Yorkshire Dama: Syrian cheese makers win Aldi order

A Syrian refugee couple who came to the UK and started a cheese business have featured on TV as part of a contest to get their food on supermarket shelves.

Razan Alsous and Raghid Sandouk run Yorkshire Dama Cheese in their new home of Sowerby Bridge.

They said they came to the UK after "losing everything" in the war in 2012.

On Tuesday, they appeared on Aldi's Next Big Thing and were selected for their cheese pastries to be listed in more than 1,000 stores.

Arriving in the UK with their three children, entrepreneur Ms Alsous said they spent a year looking for work but their qualifications were not recognised.

"It's then when we discovered our passion about food and we started our business," she said.

"Inspired" by the green Yorkshire Dales that surround Sowerby Bridge, the pair named their company after their two homes - Yorkshire and Damascus.

When they started in 2014 they had "nothing to lose" after coming to the UK with nothing, Mr Sandouk said.

A £2,500 loan helped them get up and running, adapting second-hand equipment to begin their production.

The Channel 4 programme saw the creation of Hello Mi Rolls, their newest venture, which are rolls of halloumi cheese wrapped in pastry.

Aldi placed a 400,000 unit order which Ms Alsous said was "really massive" for their company, turning their five-employee operation into a 16-person production line.

They had displaced family and friends from "all over the world" watching the show, Ms Alsous added.

Now settled in West Yorkshire, the pair said they felt "at home", using high-quality British milk in their produce.

"It's an artisan product so we're not compromising. It's such a great gate to go into the retail world, it's been a great experience to be honest." Ms Alsous said.

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