Inspiration from Skye
In 2006 Phil Taylor, Janet Roberts, Rhona, and Steven Graham took a trip to Skye in February to see how things are done there. The visit was hosted by Calina MacDonald of the Skye and Lochalsh Horticultural Development Association, a local producer group established in 1994. The group first met Lesley Linley of the Food Link van, which transports produce across the island from producers to customers on behalf of the association members. The producers pay a percentage
of the value of the goods for this service; it is a great saving on both individual delivery costs and the time it would take producers to deliver goods themselves.
The following day we went out to see two business enterprises, the first in Orbost is run by Roger & Fiona Widden, they concentrate solely on herbs grown in pollytunnels and although this enterprise had relatively high start up costs the Widden’s now make a reasonable living on not much more than half an acre. Similarly but different, Anthony Hovey works full time on his business growing veg for a local restaurant. He has just under an acre and one large polytunnel. All his excess produce is sold on the associations market stall which operates every Saturdays from early summer until
Christmas in Portree.
Talking to residents in a local hostelry during the evening we were told that you had to get to the stall early in the morning or be disappointed, Rhona Graham summed the visit up by saying "the growers on Skye have found a number of different ways of marketing and selling their produce, many of which I hadn’t considered. It has given me confidence to grow on more than a domestic scale knowing there are so many potential markets, it was just so popular".
We have been invited to return in the summer to take another look when thing are in full swing.
of the value of the goods for this service; it is a great saving on both individual delivery costs and the time it would take producers to deliver goods themselves.
The following day we went out to see two business enterprises, the first in Orbost is run by Roger & Fiona Widden, they concentrate solely on herbs grown in pollytunnels and although this enterprise had relatively high start up costs the Widden’s now make a reasonable living on not much more than half an acre. Similarly but different, Anthony Hovey works full time on his business growing veg for a local restaurant. He has just under an acre and one large polytunnel. All his excess produce is sold on the associations market stall which operates every Saturdays from early summer until
Christmas in Portree.
Talking to residents in a local hostelry during the evening we were told that you had to get to the stall early in the morning or be disappointed, Rhona Graham summed the visit up by saying "the growers on Skye have found a number of different ways of marketing and selling their produce, many of which I hadn’t considered. It has given me confidence to grow on more than a domestic scale knowing there are so many potential markets, it was just so popular".
We have been invited to return in the summer to take another look when thing are in full swing.
