One company which has recently benefited from grant funding was established just over twenty years ago as a contract butchers. It has gradually evolved to become a specialist in producing quality premium pork products with a focus on regional dishes. Its recent successful grant application is set to help the company develop even further.

The Somerset-based company requested the grant money from BPEX primarily to help market its ham products. It has recently developed six flavoured hams which it intends to market in speciality food halls, farm shops and delis, as well as multiple retailers.

It has developed a new and unique gammon with a distinctive regional identity by combining West Country quality pork with Somerset cider. It is particularly proud of this initiative which will compete with longstanding regionally developed cures, such as Yorkshire and Wiltshire.

Simon O’Brien, head of sales at the pork processing company, said: “We applied for the BPEX grant to enable us to market our hams and gourmet meatballs as a West Country premium product. Hopefully as the market expands we will be able to develop our relationship with more pig producers, and develop our ranges even further.

“The grant has helped to put us on an even footing with some of the larger processing companies. The market for premium products is very fragmented, with a number of smaller, specialist companies competing for shelf-space. Some of the hams take up to ten days to produce, for example, the Somerset Cider Gammon is left to steep for four days, before being cooked and sliced.

He added: “The grant money will also be put towards researching opportunities to further develop the pork market. We have already put forward a proposal for the distribution of consumer questionnaires and to set up a consumer panel to feed information back into the supply chain. This will be supported by quarterly newsletters through our suppliers and we are also planning a ‘Meet the Farmer Forum’ to help farmers get direct contact with their customers. I believe it is very important that this information is shared for everyone’s benefit. Finding out what consumers want from a product, such as its appearance, flavour and texture means we can develop successful products, which will ultimately benefit the whole supply chain.”