News 
Scottish garlic growers win UK award for business know-how
5 September 2008
Glen and Gilli Allingham on their farm
The Really Garlicky Company in Nairn won the award and £5,000 prize money for the steps they’ve taken to diversify their porcelain garlic farming business into a wide range of value added products.
Competing against farmers from across the UK, Glen and Gilli Allingham won Best Farm Entrepreneur – a new category supported by Farmers Guardian - at today’s Country Living and Waitrose Made in Britain Food Awards.
The award is set to be made each year to a farmer who can demonstrate flair, innovation, good business practices and a real passion for quality and consistency. Any farm-based business is eligible, and there’s no age limit – the judges look for that entrepreneurial spirit which has, and will continue to, take your business forward.
Speaking on behalf of the judging panel and making the Best Farm Entrepreneur award, Malcolm Crabtree, MD of the Waitrose Farm at Leckford said:
“We judged the Really Garlicky Company a very worthy winner for the research work they continue to carry out into developing porcelain garlic in the UK; their clear vision for the brand, and their continual innovation – both on the farming side and in developing new products that use the garlic they grow.”
As well as the Farm Entrepreneur award, there were five main food award categories to honour farmers, growers, butchers, bakers, cooks and brewers, with each category winner receiving £5,000.
An overall Made in Britain Food Champion of the Year was also chosen from among these five. This year a ten-year old Devon girl who started her own business selling duck eggs has eclipsed Britain’s foodie talent to take the top prize.
More than 200 food and drink producers entered the awards and the judges whittled the entries down to just 18 finalists. The five winners, announced in a ceremony at the Burghley Horse Trials today (Friday 5 September), each win £5,000, and be promoted at the Country Living Christmas Fair 2008 to be held at the Business Design Centre, Islington, London from 12-16 November.
All winners and finalists will also be featured in a special booklet, free with the October 2008 issue of Country Living.
Background: The Really Garlicky Company (© courtesy of Farmers Guardian)
From their 415-acre farm at the foot of the Cawdor Hills, near Nairn, Glen and Gilli Allingham are the only UK growers of Porcelain garlic.
Their 60 acre crop supplies Waitrose and over 300 delicatessens and farm shops throughout the UK.
Although predominantly arable farmers, their business has expanded rapidly since they first diversified into Hardneck Porcelain garlic seven years ago. Their discovery of a niche product grown in the Scottish Highlands, has prompted increasing demand for all things garlicky.
The couple began growing an acre of Hardneck garlic in 2000 as part of a research project with the Scottish Agricultural College. The trial was so successful, the pair were spurred to visit garlic growers in North America to discuss how best to develop their ideas. Convinced they had discovered an untapped market with a new strain of garlic, The Really Garlicky Company was launched in 2001.
“We believe the large cloves and sweet flavour of the Hardneck garlic packs a powerful punch and is far better than any other on the market,” says Glen. “It already makes up 10 per cent of the North American market and we have set our sights on doing the same in the UK.”
It took three years for Glen (46) and Gilli (39) Allingham to find the right strain of garlic to grow on their farm.
Their manual system is labour-intensive and everything is done by hand. The seed cloves are planted in October before harvest in July, when casual workers are employed to hand-lift the crops.
Once the garlic is harvested, around seven-and-a-half tonnes is puréed to make 'Eazy Garlic', which is sold all-year-round to consumers and is used in the company's own branded products which include garlic bread, parsley butter, soft cream cheese and aioli.
From originally working out of the farmhouse, the couple moved their business into a modern 5,000sq.ft factory unit in Nairn and now employ a team of eight staff. They’re planning to launch a number of new products over the next 12 months.
ENDS
For further information please contact Esther Black/Giselle Dye, Pagoda PR, 0131 556 0770 or esther.black@pagodapr.com or Giselle.dye@pagodapr.com
External Weblinks
Farmers Guardian feature about The Really Garlicky Company
Waitrose Made in Britain awards
The Really Garlicky Company
Notes to Editors
1. Launched earlier this year, the Country Living and Waitrose Made in Britain Awards promote the UK’s butchers, bakers, growers, brewers and cheese makers and help to fast-track their produce onto the country’s supermarket shelves.
2. Full details of all winners and finalists are available on www.waitrose.com/madeinbritain or in a special booklet, free with the latest issue of Country Living Magazine, on sale Monday 15 September, 2008.
3. Waitrose has 192 branches across Britain, with two branches in Edinburgh, at Comely Bank and Morningside. The retailer and its sister company, John Lewis, are entirely co-owned by the 69,000 'Partners' who work for the John Lewis Partnership. Waitrose is dedicated to offering quality food that has been responsibly sourced, combined with high standards of customer service www.waitrose.com
