From world of fashion to jam making
MAKING jams and marmalades might be the kind of thing you’d expect your grandma to do in her spare time.
But a former male model who lives in Tonypandy, in Rhondda Cynon Taf, is hoping to give these old-fashioned products a trendy new image.
Asher Flowers is the owner of Rogue, a company that produces bold-flavoured preserves including Espresso Martini Marmalade and Tutti Frutti Jam, which are sold by Ocado as well as in independent shops up and down the country.
Asher, 28, grew up with his mum in Pontypridd and Haverfordwest, before moving to London to study advertising and PR at university. While there, his sister sent some photos of him off to a modelling agency and after a meeting, Asher was signed on the spot.
“I was signed to a model agency in London, one in Milan and one in New York. While I was at university, I opened the Moschino show,” said Asher.
While he retired from modelling at 22, Asher has fond memories of his time in the industry.
“It was fantastic, it was a long slog. I didn’t do as much as I would have liked but I got to leave after a magazine front cover and I did a Moschino show for a second time and then I just wanted to focus on getting a career in advertising,” said Asher.
“The people I worked with have gone on to do amazing things like Dior or Dolce & Gabbana. It’s an incredible world and as much as there is the stereotype of modelling there are some really talented people out there.”
Asher’s move into advertising helped him to learn a lot from working with global clients but London life took its toll.
“My mental health went to sh** living in London and I’m quite transparent about that. My salary was £22k a year and I was spending £800 a month on rent and my phone alone. And then I was having to cycle to work just to get a free breakfast and that takes its toll on you if you only have a couple of hundred quid at the end of month. So I decided to go rogue, leave my job in advertising and move back to Wales to start my business,” said Asher.
There was some logic to Asher’s decision to set up a company making jam.
“I always grew up around food. It was a big part of our family and it still is a big part of our family. I’ve always been the taste-tester for my mum when she’s cooking in the house. My mum made jam as a bit of a hobby and I thought I could see something really special there,” said Asher.
Having learnt the basics of jammaking, Asher launched Rogue in 2017 with just £357 in the bank and started out by making his jam by hand, which he then sold at farmers’ markets.
“We started with two pans in my mum’s kitchen, and then as soon as I could afford another two pans we bought them. We could only make 30 jars a day and I was working from morning till 10 at night,” said Asher.
Over the years, Asher has developed the range of creatively flavoured products for which Rogue is known. He’s also successfully launched his products into Ocado and Cook and recently started exporting to the USA.
Top-selling products include Dark and Stormy Marmalade, Tutti Frutti Jam, Strawberry and Tonka Bean Jam and Blood Orange and Madagascan Vanilla Marmalade.
“We’re trying to be the Ben & Jerry’s of the breakfast world, with really fun and exciting products,” explained Asher.
While the company’s growth led to Rogue moving its production from Wales to south-west England a few years ago, Asher still very much thinks of Rogue as a Welsh business.
“I consider myself Welsh, we were born in Wales and we had our start here but we have global ambitions so it’s not the be all and end all for me, as much as I love being Welsh,” said Asher.
Asher has big plans for the future of Rogue, with it set to launch into Waitrose in January. He’s also developing a range of low-sugar cereals in creative flavours such as cinnamon French toast, cherry bakewell and chocolate peanut butter.
In the process, Asher hopes to prove his naysayers wrong and challenge stereotypes.
“There’s a lot of people who told me at the start that it wasn’t a viable business or there’s no point in doing it. And I think we’ve since started to prove them wrong. I have massive ambitions for where this brand can go and I know it can be huge,” said Asher.
He added: “I didn’t see many young mixed-race black guys making jams or marmalades and it’s something that I’m hoping to change within the industry. We called it Rogue because I didn’t expect to see anyone looking like me making jams and marmalades.
“We’re dedicated to bringing in a younger audience and also making flavours that are more fun and exciting.”