Grand ambitions at Breckland Orchard

Claire Martinsen gave up a successful career at Mars to launch a range of soft drinks - and spend more time with her family. And a year on she is a big step closer to making Breckland Orchard a million pound business. SAM WILLIAMS reports.



Launching her range of fruit drinks at regional food exhibition Feast East last year, Claire Martinsen had a name, labels, bottles, and by the narrowest of margins her products to show - but not a single customer.

Now one year on to the day, exhibiting at this year's event the mother-of-two boasts a growing list of nearly 300 outlets stocking her drinks and a major industry award.

And with bold plans for expansion she is already a big step closer to achieving her aim of making Breckland Orchard a million pound business.

Mrs Martinsen, from Watton, joined confectionery giant Mars in 1997, performing a number of roles before becoming an account director for the company.

But after 12 years at the firm, with two young children, she was forced to reconsider her options, making the difficult decision to give up her job to allow her to spend time with her family.

She said: “I absolutely loved working for Mars. But with two children, then aged one and three, I realised that I couldn't keep job, as there was lots of commuting to London and I was staying in hotels one or two nights a week.

“It was impossible to combine that with my family commitments and I realised if I carried on working I probably wasn't going to see my children.

“It was the most difficult decision I have ever made. Working at Mars was a permanent adrenaline rush, with a brilliant brand and brilliant people.”

With a marketing degree at the University of Strathclyde and previous experience at sock maker Coats Viyella, it was not long before Mrs Martinsen was planning her next venture.

Inspired by her grandmother, who used to make delicious fruit drinks from a small farm in the Wye Valley in South Wales, she decided to look into the possibility of producing similar drinks commercially.

Mrs Martinsen said: “I have always been interested in local food and drink, and my granny is a big part of the reason. She had an orchard and I remember selling apples from the side of the road when I was about 10.

“My granny made fantastic fruit drinks when I was a kid, when she had a small farm, and I started thinking, is there a way of taking these fantastic drinks and making them on a bigger scale?

“I knew what I wanted to make and I knew how to make it.”

Researching the idea through countless phone calls and internet searches, two early breakthroughs helped Mrs Martinsen make her dreams a reality.

Firstly, she got in contact with someone who could help her bottle her products nearby, and secondly she received help and advice with the recipes, making them suitable for production.

After coming up with the brand and designing the drink labels, she then faced a desperate rush to get the products ready for the Feast East exhibition in March 2009, an event celebrating excellence in regional food and drink, organised by Tastes of Anglia, which offered an ideal way to show off her products.

While it was a huge task to get the drinks ready on time - and one she nearly missed - Mrs Martinsen said having that tight deadline set was a big benefit to getting the business up and running.

“It was a hard and fast line in the sand,” she said. “I had to get there, and I had to be ready for that date. If it wasn't for that it would have slipped by a few weeks, and then by a few more weeks.

“In the worst case scenario I would have gone to the show with empty bottles and talked about my products, but in the end I did make it with the drinks.

“It was a panic but without that I wouldn't have got it done so quickly.”

Aiming her products at cafes, delis and farm shops, the past 12 months have seen rapid growth in demand for the bottled drinks.

Sold through four wholesalers, Breckland Orchard products are now sold in about 300 outlets across the country.

In addition to small sellers, her customers now also include gastro pubs, National Trust properties and Suffolk Food Hall in Ipswich.

And the number of outlets stocking the drinks is increasing every week, Mrs Martinsen said.

All four flavours, Cloudy Lemonade, Cranberry and Rosehip, Blackcurrant and Raspberry, and the biggest seller, Ginger Beer with Chilli, have proved popular with the punters, all made with Norfolk spring water.

And this week has seen the launch of two new flavours, Pear and Elderflower and Strawberry and Rhubarb, to add to the repertoire.

Mrs Martinsen added: “The thing I am most proud of is when people tell me how good my products taste, and knowing I have actually made the products and designed the labels. It makes me so proud to hear that.

“It is really pleasing having set up the business from scratch. I look back and wonder how I did it all.

“It was just absolute tenacity. I was thinking I have given up my job for this and I need to make this work.”

Sales for the first year hit £74,000 - hitting Mrs Martinsen's target.

As well as early commercial success, the Ginger Beer with Chilli drink also won a coveted Great Taste Award from the Guild of Fine Foods, the Oscars of the UK food industry.

But Mrs Martinsen has no plans to rest on her laurels - with ambitious plans for the next few years.

As well as smaller outlets, she said she had recently been in “interesting” conversations with national chains and luxury food halls, which could result in large new contracts.

And in addition to plans to expand into larger bottles, Mrs Martinsen said she planned to begin exporting her products abroad.

Following discussions with UK Trade and Industry, a government body aiming to increase the country's exports, Mrs Martinsen has identified key target markets in Scandinavia, Germany, France and Ireland.

And as well as a steep growth in sales, Mrs Martinsen said the expansion would also mean taking on employees, in addition to four contractors currently working for the business.

“By 2012 I want to have £1m turnover, and that will mean taking on staff,” she said.

“It is a competitive market, but the fact the drinks are made in Norfolk makes them different. They have got a real artisan feel.

“They are made in small batches, so they are not mass produced.

“They are made with passion. They are not individually handcrafted in the kitchen but they are made with care put into in each one.”

Her early success was also recognised in the Eastern Daily Press Future 50 list, recognising businesses with major growth potential.

Despite the work needed to get a business off the ground, Mrs Martinsen said becoming and entrepreneur had enabled her to strike a balance between family life and her career.

“I love the flexibility of running my own business”, she said. “It does mean working really late sometimes, but I am able to spend lots more time with my children, who are now at nursery and pre-school.

“And I love being my own boss.”

And with fewer than one in 10 seats on the boards of FTSE 350 companies held by women, Mrs Martinsen said she hoped to see more female entrepreneurs emerging in the county, and said women's natural abilities were a valuable asset in business.

She said: “There are some great female entrepreneurs in Norfolk, and some out there doing really great business.

“But it would be great to have more female entrepreneurs in Norfolk. Being an entrepreneur means it is possible to flex things with having children.

“The ability to juggle multiple tasks has really been key to running my business, and being able to handle quite a big mix of jobs, one minute thinking about a marketing plan, then the next minute planning my finances for the next month.

“It requires switching in and out of brain modes, which is I think a natural skills set for women.”

And she praised the passion and history of the region's food producing culture, adding: “Norfolk has a really rich heritage in big, iconic food brands like Colman's and Bernard Matthews.

“We have really fantastic products, and the appetite and energy for products in Norfolk is amazing.

“The farm shops here are the best in the country and there is a lot of interest in local foods. “There are some great people producing great food.”

www.edp24.co.uk/future50

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