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Fat Betty man bites back at cafe challenge
THE OWNER of a small Tockwith business is taking on the might of the internationally-renowned Bettys Tearooms in a dispute over the name of his savoury snack.
Jonathan Kidd, of Cheese and Co, fears his business could go under if he is forced to rebrand his Fat Betty Organic Cheesey Nibbles.
Bettys Cafe Tearooms have lodged a complaint with the Patent Office about the savoury snacks – believing the use of the name 'Betty' will confuse its customers.
But Jonathan, who named his product after a famous stone in the Yorkshire Dales, is appalled by the action against him and has staged civilised street protests outside Bettys Tearooms waving a placard saying 'Save Fat Betty'.
He said: “We produce a range of savoury products but Fat Bettys are our biggest and best seller. It's a very important product to us.
“Bettys are unreasonable. They didn't challenge it two years ago and now they see how successful the product is they are starting to attack us.”
Jonathan, whose business is based in Tockwith, decided to name his product after a nun called Elizabeth who was travelling across the Dales when she became lost in the mist - and a stone marks the spot where 'Betty' was found. He previously worked at a village bakery which was located next to the stone, liked the name and christened his product.
The Fat Betty biscuits were developed in association with a bakery at the Camphill Vilage Trust, a charity providing supportive care and work at Botton, near where Mr Kidd was born in Danby, outside Whitby.
He has sold Fat Betty biscuits under his Taste of Yorkshire label in well-known Yorkshire food stores like Lewis and Cooper in Northallerton and Weetons in Harrogate, as well as farm shops and delicatessens.
A spokesman for Bettys said: "We were advised to get in touch with the trademark examiner to highlight the concern over the possible confusion between the two business names and we will of course accept the examiner's view on this.
"Bettys has been our name over three generations since 1919.
“Over the last few years several businesses have tried to launch products using the name Betty, some of them large, nationwide organisations.
"We have a responsibility to protect the Bettys name for the future of our business and if we allow one business to use our name we have to let others use it.
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Weather for Wetherby
Saturday 26 May 2012
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Temperature: 9 C to 21 C
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Temperature: 9 C to 22 C
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