‘In an increasingly digital-led world, we don’t want to lose sight of land and farming’
While many entrepreneurs are making a mark in the digital and social media world, Chris Kelsey meets Welsh youngsters who are making their mark in the agri-business world
The role models of the millennial generation are often considered to be digital natives, affecting change in the tech industry and following in the footsteps of the likes of Mark Zuckerberg and Steve Jobs.
But other industries in Wales, such as agriculture and farming, require the same innovation to move the sector forward too. And the time is now for these industries, as recent success stories show farming and agriculture remains just as important to young entrepreneurs across the country as tech may be in other areas.
The Welsh Government’s youth entrepreneurship programme Big Ideas Wales offers business advice to the bright sparks of the future across a huge range of industries.
And agri-businesses have proven especially popular recently, as a new wave of young entrepreneurs combine their love of the land with their business ambitions, using their passion for the countryside to do something different in rural communities. “Building relationships with people has made my business a success” – David Vaughan, 18, quail farmer from Builth Wells David Vaughan is currently responsible for a flock of 120 quails, which provide him with up to 350 eggs a week.
The 18-year-old sells the eggs to local butchers, wholesalers and restaurants, with his sights set on making quail eggs “accessible” to everyone in the future. He has grown a successful business from the ground up using traditional sales techniques, relying on face-to-face meetings with local businesses to make sales.
“Buying and eating quail eggs is a lifestyle choice. They have always been more expensive than chicken eggs and have a reputation as being a treat or for a ‘special occasion’, which has often made them difficult to sell to the everyday person as a result,” he said.
“From the very beginning, I have always adopted a face-to-face approach when selling the quail eggs.
“From walking around my local town of Builth Wells, to venturing further afield to Brecon, Llandrindod Wells and Llanwrtyd Wells, meeting people personally has proven the most successful way of forging relationships with customers and ultimately selling the eggs.
“With quail eggs so often considered a luxury item, I quickly learned that selling them was about marketing myself and the business as a package.
“When I walk into a local wholesalers or butchers, especially one who might have turned me away in the past, my pitch isn’t just about the eggs.
“You need to appeal to the customers’ needs and must think carefully about what benefits the quail eggs will bring them.