Fledgling sauce maker builds innovative brand based on blueberries

A fledgling food manufacturing business created by an accountant, a geophysicist and a priest is targeting independent retailers, delis, farm shops and supermarkets with an unusual range of products based on British herbs, Asian spices and blueberries grown on its farm in Bettisfield, North Wales.

Blue has invested a “significant sum” into building production facilities to manufacture sweet and savoury sauces, dressings, drinks mixers and syrups made from blueberries, apples, pears and gooseberries grown on its own farm, director Gill Wilson (a former accountant) told FoodManufacture.co.uk.

“It meets our needs right now, but further down the line, we would consider contracting out if we get to the stage where we are supplying a large supermarket, for example.”

The firm, run by Wilson, her husband (Rev.) David Butterworth and son (geophysicist) Guy Springett (pictured above), has more than 12,000 blueberry bushes, which should be ready for harvesting in mid-to late July, at which point they will be frozen, said Wilson.

Blue, which made its debut at the Ludlow Spring Food Festival last month, has benefited from advice and support from the Welsh Assembly-backed CYWAIN project, which has funded consultancy and research, and the Food Tech Centre in Llangefni, which ran food trials and nutritional information tests.