Meat firm eyes larger slice of market
Progress by Fife business, including new range, follows six- figure funding
ACu par farm and abattoir is aiming to grow turnover and exports after launching its ownproduct range and securing overseas orders, and is preparing to process goat for the first time.
Down field Farm is operated by husband-and-wife team Robert and Jane Prentice, who have been helped by Business Gateway Fife, and the firm’s growth comes on the back of a recent £ 360,000 investment programme.
Their operation has processed more than 143 tonnes of venison since opening its new butchery and game- handling facilities in autumn last year.
The expansion of S cotland’ s first venison abattoir created three full- time jobs, and allowed the Prentices to launch Stagison, quality Scottish venison, in March. Its productsare now supplied to restaurants and hotels via Brae head Foods and to consumers from Mi nick of St Andrews.
The company is now preparing to process its second season of wild deer that will see more than 70 tonnes of wild Scottish venison reach Sains- bury’s shelves and two tonnes shipped to Italy. Growing demandfor the company’ s services and products will see turnover increase to more than £ 200,000 by March.
Jane Prentice said :“The new cutting room and packing facility has improved both trace ability and the speed at which animals can b et aken from field to fork and that has resulted in more people wanting to use our services. Although venison will always be our main focus, we believe thereis enough demand to start processing goat as more and more people become interested in trying theme at.
“Launching our own label andsecuring the deal with Braehead Foods has helped us promote Scottish venison as a healthy meat that can be consumed throughout the year.”
She added: “Our next aim is to further expand our market share down south and look at the potential to increase our exports following the interest from Italy.”
The business has grown faster than expected, she contin- ued, and turned to Business Gateway Fife for support.
Charles Doeg- Smith, adviser at Business Gateway Fife, said: “Robert and Jane have always hada vision of supporting other farmers to create breeding centres that would provide a regular supply of deer, which would then be slaughtered and processed at their plant. The recent investment has helped them get closer to that goal. We have connected them to Scottish Enterprise and provided specialist sup - port. They have also attended workshop son employee pension sand we are now looking at ways to support their exporting ambitions.”
The Pr entices originally operated a mixed farming business that included beef, sheep and arable production, and moved into deer farming after investigating more sustainable sources of income. They spotted a gap in the market to set up Scotland’ s first purpose - built venison abattoir so deer didn’t have to travel to Yorkshire for slaughter.
Pr entice added :“We were both born into traditional farming families… we understood right from the start how important animal welfare was. Now that we can slaughter, cut and package the meat here in Scotland there is noneed to putthe animals through that journey.”