Preserving a tradition
With its focus on local fruit and handmade products, Wexford Home Preserves is sticking to its origins while also embracing the future through expansion
E ver since Tom and Laura Sinnott took over Wexford Home Preserves from Tom’s aunt Ellen O’Leary in 2007 they have focused on maintaining all of the qualities that had made it popular – the use of local fruit, no additives and making everything by hand using traditional recipes and the open pan boiling method.
O’Leary started the business in 1988 making jam from strawberries grown on her farm in Broadway, Co Wexford. Before she knew it there was such a demand for her jams that she built a purpose-built unit on the farm. “Once she decided to approach shops, things snowballed from there,” says Laura.
Tom’s aunt’s decision to retire coincided with the recession. Laura had been made redundant from a pharmaceutical company and Tom’s own business in the building trade had slowed down. “With my history in hotels and catering and Tom’s background in supermarkets, we felt we should give Wexford Home Preserves a go. We wanted to do something together and this was the perfect combination of skills,” says Laura.
The married couple bought the business from O’Leary on the condition that she worked with Laura for a year sharing the art of what she did and teaching her the recipes. “We didn’t want to change anything as the products were so popular, the brand was well known and had a good following,” says Laura. “The only thing we had to change was the branding, as it was based on being made in Broadway and we moved the business closer to where we are in New Ross.”
The Sinnotts started off by producing for a couple of months to build up stocks and then went about getting products back on shelves. “We filled up the van and a third of the way around Co Wexford, it was empty,” says Laura. Wexford Home Preserves’ products are now available in 45 SuperValu stores, Tesco on a regional basis and almost nationwide in Dunnes Stores.
Further to being approached by Dunnes Stores to supply products for its Simply Better range, the Sinnotts moved to new premises in 2013 and are ready to expand further this year. The business produces around 2,500 jars of jams and marmalades each day and doubled its turnover in 2014. It employs ten people including Tom and Laura.
“Our point of difference is the use of local fruit as much as possible, including strawberries, blackcurrants, blackberries and rhubarb,” says Laura. As oranges are not grown in Ireland, the Sinnotts are travelling to Seville in Spain this year with a view to sourcing all the fruit they need from the same farm there to meet demand for their marmalade.
“We are very artisan, but can still do the volumes. We don’t actively seek out exports as we feel we have a lot more to do in Ireland, but will be looking at this in 2017,” says Laura.
“Our point of difference is the use of local fruit, including strawberries, blackcurrants, blackberries and rhubarb”