A Pembrokeshire preserve producer is scaling up the business after moving into its first headquarters.
What began as a way of using blackberries picked on countryside walks has become a thriving business for Anne-Marie Harries.
She first began selling her jams at her parents' pub, The Farmers Arms, in Mathry. Now with three Great Taste Award winning preserves to its name, Farmers Food at Home’s jams, chutneys, and marmalades sell through retailers across the county.
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There are more than 25 different varieties of preserves, among crab-apple, rosehip, rhubarb and ginger, Seville orange marmalade, courgette and tomato chutney, and the Great Taste Award one star-winning chilli jam. There are also seasonal varieties such as gooseberry and elderflower, strawberry and Pimm’s, and blackcurrant and gin.
"When out walking with my dog Bobby I’d pick berries, but I didn't know what to do with them, so I started making bramble jelly and selling it at the pub – and it took off from there,” Ms Harries explained.
The Farmers Food at Home range is regularly available at craft and produce fairs and food festivals. They can be found in holiday cottages and B&Bs too and was recently served to cyclists in the Tour of Pembrokeshire race.
Now, in addition to foraging for berries in the hedgerows, Ms Harries grows a range of fruit and vegetables at her home in Llanreithan near Haverfordwest. She believes she gets her green-fingers from her late father, Bryan Farmer, who before becoming a publican had been a farmer, growing cabbages and cauliflowers.
While her preserving skills, she also puts down to her ‘genes’.
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"I’d never made any jams before, I cooked meals at the pub, but I was more a savoury person. However, my grandmother was very much into making preserves, and I remember the jars in her pantry – so I guess I must get it from her.”
Her new preserve HQ – aptly named ‘The Jam Shed’ - is situated in the middle of an acre of land where Ms Haries grows her fruit and vegetables.
The Jam Shed is surrounded by fruit trees, soft fruits, berries, and also a polytunnel, which is home to a variety of produce including tomatoes and chillies while Ms Harries forages locally for the likes of rosehips and crab-apples.
The move from her home kitchen to a purpose-built 9m x 6m unit has revolutionised production for Ms Haries and her part-time assistant.
"I’d outgrown the kitchen, we still make everything in small batches, but we can now use equipment I was not able to use at home. Hopefully, we’ll be able to become Salsa registered, and then we can supply wholesalers and bigger outlets,” she said.
Practical food production advice came from the Food Centre at Horeb, and Ma Harrie’ business has been helped to grow by Cywain – a Menter a Busnes delivered project that supports the development of growth orientated businesses in the food and drink sector in Wales.
"Cywain have been great, they have been there with everything from test trading and courses to one-to-one support and help with my website,” she said
Lowri Davies of Cywain said"It is great to see Anne-Marie taking her business to the next level with the opening of her new unit. Farmers Food at Home is an award- winning brand and it now has the facilities that will enable it to grow even further".