Island Life Magazine Ltd October/November 2010 | Page 151

Island Life - October/November 2010

food

produce as possible at the locations every week, sometimes
as much as 60 per cent.
“The company now employs a staff of 25 including 10-full
time workers on the Island. We are a business that still has
room to grow, and there still lots of things we want to do,”
said Jeff, a Canadian who moved to the Island in 1992.
After leaving the Island for two years he and his family
returned and he re-connected with the Arreton Nursery as he
had already been using their produce to make relishes and
chutneys.
“They came to me and asked me to start selling at famers’
markets, and it just went from there,” he said. “We have
been going to the Farmers’ Market on the Island for the past
four or five years and we are still quite young here.”
But Farmer Jack’s, Briddlesford Farm Shop and Chale Green
Stores now take their produce and the new Waitrose Store to
be opened here soon will be stocking items.
The first tentative step into Europe has also been taken,
with Paul explaining: “I went to the Real Food Festival at Earls
Court in May and met a lady who worked for a department
store in Paris. She wanted some of our tomato juice and
persuaded us to change our labels, have them printed in
French, and now we have begun a small export business.”

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