Entrepreneur Ashraf Sharif

Born 1954 into a poor family in Pakistan, Ashraf moved to the UK in 1960 aged 6 where his father worked for a pittance in Manchester textile mills. Career : His career began selling tights from egg boxes and on market stalls. “I’d earn more in a day than my dad did in a week,” he remembers. It was a CCTV camera in his first shop, however, that gave him his first truly entrepreneurial idea. It was the early 1970s and home video machines were just becoming available. Video tapes were very expensive to buy and there were no Indian films on the TV. He borrowed heavily, invested in five machines, recorded films on to blank tapes and started to hire them out. By the 1980s he had 66 video rental shops throughout the North West and a very loyal clientele. Turning down an offer to sell his company was a decision he came to regret, as technology moved on and competition from Sky began to threaten his livelihood. Eventually, he had to close the business. His next idea was Xes, an aphrodisiacal drink with the slogan “Liquid pleasure in a bottle”. Created in partnership with a French drinks company which unfortunately was pre-empted by the launch of Red Bull. Undaunted he launched Balti Wine, Ashraf’s unique but simple range of five wines to complement spicy food. Since its launch in 2004, Balti Wine has taken restaurants by storm, in some areas reaching 70 per cent penetration. In 2007 Balti Wines sponsored a one day England v India with considerable coverage. This year, Balti Wine is on course to hit its £10m turnover, and is already stocked in 13 American states. The company has also been approached for stocks by cruise operators and airlines   Ashraf Sharif & his Balti Wines