Creamery Story - Abergavenny Fine Foods

THE CREAMERY STORY

EARLY 1980s

The Abergavenny Fine Food Co. story starts in the early 1980s. Tony Craske was a chemist by trade and Pam was a teacher. At that time the Craske family were living abroad, moving from country to country, enjoying the expat life and the adventures that came along with it. But after some difficult experiences in Africa, and with three children in tow, the Craskes made the decision to return to the UK, with a plan to buy a small holding and a dream of living an idyllic self-sufficient lifestyle in the countryside.

After debating the merits of Wales and Cornwall, they saw a hill farm for sale in the Welsh mountains near Abergavenny. It was run down and ram-shackled. An old stone building with no central heating, no sewerage system, no telephone line, no access road, and sheep playing house in the living room. But the views were spectacular, and their imagination was piqued. They were smitten. So, after a bottle of wine they put in a cheeky offer and it was accepted. Their new adventure had begun. + EXPAND STORY

1981

The remoteness of the farm made shopping trips difficult. So, Tony set off for the local market to buy a cow to provide a regular source of milk for the family. But following a negotiation which was to shape the rest of their lives, he came home not with a cow, but with five goats instead. The family was suddenly awash with milk and had far more than they needed.

With a regular surplus of milk, the Craskes decided to try making cheese. Pam borrowed a book about cheese-making from the local library and made their first batch by hand in the farmhouse kitchen. It was delicious. Friends tried it and loved it. They were onto something.
EXPAND STORY +

CONQUERING NANTWICH

They named the cheese Pant-Ys-Gawn and joined a WI stall at the local market with three flavours – Plain, Black Pepper and Chives – and quickly realised that there was demand for the product. So, Tony arranged a meeting with the cheese buyer at Harrods and they took the product to London. The meeting went well, and the buyer pointed them in the direction of speciality food wholesaler Harvey and Brockless, who were keen to list their products. Things had just scaled up a notch.

The buyer at Harvey & Brockless suggested they enter the Nantwich Cheese Show, so the Craskes went along to check it out. It was vast. There were cheeses there from all over the world. Camembert from Normandy, Gorgonzola from Italy, Gouda from Holland, Manchego from Spain – every cheese you could imagine. They coyly left their cheeses and headed home, overwhelmed by the enormity of the marketplace and the challenge they faced to conquer it. The next day they received news that they had won every class they’d entered, beating the most formidable opponents. Perhaps the challenge wasn’t insurmountable after all. + EXPAND STORY

1985

The first supermarket interest came from Sainsbury’s, who were looking to promote regional produce. So, the Craskes embraced the challenge, soon supplying the retailer with three different cheeses a week, as well as local shops and delis. They converted one of the farm outbuildings, where they then processed the milk and made the cheese, as well as sourcing further goats milk from farmers across Wales. But they quickly outgrew that building and converted another, employing more people to manage the increasing demand.

(Image © The Sainsbury Archive, Museum of London Docklands)

OUR PRODUCTS

In 1987 Abergavenny Fine Foods Ltd was formed.

LATE 1980s & 1990s

In the late 80s, food regulations changed, meaning investment was needed into bigger and better manufacturing facilities. That’s when production moved to a 25,000ft purpose-built unit in Abergavenny. They were now processing substantially more milk a week and were now supplying to Tesco as well as Sainsbury’s.

As well as goats cheese, they produced some of Wales' most acclaimed blended cheeses, such as Harlech, a strong and creamy cheddar blended with horseradish and parsley; Tintern, a mature creamy Cheddar blended with onion, fresh chives and shallots; and Y-Fenni, a distinctive Cheddar blended with ale and wholegrain mustard.

As demand grew, so did capacity, with growth from one unit to two, three, and then to four. As well as extending the manufacturing facility, this 10,000 ft extension gave them office space and storage. A proper home for the business and a significant facility from which to grow. + EXPAND STORY

Late 90s

In the late 90s, the company diversified into wholesale, distributing high quality artisan cheeses around the UK, before refocussing efforts back to pure manufacturing.

Early 2000s

In the early 2000s, the product range expanded, driven by an approach from Sainsbury’s for breaded goats cheese. At first, facilities were small-scale. The products were hand-coated and produced on a modest frying line at the creamery. It was a great success, and this side of the business was rapidly scaled up when the Blaenavon site opened in 2007. You can read more about that story here.
+ EXPAND STORY

2006-15

The creamery continued to grow and was now supplying goats cheese to most of the major supermarkets. In 2015 came more investment in both space and technology. A rebuild of the dairy increased capacity and upscaled processes, creating a more modern and efficient manufacturing facility to support the company’s next phase of growth. The addition of new pasteurising equipment made the company the largest producer of soft goats cheese in the UK. Production capacity doubled from 15,000 to 30,000 litres of milk a day. EXPAND STORY +

With eleven trusted farmers supplying the milk, the business had grown from 5 to 15,000 goats. As well as supplying supermarkets, the company was now selling cheese products to business partners such as Bakkavor and 2SFG.

The company moved into export, and food service business was also gained from the likes of Burger King, KFC and Pizza Hut.

RECENT YEARS

Ongoing investment and a relentless attitude to new product development continue to put the company at the forefront of innovation. The ambition and entrepreneurial spirit of the company founders is still alive the business today. With a team of nearly 200, we are proud to still consistently produce award-winning products; a testament to our unwavering commitment, specialist expertise and uncompromising standards. And of course, we still retain the family values which have always been the foundation of the Abergavenny Fine Food Co. brand.

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