Dorset’s food and drink success The Dorset Magazine Dorset Food, Drink & Farming Awards 2018 Every year Dorset Magazine continues to amaze by elevating their awards night to new heights and 2018 was no different. With several new categories added to the agenda and a fantastic host, the Dorset Magazine Food, Drink & Farming Awards was a roaring success. Recognising talent in the county is something we are extremely passionate about and why we (Dorset Food & Drink) act as headline sponsors year on year. To celebrate the successes of the evening we have teamed up with our Corporate Partner, Old Mill, to find out more about the winners. Running a business is not without its pitfalls so we explore some of the challenges they have faced along the way, as well as discussing the opportunities which lie ahead and what the awards mean to them. Helen Stiles, Editor of The Dorset Magazine talks about this year’s awards “The Dorset Magazine Food, Drink & Farming Awards celebrates the excellence of food, farming and hospitality industries. Dorset is renowned for its top-notch produce and, at a time when we face an uncertain political future, it seems that nothing is going to stop the entrepreneurial spirit of the hardworking people behind Dorset’s food and drink scene. These awards recognise those proudly flying the flag for Dorset, as well as those who are leading the way in sustainable sourcing and packaging.” After being treated to a champagne reception in the grounds of The Italian Villa, Beales Gourmet served up a delicious meal showcasing some of the finest ingredients the region has to offer. This was all brought together using local, seasonal and award-winning products. We spoke to winners in several different categories to really understand the difficulties they face and what they want to achieve in the future. Winners include: The Acorn Inn, Finca, Goldhill Organic Farm, Webster Family Butchers and Dorset Blue Vinny. Background The businesses we spoke to are very successful and are really growing their brands in Dorset. Some award winners started off as small businesses and worked their way up, some are still growing, and some found their dream professions in the food and drink industry completely by chance. Goldhill Organic Farm (Independent Retailer of The Year) started life when they inherited their farm from their parents, turning the 60-acre farm into a real haven with vegetables, pasture and woodland. This was supported by a grant that they received to plant woodlands, they were then able to get money from DEFRA to manage the woodland and received a grant for flood defences on the farm. They want to make the public more aware “that grants are available to farmers” through the English Woodland Grant Scheme (EWGS). The Acorn Inn (Best Pub of The Year), part of Red Carnation Hotels is managed by Richard and Natalie Legg. Richard started as a general assistant at the Acorn Inn but soon worked his way up, now he and Natalie are General Managers. At the Acorn Inn they truly believe in making every customer feel special from the moment they walk in. The staff should treat guests like it’s their only holiday of the year and they are the ones who should make it special.
Also working his way up the ladder in the industry, Michael Davies of Dorset Blue Vinny (Best Product/Producer of The Year & Food & Drink Hero 2018) started his career as a trainee cheesemaker in Callington. Mike wanted to make cheese as he felt it was unique at the time as the only Blue Vinny maker in Dorset. He was determined to master it as it was known as “an old Dorset cheese”. He would make truckles in his garage at home and have parties, so everyone could try it. He does stress that it has been a hard journey, but he says, “I’ve been so lucky”. Finca (Best Tea/Coffee Shop of The Year) started their business when they bought a building with the idea of letting it as a shop and flat but soon realised they wanted to open a café. Although production has expanded from a wok in their kitchen to a 10kg roaster, they are still as passionate as ever about producing high quality coffee, extracting the perfect amount of flavour from the bean. They only source the best coffee beans, these are tested by a professional before Finca are provided with the best of the best (80 points or more). Now with three cafes they really have gone from strength to strength. Webster Family Butchers (Customer Service Award) opened in 2015 in Winton after Ken and Carly decided to leave the city life behind in London. They opened the butcher’s shop with the intentions of changing the way traditional butchers were viewed by sourcing high quality meat and putting customer experience at the heart of everything they do. Having won the Customer Service Award, they really do focus on both the quality of their produce and their service. At Webster Family Butchers they talk about their shop like a hair salon, people come in and talk about their problems and get advice, they are regarded as friends as well as customers – they have “a real community of people”. To ensure the highest quality of meat, they get to know their suppliers and go to see where the meat comes from and even sit down to dinner with them. The attention to detail on the supply chain is great. Challenges “If it was easy then everyone would do it” Don (Finca) Although the challenges were different for each business we spoke to, all the winners agreed that one of the biggest problems they face is recruitment. This is a common problem in the industry and is very topical now with Brexit on the horizon. Don (Finca) highlighted the need to train staff internally due to the precision that goes into his coffee making process. Not only do they weigh the coffee dry then weigh it wet, but they also ensure that the grinding process is perfect to extract 18-20% of the flavour from the coffee bean and use a timer to make sure ground grains are the right size. There are very few people in this region that have been trained to that level of detail. The roasting of the beans happens throughout the evening or mornings ready for the day’s customers – this is a unique process for a coffee shop. When Finca initially opened they had little risk as they owned the building, but they really have put a lot of work into the company to make it worthwhile. The best thing about it all is the atmosphere of the shop, the “coffee shop is a very social thing which generates a great atmosphere”. Sarah from Gold Hill Organic Farm shares the view of recruitment being a challenge, stating that it has been hard to “source labour” and get the “right people working effectively”. She also focused on the troubles facing farming businesses regarding time and weather conditions but did go on to say that diversification of woodland and different types of vegetables has helped them mitigate this problem. Sarah says “you’ve got to try and be flexible” which they are striving to achieve.
