I am off to the NEC this weekend for the Farm and Deli Show – it runs Sunday to Tuesday.  I’m looking forward to meeting new and existing customers of course, and to showcasing Breckland Orchard and the fabulous range of boutique soft drinks that we have here……but it also means being away from home [...]

This week Pip and I are at IFE at Excel.  It’s a bi-annual International Food Exhibition drawing exhibitors and visitors from across the world.  It’s MASSIVE – dwarfing every other trade show that we do through the year.  We’re in North Hall, where exhibitors are split by country.  Across the way there is an equally [...]

We are going to be busy-busy-busy  at Breckland Orchard this September!  We are going to be at two trade shows with our lovely Posh Pop: SPECIALITY FINE FOOD  2nd – 4th September – Olympia We’ll be chatting away on stand 931.  Mike and I will be there Sunday and Monday, and then it’ll be Pip [...]

We’ve been at Olympia this week at Caffe Culture – a trade show aimed at the cafe bar market.  It takes place in one of the side halls in Olympia, so its large enough to have a real variety of exhibitors, but to also have  a cosy atmophere at the same time. It was a [...]

Like all small business owners I wear multiple ‘hats’ and juggle multiple roles.  Sometimes I’m in selling mode [promoting my soft drinks], others I’m in ‘buying’ mode [buying products and services from other companies].  As a product based business I buy plenty of items – bottles, labels, ingredients, design, printing, accountancy services etc etc…….the list [...]

Wish us luck, the craziest week imaginable has just begun! We are exhibiting at Caffe Culture in Olympia this week – Wednesday 16th and Thursday 17th.  Today I am getting everything ready for that……..making sure all the passes are printed, press packs, leaflets, distributor information, samples, stand etc etc!  Getting to Olympia and realising you [...]

Just back yesterday from Exeter, where Chloe and I had spent two days at the Source Trade Show 2012.  It was held at the Westpoint Exhibition Centre, just outside the city centre.  There were roughly150-200 exhibitors……..mainly from the South West, with a smattering [well about 30%] of producers from the rest of the UK. We [...]

We are going to be at the following Trade Shows in 2012! FEAST EAST – 2-4 March [Linton, Cambridge] IFE/FARM AND DELI SHOW – 25-27 March [NEC, Birmingham] SOURCE – 23/24 April [Westpoint, Exeter] CAFFE CULTURE – 16/17 May [Olympia, London] HARROGATE SPECIALITY – 24/25 June [Yorkshire Event Centre, Harrogate] SPECIALITY FOOD FAIR – 2-4 [...]

I’m ridiculously excited about heading stateside in a months time for the 27th NAFDMA Conference being held in Virginia!  NAFDMA = Networking Association for Farm Direct Marketing and Agritourism.  It’s the equivalent of a Farm Shop convention and is taking place over six days from the 11th to 16th of February. It starts with a [...]

Very excited to announce that we’re just about to start exporting to the Middle East!  We’ve partnered with a chain of gourmet deli’s to offer our products to the markets over there.  The first few countries that you’ll be able to find Breckland Orchard drinks in will be Kuwait and Qatar! We met our partner [...]

Just back last week from Harrogate Speciality Food Show 2011…………two days at the Yorkshire Event Centre [part of the Great Yorkshire Showground].  My Mum [pictured above x] came with me and helped me to ‘man’ the stand. In terms of look and feel it’s a baby brother to the much larger Speciality Fine Food Fair [...]

I’m so excited to be going back to Glasgow in less than 2 weeks time!  I am up there for the Scottish Speciality Food Show at the SECC from the 23-25 January. I’m really looking forward to tasting my drinks to lots of Scottish trade buyers.  I’ve got two wholesalers in Scotland, so hoping to [...]

I love running my own micro-drink business………there is a wonderful rhythm to the seasons, and each part of the year round here is marked by some kind of event/happening.  The run up to Christmas is all about Blackthorpe Barn………the most magical thatched barn just outside Bury St Edmunds. In the lead up to Christmas it [...]

Its been great setting up my own business, but there are times when one just won’t do….and that’s at Trade Shows!  The shows can get really busy with visitors and you need enough hands to pour drinks, take details and give out literature about the range and where to get hold of it – phew! [...]

Last weekend was the highlight in the Speciality Food Diary…..Speciality Fine Food Fair, which is a three day Trade-only extravaganza held at Olympia every September.  600 suppliers descended on the capitol from all over the British Isles, with some overseas suppliers thrown in for good measure!  The trade visitors came from all over – and [...]

I headed up to North Yorkshire at the weekend to exhibit at Harrogate Speciality Food Show – held at the Yorkshire Show Ground. It’s a two day trade event orgainsed by the Guild of Fine Food and targetted at [though not exclusively] farm shops, delis and fine food retailers. I set up my stand on [...]

OK, so I started Breckland Orchard to work closer to home and spend less time commuting and more time with  the mini-Martinsens.  This past week I have been run off my feet – first two days exhibiting at Harrogate at Speciality Food, less than 24 hours at home and then off to another exhibition at [...]

I am exhibiting at Harrogate Speciality Food Show this weekend – Sunday 20th/Monday 21st June.  I received an email from the organisers this week with the following information: ======================================================== Last chance to register for your FREE ticket to the Speciality Food Show! Be sure to catch the compelling Feed the Dragon – the annual highlight [...]

I was delighted [even honoured] to be asked by the lovely folk at Rude Health to become one of their Real Food Festival Ranters earlier in the week. Rude Health are passionate about making great tasting, healthy and organic breakfast cereals  and invited a whole bunch of fellow foodie enthusiasts to ‘rant’ about a subject [...]

I’m just back from 5 days in London at the Real Food Festival 2010 which took place Friday 7th through to Monday 10th…..at Earl’s Court!  Having only just started up in business a little over a year ago [well a year and two months if you want to be pedantic] then I’m not well versed [...]