening one in Birmingham.
Added Shahid: "We currently supply in the north west and Yorkshire
but I want to eventually supply to the whole of the UK."
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