Richard and Natalie from The Acorn Inn talk about the need to keep up to date with trends and “keeping it interesting” with seasonal menu changes. Ken and Carly from Webster Family Butchers focused on the difficulties surrounding “changing perceptions of what a butcher needs to be”, they added that it doesn’t need to be “stack it high, sell it cheap anymore […] people are more concerned about where their food has come from”. With the new generation shopping in supermarkets for convenience, this makes it vital for butchers like Webster’s, who offer a personal touch, to highlight why shopping local for quality meat is so important. Dorset Blue Vinny have grown massively, but when they first started making cheese everyone said that they were wasting time and that they couldn’t make money out of Blue Vinny. They would say “don’t bother making that old cheese, just milk another 10 cows” – however Mike was so passionate and determined that he persisted. Their main difficulty was keeping the cheese consistent, whilst still meeting the demand of their product. The odd bad batch would lose them customers, and after a TB outbreak they were forced to switch to pasteurised milk which has helped fix the consistency problem. Being a rural business, it can be hard to keep up with demand, but the “long, hard road” has been worth it! Each of these businesses have taken a flexible approach and will adapt where needed. Webster Family Butchers made a key point where they have recently made change by starting to offer meat boxes; this reduces the choice but makes it easier for shoppers as they can trust what is hand selected for them. In this industry it is important to adapt but as Mike at Dorset Blue Vinny says, “You’ve got to have the know-how, the capital and the market”. Advice The winners then gave some advice to others who are looking to do something similar. Richard and Natalie from The Acorn Inn source some of the best ingredients around and are always looking to update their menu. With over 30 different gins and top ingredients, their advice is to “source local, fresh ingredients” and to "work hard and believe in what you do and look after your staff”. They take pride in having a great team, most of their employees have been there for at least 5 years – all down to the great working environment and care of the staff. Mike from Dorset Blue Vinny focused on how far your business can come if you work hard and “really believe in your product”. Mike also adds that “you don’t get anywhere unless you work hard for it”. Sarah from Goldhill Organic Farm states "producing any food in the country is a challenge" but also added that you have to “make your customers feel special” and “love what you do” – they love growing veg! Finca raise a point about running a café. They say that "you can’t do it as a lifestyle business". The long hours are difficult and its hard work, which is why it’s important to be prepared and get anything you can prepped in advance. They also highlight the need to have a USP – it’s good to be different. Customer service is important in any industry but especially food and drink. Webster Family Butchers focus on providing great customer service and say you should “listen to what your customers want” and “give them direction”. Communication is key in any customer facing environment and it makes an experience worthwhile.
Recognition As we spoke to the winners it became clear that these awards not only mean a lot to them and their business but also to their customers. Goldhill Organic Farm have not only seen the value of the awards to their customers, but they have also taken it as recognition that they are doing the right thing. Similarly, Ken and Carly from Webster Family Butchers stated that these awards "mean a lot to the customers – it makes them proud", going on to say that word of mouth is their biggest marketing tool, which really highlights the status of these awards within Dorset. All the winners we spoke to mentioned the response they had on social media. Mike from Dorset Blue Vinny was “blown away” by the awards they won and said that they have had a good response on Facebook which has had a positive impact on sales. Richard and Natalie from The Acorn Inn mentioned that the awards have helped sales and given them good recognition, “showing how amazing Dorset can be”. Conclusion As you can see this year has been a great year for Dorset’s food and drink industry with many products and businesses getting recognition. Our aim is to increase the public’s understanding of buying local food and drink and how sustainable it can be. The efforts so far, from businesses like these involved in the awards are outstanding and it’s down to awards like these that the awareness of local food and drink can be raised. We want to thank everyone included in this article for their time and input, plus all the finalists for making the night one to remember. We are sure that everyone will have a great 2019 and we hope that the advice given can inspire you to start up a successful local business and further establish the food and drink scene in Dorset – putting us on the map as the food and drink destination in the UK!
Find out more about Old Mill - https://www.oldmillgroup.co.uk/ Find out more about Dorset Food & Drink – www.dorsetfoodanddrink.org