15.04.05
Cornish Organic Fudge Launched at London Food Fair

Cornish ice cream producers, Roskillys from The Lizard, south Cornwall, are launching a certified organic clotted cream fudge at the Natural and Organic Products Show at Olympia on 17th and 18th April. This is their first branded organic product and has been developed with funding from Organic South West, a Soil Association project which helps to grow the organic market in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

Roskillys' Sales Director Philip Tanswell says: "This is our first venture into organic confectionery and although we all know that a sweet tooth can lead to health problems, we have been careful to source ingredients which are as pure as possible, including our very own clotted cream. Our aim is to produce a quality product to sell into a selective niche market. Early feedback suggests that there is a currently unfulfilled demand for organic sweets and we are hoping to expand our sales area beyond Cornwall," said Philip. "We met Organic South West at last year's Royal Cornwall Show, and they offered to help us with funding to develop distinctive packaging materials, which has given us the confidence to go further a field in order to access these new markets."

Organic South West's project manager Traci Lewis is delighted with the new enterprise: "We are here to help support and fund new organic businesses in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly under the Objective One programme, especially small producers who want to add value to their produce and enter a highly competitive food market. With our help Roskillys worked with local designers in Truro to produce a practical and attractive display box, which urges consumers to enjoy organic food. Needless to say the fudge is delicious and an excellent example of the quality Cornish produce which is now available."

Winners of BBC Radio 4s Food Programme's 'Best Food Producers 2004', Roskillys also plan to extend their organic credentials by producing a range of certified ice creams by the end of the summer. Very much a family business, they still produce their range on the farm where clotted cream production first started in the late fifties. Today Roskillys' turnover is £1.2 million per annum and they employ 20 full-time staff and an additional 30 part time staff during the summer season.

Roskillys will be exhibiting at Olympia and have teamed up with another Cornish organic business to exhibit at Olympia, Origin Coffee, based at Constantine near Falmouth. The two companies will attract trade buyers to their stand by offering Fair Trade cappuccinos, made with Roskillys' organic milk and accompanied by a piece of their new organic fudge.

The Objective One programme for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly has invested in Organic South West through the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) to grow the organic market in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

Editor's notes:

Contact for further information, interviews or images call:

Philip Tanswell, Roskillys sales director on 01326 280479
See also: www.roskillys.co.uk

Traci Lewis, Organic South West project manager on 07870 268654
For more information visit: www.organicsouthwest.org

Organic South West is a Soil Association project part funded by the EAGGF and DEFRA under the Objective One Programme to grow the organic market in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

Clare Morgan
Media Relations Manager
Objective One Partnership Office
Castle House
Pydar Street
Truro TR1 2UD
Mobile: 07973 813647
Telephone: 01872 223439

cmorgan@cornwall.gov.uk

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