From fighting food intolerances as a child to becoming a food entrepreneur as a parent, Roseanne Olanrewaju (known as Ro) has proved that with the key ingredients of imagination and determination – plus a dash of support from New Covent Garden Market (NCGM) – you can create a recipe for success.

For years Roseanne looked in on the kitchen from the outside before realising she could stand the heat. She now has a thriving food brand – RO’s – that is stocked in Whole Foods, Selfridges’ Food Hall, and a host of independent delicatessens across London and the South East. But let’s start at the beginning of Ro’s journey.

Forbidden fruit

As a child, food intolerances kept Ro at arm’s length from cooking. While other children hovered around the stove, Ro stood in the doorway, observing her Mum’s culinary skills, curious, and hungry to learn. Scotch bonnets, flour, spices - all forbidden. But that distance only sharpened her fascination.

Cooking became the “forbidden fruit,” and once she was finally allowed in, that early curiosity would grow into a West African– inspired food brand. A lifelong foodie, Ro began cooking seriously between the ages of eight and 10, baking cookies and experimenting wherever she could. Her interest wasn’t just in flavours; it was deeper than that. Living with multiple intolerances meant she constantly searched for alternative ways to recreate foods she loved. Learning how ingredients worked and how to replace them became second nature.

Food, says Ro, was the one subject she never tired of. And once she learned something new, she wanted to teach it. That instinct led her to train as a pastry chef, working at the historic Criterion Restaurant in Piccadilly Circus, where she learned to make everything from scratch. But even that dream came with obstacles. Inhaling flour aggravated her gluten intolerance, forcing her to step away from professional pastry kitchens. Instead of giving up, she changed direction.

Using teaching to share her knowledge

Teaching cooking became a unique outlet for Ro — a way to pass on hard-earned skills she could no longer fully use herself. With a diverse heritage hailing from Cameroon, Nigeria and Sierra Leone, three different cultures with overlapping produce, fascinated Ro, particularly how a single ingredient could be transformed across cultures (in this case her ‘hero’ ingredient, Scotch Bonnet peppers). West African food stood out, not only because of its depth of flavour but because it wasn’t widely accessible in ready-made form and caters to food intolerances.

Then came the pandemic.

Like many people, Ro suddenly had time to reflect. Former students, clients, friends and family began asking for recipes — especially for the West African dishes they loved but didn’t know how to recreate. Rather than sending instructions that would never quite stick, she had a simple idea: why not make the base for them?

Experimenting with frozen then ambient

The first versions were frozen pastes made at home and shared informally. But transporting frozen food was impractical and Ro knew that to be taken seriously, she needed to take herself seriously too. That meant proper testing, shelf stability and, crucially, a professional kitchen.

Ro discovered Mission Kitchen in 2021, just as its doors opened. Before launching her own brand, she worked as a chef with Mama Leys, a community-led food organisation producing thousands of nutritious meals for Southwark and Lambeth residents; a grounding experience that reinforced her commitment to affordable, honest food.

Quietly, alongside this work, Ro began refining her own recipes.

The early branding was as humble as it gets: jars with home-printed paper labels, a handwritten ingredients list, and no certainty that anyone would buy them. In December 2021, she took those jars to Portobello Road Market through a small-business scheme by the Portobello Business Centre. Tucked away near a Spanish grocery store (the long-established R Garcia and Sons), she worried nobody would even notice her stall. “I was lucky as it was Christmas, so people were in the mood to buy,” says Ro, adding: “It was such a worthwhile experience as I got important feedback on how my products tasted from people who clearly loved their food, plus I learned an important fact that day: people will buy almost anything from you as long as you’re passionate about your product and you speak with confidence – I ended up selling my entire stock.”

The lesson wasn’t just that people would buy, it was why they bought. Ro wasn’t pushing sales; she was offering a taste of authentic West African flavours, asking for feedback and sharing her story with confidence and enthusiasm. Customers responded to the authenticity.

No ‘hidden’ ingredients

Encouraged, Ro went back to the drawing board. In January 2022, she began working with designers, refining recipes, and shaping a brand rooted in one uncompromising principle: the food had to be as clean as possible. No additives. No hidden ingredients. Nothing she wouldn’t feed her own children. Her guiding benchmark was simple – could her African grandmother have made this at home and stored it safely?

The brand name came together just as simply. Pressed for an answer on official paperwork, she chose “RO’s” a play on her own name, something familiar, warm, and giftable. What began as a rushed decision became a perfect fit. “I had a long list of nine names originally, opting for RO’s in the end for two simple reasons – it was my name plus a rose looks delicate but its thorns pack a punch, just like my sauces.”

