Chilli heaven for Allan in year of major growth

Hot and sweet for Abernethy artisans

An Abernethy artisan business that started out by accident is boasting 45% growth in a year, with a host of new partnerships secured.

Allan’s Chilli Products, a family cottage business in Perthshire, came about when Allan Ferguson – then in the building trade – was in need of some chilli jelly for a recipe he was making in the kitchen.

With none available, he decided to make some himself, kick-starting a journey that has led him, wife Joan, her mother Betty and now his daughter and her partner to unexpected entrepreneurial heights.

With Allan now retired, the company has benefitted from his additional development time, increased orders and a new base where the award-winning sauces and jellies are made, to original penned recipes, in small batches, by hand.

Allan’s range, which now includes chutneys, have been sold in New Zealand, savoured in France and were even taken on an Atlantic sailing mission by an appreciative adventurer.

Rise in distribution

When PBN met him, he and the team were developing a new mango chilli; increasing the product range beyond the current run of 14 flavours, being an ongoing aspiration.

In the past year, retail and hospitality distribution has risen by 25% and the company’s pear chilli now features in the Gleneagles Hotel Margarita cocktail menu and has been sampled in Hong Kong, Bangkok and Singapore.

“There are about 60/70 shops that we supply now,” said Allan, who is an Ambassador for Scotland Food and Drink.

“It’s busy but we enjoy it and we have a passion for it. You couldn’t write it, really, we are so chuffed.

“We’ve won about 19/20 awards, now. I always say: I’m just a country boy from Stanley, I am not high profile or anything. I remember the first time I won an award at Crieff Hydro, I thought I’d won the lottery,” he laughs.

Diverse range

While Farmers’ Markets was a good traditional entry point for Allan’s bespoke products, they are now stocked in myriad farm shops and delis across Perthshire and beyond.

Gloagburn Farm Shop, House of Bruar, Loch Leven’s Larder, Balgove Larder near St Andrews, Heaven Scent café in Milnathort, Hunters of Kinross, Provender Brown in Perth and Perth Museum are all customers.

However, the growth journey has also taken in several fascinating departures and collaborations such as the aforementioned tie-up with Gleneagles.

Stewart Tower Ice Cream near Stanley use Allan’s sauces for their ices. There’s now a Chilli tablet and chilli oatcakes, manufactured in Pittenweem.

Several leading hotels and hospitality businesses buy tubs of products directly for their own menus, such as the Bein Inn in Glenfarg, The Salutation Hotel in Perth, Hotel Indigo in Dundee and Brechin Castle Centre in Angus.

“We started out with just the sweet chilli jelly and it went from there,” Allan explains.

“I remember going to Pitlochry and selling an order of 24 jars and thinking, wow, this is great. Today, we may average orders of 600 for the bigger places or maybe 100 for smaller orders.

“Our new facility, which has come online in the last few months, has allowed us to speed up production a lot. It’s not bad, considering where we started. If I’d had a fish supper that night instead of cooking in the kitchen, this might never have happened.”

Artisan in spirit

Developing the product range, increasing distribution and building new networks and collaborations are all in the ongoing business plan.

However, there is no intention to ‘sell out’ to the bigger chains that would, inevitably, lead to a loss of control over the finished product.

“This is very much an artisan product,” he says. “We use fresh apples and pears, in season. We use chillis, pepper and garlic. There is no bad things in them. We have even managed to source a vinegar (many vinegars contains barley), which will enable us to do gluten-free as well as vegetarian and vegan products.

“The existing recipes are all handwritten and are still made to that, with no changes whatsoever, and, when I go to bring a new flavour out, I take it to the farmers’ markets and I ask people to taste it for me and offer feedback. That is the way we like to work.”

Despite being 68 (his mother-in-law is still working for the business at 90), Allan has no intention of stepping off the gas just yet. “Maybe when I am 70, I can slow down a bit but it doesn’t look like it,” he smiles.

To view or buy Allan’s Chilli Products, go to www.allanschilliproducts.co.uk