Case studies

A tasty product to boost the reputation of Cornwall's locally-grown produce has gone on sale across the county.

The Cornish Crisp Company Ltd set up earlier this year in Kelly Bray near Callington - with the aim of 100,000 packets of crisps coming off the production line in 2009.

After months of research and planning, the project was made possible following the award of a £120,000 business grant from the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE)

The venture is the brainchild of public relations consultant Sue Wolstenholme, who decided that the good reputation of Cornish potatoes should not be restricted to crops straight from the fields, but could be used for high-quality processed foods as well.

The company employs four full-time staff and sources all its potatoes from a nearby farm in Liskeard. Sue, who runs Ashley Public Relations, said: "We have been working closely with the farmer and testing out different varieties to ensure we have a constant supply of locally grown potatoes all year round. We now have a product we are really pleased with and have been getting samples out to farm shops, delis, pubs and hotels and the orders are steadily coming back in now from all over the southwest.’

Sue continued: “We are currently in discussion with a locally based packaging company who are looking to invest in the right equipment to make our crisp packaging. It is a wonderful sign of confidence in us and a great by-product of RDPE funding, when other businesses are inspired to expand and adapt to create more locally based jobs.”

Waste sunflower oil from crisp frying is currently sold to a Devon based bio-diesel company but next year the company hopes to develop their own bio-diesel plant so the fuel can be recycled on-site and used for company and staff vehicles.

The Cornish Crisp Company also has a policy of buying recycled office supplies, fairtrade teas and coffees and also has a green electricity tariff and a local buying policy.

Rob Hatt, head of food and rural affairs at the South West RDA - which manages RDPE in the region - said: "This is a really interesting project, providing extra employment, benefitting local growers and further strengthening the region's reputation as a producer of quality food.

The Cornish Crisp Company also supports the Cornwall Community Foundation, Surfers Against Sewage and The Hall for Cornwall by donating 1p from every designated packet sold, to the Cornish charities.