2024 so far….
This year has been a particularly busy one for us, exciting but not without its challenges. I thought I’d take this opportunity to summarise some of the key goings on to date.
We’ve had many improvements on the farm, thanks to Amrit the horticultural team now have a much-needed workshop as well as a fully enclosed wash station, a welcome protection against the elements! In the warehouse we have our new mezzanine (known as “top acre”) and kitchen extension which has gained us some valuable storage space and allows us room to expand our production.
This leads us onto SALSA, one of the main factors behind these improvements. I’m not talking about our range of award-winning sauces… SALSA stands for “Safe and Local Supplier Approval” and is a food safety certification scheme aimed at smaller producers like us but with a strict set of food preparation and hygiene standards. We were audited for the first time in May and I’m pleased to say we passed with flying colours, a credit to the team and their commitment.
We weren’t able to celebrate our SALSA achievement long though as we faced unprecedented increases to our chocolate materials - you can read more about this in our August blog.
Another big project for us was our solar installation, positioned on top of warehouse and farm shop, our panels were able to generate enough electricity over the summer months that we were almost fully off-grid. We’ve also now switched to a renewable provider so on those darker days we’re still powering from renewable sources.
We’ve released a handful of exciting new products this year including our Caribbean themed Ginger & Lime Chilli Chocolate and Mango Chilli Sauce. Both have been a big hit and may well become full time members of the SDCF range!
Our growing season has been a bit of a mixed bag as Phil, our Horticultural Manager, discussed in his Autumn update. Although there’s been some disappointments (mainly due to the weather!) the team have done a great job to navigate the challenges this year and there’s been plenty to celebrate; We’ve sold a record number of plants and managed to fulfil all preorders in half the usual time! Our seed collection is on track and will allow us to offer our biggest selection ever in 2025! We’ve continued our partnership with the RHS attending Hampton Court, Malvern & Hyde Hall this year, achieving a 5 flower gold award for the second year running!
As I write this our harvest is at its peak so I’ve been drafted in to help. It’s all hands on deck to strip the plants before the weather turns so I’m heading back to the tunnels!
Ben