How jacket potato king makes £7,500 a day from his humble trailer
- Ben Newman, 39, will get mobbed by followers when he walks by way of Tamworth
It’s not typically you see individuals prepared to queue greater than an hour for a jacket potato. Nor to board a aircraft and journey 6,500 miles throughout two continents simply to get a nibble of a spud.
It’s one thing that has flabbergasted Ben Newman too to see queues snaking by way of the quaint market city of Tamworth, Staffordshire, every single day outdoors his modest trailer.
The 39-year-old father-of-nine is immediately recognisable by his trademark pink-mohawk, however there is a heartfelt purpose behind the rock star take care of struggling his personal well being battles.
The jacket potato king received the punk coiffure to boost cash for kidney analysis and it is one thing that has caught ever since.
His enterprise has exploded since he began importing movies onto TikTok final 12 months simply to ‘keep watch over my youngsters’.
More fondly referred to as Spud Man, the son of a potato service provider is usually mobbed when followers see him strolling by way of the city.
It’s past the wildest dream for him and his spouse Sarah Simpson, 37, AKA Spudwife, and one thing that appeared unimaginable when he began out the enterprise beneath a unique title twenty years in the past, aged simply 18.
He now sells as much as 1,500 potatoes a day priced between £4 and £5 from inside his tight-knit cream-coloured trailer, raking in about £7,500.
Ben Newman, 39, has been left flabbergasted by the massive queues that type outdoors his modest jacket potato van
Ben – The Spudman – with buyer April Hall from Telford. He has constructed a web based group of two million individuals on TikTok
He suffered three failed kidney transplants – in 2014, 2016 and 2019 – and shall be on dialysis for the remainder of his life.
People have been flocking from so far as the USA, Australia, New Zealand and Malaysia to his humble jacket potato van after his movies took the web by storm racking up 2.6 million followers and 41.6 million likes on TikTok.
‘It’s all been past my wildest goals,’ he stated.
‘I simply attempt to have enjoyable with the movies. People appear to benefit from the livestreams however I take pleasure in filming individuals’s responses once I give them a free spud.
‘I’ve seen the Binley Mega Chippy comparability however I wish to really feel we have labored just a little tougher than that.
‘They have been a meme and it occurred by probability. We know it would drop off however we wish to preserve going for so long as we are able to and to place Tamworth firmly again on the map.
‘If we do effectively, so does the city. It’s all about selling native companies and likewise each jacket potato vendor on the market.
‘There is one in your individual city, go and help them.
‘My grandad was a farmer and my dad was a jacket potato service provider, I feel they’d be proud.’
Ben, the son of a potato service provider, is usually mobbed when followers see him strolling by way of the city
Queues snake by way of the quaint market city of Tamworth, Staffordshire, every single day outdoors his modest trailer
He has no concept how he grew to become an unlikely vacationer attraction for younger individuals after initially becoming a member of TikTok to keep watch over his kids
The 39-year-old father-of-nine is immediately recognisable by his trademark pink-mohawk, however there is a heartfelt purpose behind the rock star look
He suffered three failed kidney transplants – in 2014, 2016 and 2019 – and shall be on dialysis for the remainder of his life
According to Ben, individuals journey to satisfy a TikToker, however they return for the jacket potato
Although he has been requested if he would tour the UK, Ben is adamant about bringing extra commerce to Tamworth, in addition to selling different jacket potato merchants throughout the nation
Ben shortly change into an web sensation due to his humble jacket potatoes, is utilizing his newfound fame to assist his hometown of Tamworth
One pair of shoppers travelled all the way in which from Malaysia, simply to satisfy the TikToker and check out his meals
Ben, also called @spudarmy on TikTok, has amassed an enormous following of 1.9 million by sharing his culinary suggestions, typically handing out free jackets to some fortunate clients
He has no concept how he grew to become an unlikely vacationer attraction for younger individuals after initially becoming a member of TikTok to keep watch over his kids.
Since then, his easy movies of him sharing culinary suggestions and every day life as a jacket potato vendor on his trailer have exploded in reputation.
Ben has even earned his personal private fanbase in Hawaii and admits he’s nonetheless baffled by his newfound fame and turning into a millennial craze.
Ben, of Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire, stated: ‘I nonetheless cannot fairly get my head round what’s occurring. It’s simply been loopy and completely mind-blowing.
‘I’ve no social media coaching or expertise. When my son, who’s now 16, put TikTok in entrance of me I simply thought “I need to keep an eye on you on this”.
‘But I quickly realised it wasn’t only for dancing ladies, so I uploaded a number of movies of me making a potato utilizing only a Go-Pro and an honest digital camera.
‘When they started hitting a number of thousand views every I assumed I might use this to advertise the enterprise. But I by no means anticipated what occurred subsequent.
‘It was October and we had round 400,000 followers, which I used to be satisfied with to be sincere, then swiftly it began to blow up.
