Company News & SDCF in the News
The South Devon Chilli Farm's story has been well documented in the media over the last three years, including features by BBC Gardeners World, BBC Radio 4, BBC News 24, BBC Spotlight News, Westcountry TV News, Saturday Telegraph, Sunday Times, Amateur Gardener Magazine, Devon Life, The Daily Express, Western Morning News and BBC Good Food Magazine to name just a few. Recent news together with the major highlights in our history are all documented on this page.
Jason Nickels from the South Devon Chilli Farm was a guest on Market Kitchen, the regular daily food show on UKTV Food Channel. The show featured Jason alongside renowned chilli eater and food writer Tom Parker-Bowles, Guardian Food Writer Mathew Fort and TV chef Thomasina Miers. They were testing antidotes to chilli by eating whole habanero chillies. They suffered dearly.
We picked up the 'Best Entreprenuer/Innovative Product' award this year. Thanks to all those who voted for us again.
In the Taste of the West awards this year, we received three gold awards for our products: Peppermint Chilli Chocolate, Hot Habanero and Smokey Chipotle Sauces.
Read about our award-winning 'Hot Habanero' being served on the table in 'Wahaca', a new Mexican restaurant in Covent Garden: Times Online - Wahaca: a taste of the new Mexican wave. The restaurant is jointly owned by Thomasina Miers, Masterchef Winner and star of Channel 4's "Wild Gourmets".
In this Times Online article, Sheila is on the trail of hot chillies.
We were nominated for the UKTV Local Food Hero award again this year. Thanks to all those who voted for us.
Tamasin Day-Lewis, TV Food journalist & filmmaker came to visit. The feature on the Country Lives programme showed Tamasin's visit after which she cooked Pimentos de Padron and Hungarian Wax chillies.
Sarah Raven of BBC Gardeners World fame came to visit us and wrote a great article on the farm, growing chillies and cooking with chillies. This resulted in us being featured on the front cover of the gardening supplement.
Our first chilli festival was a roaring success, despite the poor weather earlier in the day the sun came out and all reports say that the 450 visitors had a great time. Here's looking forward to next year.
By way of introduction to the BBC Gardeners World Chilli Trial we were featured in the first show of the 2006 series. The team came to film us in September 2005 when our crop was at its finest and this resulted in a 6 minute slot on the show.
On October 13th we attended The Savoy hotel in London for the award ceremony of the HSBC Startup Stars Awards, an annual nationwide award to find the most promising new businesses under 3 years old. Unfortunately we didn't scoop the first prize, but a runner up position in such a prestigious nationwide competition means a lot to us and despite not winning, the chilli farm staff enjoyed a great evening and stay at the Savoy
South Devon Chilli Farm has been chosen as one of the top 10 finalists in the 2005 Start-Up Stars Awards.
Hot Habanero Chilli Sauce was awarded gold in the National Great Taste Awards. Hot Apple Chilli Jelly earned a silver award.
Hot Apple Chilli Jelly, Chilli Jam and Chilli Chocolate all gained silver awards in the Annual Taste of The West food awards 2005.
Over the winter we have purchased 10 acres of land near the village of Loddiswell a few miles away from our current location in South Milton.
On the 19th May 2005 the South Devon Chilli Farm was proud to receive the "Entrepreneur and Innovative Product Award" in the Devon Life Food and Drink Awards. The award ceremony was held at the County Show. You will be able to read more and see the full list of other award winners in the next issue of Devon Life.
Link through and have a read of the first BBC article on the formation of our chilli farm.
Thai Chilli Sauce and Chilli Jam both gained silver awards in the Annual Taste of The West food awards 2004.