The teenage entrepreneur who hatched a business out of quail eggs
Teenage entrepreneur David Vaughan has ambitious growth plans for his quail egg business.
David, who turns 18 next month, plans to expand his start-up business this year into a 10,000-bird quail farm.
David, a student at the NPTC Brecon campus, has been farming quails for just over a year, keeping the birds in a large shed facility in his parent’s garden.
He currently has a flock of 120 quails, which provide him with up to 350 eggs a week.
David supplies his quail eggs all over mid Wales, principally Brecon, Builth Wells, Llandrindod Wells and Llanwrtyd Wells.
And he has established strong business relationships with a number of local independent butchers, including Easts of Brecon and Paddy Sweeney Butchers, who buy his eggs to supply restaurants, along with their speciality meats.
Describing how he established his quail egg business, David, said: “A friend of my father’s kept quails, so it was something I had seen first-hand and thought it looked really interesting. I started with a few birds, and started to grow my flock bit by bit.
“I soon realised that I was going to have to establish a number of outlets to take on my eggs and so I started visiting local towns and speaking to independent butchers, who expressed an interest in receiving my stock.
“I really researched my market and knew what businesses were looking for, so my young age was never a factor in my business relationships. Everyone has always treated me like an equal, which has given me a huge amount of confidence when it comes to developing phase two of my plans when I turn 18.”
Phase two of David’s business plans include the development of a 10,000-bird quail farm, which he hopes to establish this year.
He has already been speaking to the council about rates and planning permissions and has prepared his business plan in readiness to progress following his 18th birthday in April.
And looking ahead, David is beginnning to forge the crucial new relationships he will require to develop his ambitious plans.
He has already been in discussions with Stonegate egg packagers and distributors, whose state-of-the-