‘For no actual purpose that I’m conscious of, some movies have been getting thousands and thousands of views. One has had nearly 100 million views.
‘We labored out in the event you sat down to observe that video 100 million instances, you would be watching it for 60 years.
‘All of a sudden individuals from internationally have been turning up – from South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and USA.
The father-of-nine, who struggles to stroll by way of his hometown with out being mobbed by followers, has attracted hour-and-a-half lengthy queues to Editha Square – a patch he has traded from since he was 18 years of age
He now sells as much as 1,500 potatoes a day priced between £4 and £5 from inside his tight-knit cream-coloured trailer, raking it about £7,500
People have been flocking from so far as the USA, Australia, New Zealand and Malaysia to his humble jacket potato van
His fame has spawned Spud Man merchandise offered on-line within the type of keyrings, tote luggage, aprons and clothes (Pictured: Huge queues outdoors Spud Man’s van)
People journey for miles after which stand in queues for hours simply to get a style of Ben’s jacket potatoes
Spud Man has change into a vacationer attraction with the very best vendor the traditional cheese and beans (Pictured: Jacket potato with coleslaw, cheese, and beans)
‘The most surreal second was this couple from Malaysia, who hadn’t come to the UK for a vacation – they got here simply solely to see me.
‘They caught a flight to Gatwick after which employed a automotive to drive to little outdated Tamworth solely for a jacket potato.
‘The quantity of individuals I’ve been capable of join with and meet from everywhere in the world is simply loopy and extremely humbling.
‘Every single buyer has been superior. Its not simply millennials, now we have middle-aged households right here too.
‘We’ve change into a vacationer attraction. Our greatest vendor might be the traditional cheese and beans.’
Ben says he cannot even stroll by way of his dwelling city anymore with out being stopped on the street on account of his new native superstar standing.
His fame has spawned Spud Man merchandise offered on-line within the type of keyrings, tote luggage, aprons and clothes.
He added: ‘It has opened up some unimaginable alternatives for me. I truthfully cannot stroll by way of city anymore with out being stopped.
‘I by no means sought superstar standing, I simply wished my little jacket potato van to do effectively. I will not tour or open my very own store – I really like my trailer an excessive amount of.
‘I simply attempt to be genuine and sincere and I feel that is what individuals like. I do not actually know, you’d must ask them.’
Last weekend he raised over £11,000 for Kidney Research UK by making a gift of 2,200 free jacket potatoes to individuals within the city.
He stated: ‘There’s not a number of dialysis sufferers who’re as energetic as me and I wish to attempt to present a optimistic aspect of it and assist help the charity the place I can.
‘I’m attempting to place out a optimistic message to them and that they are often regular while having kidney failure.’
Ben has been on the similar location for greater than 20 years after establishing his personal enterprise known as Newman’s Catering on the age of 18.
He grew to become Spud Man round two years in the past and believes his late father, who was a jacket potato service provider, could be happy with his latest success.
In the wake of the pandemic he began utilizing his @spudarmy account to advertise his enterprise however stated he ‘by no means believed’ this may be the result.
Customer April Hall, 38, a help employee, travelled an hour from Telford, Shropshire, to attempt a Spudman jacket potato with cheese and tuna yesterday.
She stated: ‘Some of the fellows I help have been happening about him for weeks after watching all of his stuff on-line.
‘I’m not likely into social media that a lot so all of it appeared a bit weird to me however I promised them we’d go and see him.
‘We got here early to keep away from the queues and he’s such a pleasant man. The jacket potato was beautiful too.
L-R Kathryn Mangles, Zak, and Steven Deere clients from Nottinghamshire with jacket potatoes
The queue in Tamworth for Spudman snaking by way of the market city
Rebekah Lee and Alex Manders clients from Lichfield
L-R Archie Povey, Bill Bellamy and Lewis Rochelle clients from Cannock. Lewis, a McDonald’s supervisor, stated he wished to see what the fuss was about
‘It’s wonderful to see regular, right down to earth individuals making it in life so credit score to him. He has carried out rather well to get this following and we have been comfortable to help him.’
Another buyer, McDonald’s supervisor Lewis Rochelle, 18, of Cannock Staffordshire, stated: ‘I simply wished to see what the fuss was about.
‘I paid £5 for a jacket with cheese and beans and it was actually good, so it was effectively definitely worth the journey.
‘I noticed his movies earlier than Christmas when he had a few hundred thousand followers – however its simply exploded.
‘Every one in two movies is about him in the meanwhile. It’s mad. I’ve not needed to journey far nevertheless it was nice to satisfy him and get a photograph with him.’
Regular Lee Vickers, 29, of Tamworth, added: ‘Spud man has put Tamworth effectively and really on the map – it is unreal what he is doing for himself.
‘He deserves all of the success on the earth. He at all times places the graft in, he is a prime man and above all he sells top-quality hearty spuds.’
