Pork scratchings – don’t you just love them?
OK, so they are little more than pig rind and fat, and hardly likely to feature in a healthy living manual.
But one of the great pleasures of life after a hard day’s toil at the computer screen is a couple of pints of real ale in the local pub, washing down some scratchings.
The little pork delicacies make crisps seem bland, and peanuts virtually obsolete.
And here in the West Midlands we are lucky to have a trusted name in the scratchings world bang on our doorstep, Tamworth-based Real Pork Crackling.
The Staffordshire firm has carved out such a tasty niche that they now supply the likes of Harrods, and Fortnum and Mason, as well as overseas markets from the Seychelles to South Africa.
Their products include such creations as pork crackling seasoned with sea salt, seasoned pork rind and prime pork rind seasoned with sea salt, snacks that crackle with the promise of flavour and taste.
But actions always speak louder than words, and the Tamworth firm is living proof that you can still prosper in a harsh competitive world if you get the product right.
The firm was set up as a one-man operation by Pelsall butcher John Edwards back in 1972.
Today, his son Lee is managing director of a near £4 million turnover concern, employing 50 staff, an impressive rate of growth by any standards, and the firm’s 40-year plus longevity is testament to John Edwards’ original concept. And they are still hand-cooking, 24-7 over at Tamworth.
In the end, firms live or die by their products, whether you are talking pork scratchings, cars, garden gnomes, or whatever.
Real Pork Crackling, with customers from Harrods to tourists in the Seychelles, proves that even in an era of industrial globalisation, you can succeed if you speculate to accumulate on the global stage.
When it comes to the crunch, it’s still quality that counts more than anything.
