insideSUSSEX Magazine Issue 04 - June 2015 | Page 91

BUSINESS
TURNING

Food into Business cont.

Jane Jones // Chilli Jam Factory // www.chillijamfactory.co.uk
"The recipe came first, and the business came
from that. I hadn’t deliberately set out to start a
business but it seemed like the next logical step
to me, and so I took the plunge. As for the first
batch, that was made one evening when I was
bored and the family loved it. It was they who
suggested I start marketing it, and since then it
has become a success story. Now I have six

varieties and heats, as well as sauces and
chutneys too.
"My biggest mistake was paying a small fortune
for a stall at a big event that lasted five days, as
we lost out on an awful lot of money. I’ve learned
from it though, and I’ll do my research before
ever signing up to anything like that again. My

biggest triumph was getting my five-star grading
from the council – that was a really wonderful
feeling. And that leads me to my bit of advice:
make it legal. Tell the council what you are
planning and let them check out your cooking
area and procedures. It’s an amazing feeling to
get a five-star grading, and it opens up a lot more
doors as well."

Richard Wise // Wise Owl Cider
// www.facebook.com/wiseowlcider
Richard Wise has had over 20 years’ experience in the fruit industry,
managing orchards across Kent. He has been interested in cider making
for many years and decided to produce his own cider to fulfil his ambition
and creativity. Wise Owl Cider was first bottled in June 2014 and started
trading in August 2014.
"The biggest thing learnt is to have faith in your product, get your branding
right and learn by your mistakes. Our biggest triumph was winning the
award for Best Cider or Perry at the Taste of Kent Awards 2015. And our
biggest mistake? I don’t think we have made too many, but we didn’t get
enough recommendations on a company before using them for an integral
part of our business.
"The best advice we can offer is to become members of a support network.
We are members of Produced in Kent, CAMRA, and Tenterden Chamber
of Commerce, which provide support and services to champion and support
the growth, development and future of businesses across Kent. When the
going gets tough, the tough get going. Stick with it!"

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