The Mission Kitchen experience

Ro became a paid-up member at Mission Kitchen – the shared kitchen space on the first floor of NCGM’s Food Exchange building – in October 2021. “My time at Mission Kitchen has been invaluable as I’ve been able to network and take advantage of lots of opportunities that would never have come my way. Mission Kitchen offers regular talks with industry experts, opportunities to meet buyers from independent stores and offer opportunities to expose your products to corporates and individuals across the UK. It’s a wonderful community to be a part of and I’ve learned so much from other entrepreneurs,” she says.

Not just what to do but – equally as important – Ro learned what not to do, seeing other’s pitfalls and deciding not to rush her brand until she was confident in her product. It was June 2022 when Ro started making her new ambient hot sauces and the official launch was at a Commonwealth market at Duke of York’s Square in Chelsea, celebrating the Queen’s Jubilee. This time, Ro arrived with a proper website, professional labels, and two hero products: a jollof paste inspired by family recipes, and a fiery pepper sauce built around the very ingredient she’d once been allergic to - Scotch Bonnet. Once again, she sold out.

Slow-cooking proves the best ‘growth’ recipe

Growth since then has been deliberate rather than explosive. Balancing family life, homeschooling, and production meant she chose not to chase every opportunity. Instead, she focused on learning, iterating, and leaning into the supportive Mission Kitchen network of fellow small businesses. The Market supplies all of RO’s ingredients (except for her Scotch Bonnet peppers, the supplier being a closely-guarded secret). “I first started working with former Market firm Sheringham’s because they were in the Food Exchange and I could go down and pick my fresh produce – they were very supportive of me and were instrumental in my success,” she says.

Sheringham’s didn’t mind that Ro only wanted small quantities and could see she was a new business owner who needed a little help. “When Sheringham’s closed, we switched to another Market wholesaler, AA Produce, who again have been a great help,” she says. “They know me now and understand that I must have the very best produce or it’s getting sent back!”

Independent deli opens the door of opportunity

Gladwell’s Deli & Grocery - based in nearby Camberwell - was the first shop to stock RO’s products. It was a product tasting session for RO’s at Gladwell’s that led to contact with supermarket retailer Whole Foods Market, via a forager (foodies who find and recommend small brands to retailers). Whole Foods seemed like a great fit for RO’s sauces and pastes. Unfortunately, Ro didn’t yet have the correct SALSA [Safe and Local Supplier Approval] accreditation, a food safety certification scheme designed for UK small food and drink businesses. But, as luck would have it, one door closed and another opened.

The tasting at Gladwell’s led to online platform DELLI Market approaching Ro. “I was apprehensive at first,” she says, “but I got with DELLI Market and started supplying them in 2023, and my business took off. Showing my products to a wider market led to a lot of independent delis getting in touch and soon I was supplying delis across London.”

Selfridges adds the next layer

Next to come calling was a shop on Oxford Street: Selfridges’ Food Hall. “It was summer 2023 and Selfridges asked if I could send them some samples,” says Ro, adding. “They were amazing, helping me with my packaging and design, showing me examples of other brands and giving me tips on how to make my products stand out.”

Ro took her time – a now familiar theme – and wasn’t to be rushed. Eventually, once Ro was happy with the new look packaging, Selfridges gave Ro’s products “a generous space in the world foods’ section” in the department store’s legendary ground-floor Food Hall.

Despite the earlier disappointment with Whole Foods, another opportunity with the chain knocked at Ro’s door. “Whole Foods was looking for female entrepreneurs who were in the ‘world food’ sector, and this time they were keen to make it work. I took on a co-packer who helped me to produce the increased quantities that we needed to supply a multi-store retailer. We produce around 50 litres at a time at Mission Kitchen, whereas my co-packer can produce multiple batches of this size, each time.”

February 2025 saw RO’s products debut in all seven Whole Foods Market locations and sales have been strong. Ro says: “We’re able to do promotions at different Whole Food locations, which has been amazing for brand exposure, and it nearly always translates into sales.”

Today, RO’s products are polished, gift-ready, and confidently rooted in heritage. RO’s sauces and pastes are now available from www.roskitchn.com, DELLI Market, Whole Foods, Selfridges, 10 independent delicatessens across the capital, plus delis in Oxford and East Sussex.

Not bad for a full-time-Mum with just an idea and bags of authentic passion.

What’s next?

Ro is going to take time to celebrate her success thus far, but long term she’s looking forward to a potential partnership with a nationwide supermarket chain, such as Waitrose.

But she knows stepping up production means further innovation and challenges to overcome. Ro says: “I want to expand further but I know the heart of the business hasn’t changed. It’s still about curiosity, care, and making food that tells the truth about where it comes from.”

Ro’s story is a reminder that small beginnings, even constrained ones, can become powerful foundations. Sometimes, the long way round is exactly the right way. However, she is also keen to acknowledge the contributions of her extensive village. “I’d like to thank our customers for their purchases and invaluable feedback, family and friends who made introductions, the business founders who shared tips, and the organisations that provided support,” says Ro.

“Most of all,” she adds, “I’d like to thank the community I’ve found here at NCGM who have really supported my journey.”