0:00:01 > 0:00:04In Britain's beautiful landscapes,
0:00:04 > 0:00:08traditional farming is battling to survive.
0:00:09 > 0:00:11Making a living here has its challenges,
0:00:11 > 0:00:14but those challenges are being met head-on
0:00:14 > 0:00:17with invention, energy and passion.
0:00:18 > 0:00:21A new breed of trailblazing entrepreneurs
0:00:21 > 0:00:23are turning back to the land
0:00:23 > 0:00:28to reinvent old trades and set up modern rural businesses.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31Latest figures show that as many as 100,000 people
0:00:31 > 0:00:35are leaving our cities and moving to the countryside every year.
0:00:38 > 0:00:39I've seen first-hand,
0:00:39 > 0:00:43having started my own rural business in Monmouthshire,
0:00:43 > 0:00:47the grit and determination needed to take that leap.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50And joining me is award-winning organic restaurateur
0:00:50 > 0:00:55Geetie Singh-Watson, who'll bring her knowledge and passion.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57I am really, really impressed.
0:00:59 > 0:01:03We're going to be meeting some of the modern countryside pioneers...
0:01:03 > 0:01:05Come on!
0:01:05 > 0:01:07..whose love, skill and tenacity
0:01:07 > 0:01:11are at the heart of this rural revolution.
0:01:11 > 0:01:12Woo-ha!
0:01:12 > 0:01:15This is a passion. I'm doing it because I believe in the product.
0:01:15 > 0:01:16WHISTLE
0:01:16 > 0:01:20Every region and every season present new challenges,
0:01:20 > 0:01:23and tonight, we're in Pembrokeshire,
0:01:23 > 0:01:26following six innovative businesses through spring,
0:01:26 > 0:01:31summer and autumn as they take on big investments...
0:01:31 > 0:01:35- You really need to believe in this. - It better be right!
0:01:35 > 0:01:36..against all odds...
0:01:36 > 0:01:39- It's pretty risky.- Yes. - I like a little gamble.
0:01:39 > 0:01:43..doing their bit to reinvigorate our great British countryside.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46We wanted something that would keep us going on the farm.
0:01:46 > 0:01:48We had no idea what we had stumbled onto.
0:01:56 > 0:01:58SEABIRDS CALL
0:02:09 > 0:02:13It's hard not to come here and be blown away by
0:02:13 > 0:02:14this dramatic shoreline.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17It is Britain's only coastal national park.
0:02:21 > 0:02:23But it's wild, rugged,
0:02:23 > 0:02:27and remote, and making a living here can be a challenge.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40It's spring, and I'm heading out towards Fishguard
0:02:40 > 0:02:41in North Pembrokeshire.
0:02:45 > 0:02:46To a 700-acre dairy farm
0:02:46 > 0:02:50where one enterprising farmer is diversifying
0:02:50 > 0:02:53the family business to generate a new income.
0:02:55 > 0:02:57Despite the fact that most of us start our mornings
0:02:57 > 0:03:00with milk in our tea and butter on our toast,
0:03:00 > 0:03:03the dairy industry in Britain is in crisis.
0:03:03 > 0:03:0770% of dairy farms in Wales have already closed
0:03:07 > 0:03:10and one in five are expected to close this year.
0:03:17 > 0:03:21Projecting the downturn, third-generation dairy farmer Will
0:03:21 > 0:03:26has taken a brave leap to breed Japanese cattle called Wagyu.
0:03:26 > 0:03:30He's hooked into the growing food trend for Wagyu steak,
0:03:30 > 0:03:32selling his meat to high-end restaurants
0:03:32 > 0:03:34and stores across the UK.
0:03:34 > 0:03:36MOOING
0:03:36 > 0:03:38These are nice quiet beasts, aren't they?
0:03:38 > 0:03:40- Kate, nice to see you. - How do you do? Will Pritchard.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43Very, very good to see you. So youngsters here.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46Yeah, they are. These are about 15 months.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49- 15 months!- These are about 15 months of age, yeah.
0:03:49 > 0:03:53I don't want to be rude, Will, but they seem very tiny for beef cattle.
0:03:53 > 0:03:57Because usually, when you see beef cattle in a field, they are big,
0:03:57 > 0:04:00muscular, chunky things, the Limousins, the Charolais.
0:04:00 > 0:04:02Yeah, they're a very special breed, the Wagyu.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05The value in the meat is actually from the marbling,
0:04:05 > 0:04:08which is the intramuscular fat that you get in your steaks.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10This marbling is what gives Wagyu
0:04:10 > 0:04:13a distinctive melt-in-the-mouth flavour.
0:04:13 > 0:04:15But to get a Japanese breed of cattle
0:04:15 > 0:04:19grazing on a Pembrokeshire farm isn't simple.
0:04:19 > 0:04:24We have four or five heifers in Australia that are some of
0:04:24 > 0:04:27the best-quality cattle money can buy over there.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30You can't buy the bull. But you can buy some of the semen from the bull
0:04:30 > 0:04:34and to be able to buy the very best cattle in the world at the moment
0:04:34 > 0:04:38is costing us around about £1,500 for one dose of semen.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41Wow! OK.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44'That's currently the most expensive bull sperm in the world.'
0:04:44 > 0:04:48And then you'll do artificial insemination on the cows here?
0:04:48 > 0:04:50- In Australia.- Oh, in Australia?
0:04:50 > 0:04:52And we will bring the embryos back
0:04:52 > 0:04:54and then implant them in our cattle here in the UK.
0:04:54 > 0:04:58- Really?- And they'll be born here as Welsh cattle.
0:04:58 > 0:05:00But it's a hell of a process.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03I mean, very scientific. You're not leaving anything to chance.
0:05:03 > 0:05:05And it's a long-term investment as well.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07The investment in those genetics made today,
0:05:07 > 0:05:10that meat won't be on the plate for maybe six to seven years.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13So you really need to believe in this?
0:05:13 > 0:05:15It better be right!
0:05:16 > 0:05:18He says, nervously!
0:05:18 > 0:05:19Come on, come on.
0:05:19 > 0:05:24'So far, they've invested half a million pounds into the venture.'
0:05:24 > 0:05:26Go on, don't look at me like that!
0:05:26 > 0:05:30- Through the gate, up on the left? - Yeah, up on the left, Kate.
0:05:30 > 0:05:32'Will's Wagyu are grass-fed.'
0:05:32 > 0:05:35I'll get round the back of these ones, Will. Come on, girls.
0:05:35 > 0:05:38'Which should give their meat a sharper, beefier taste.'
0:05:38 > 0:05:41Me and the scrappy one, bringing up the rear.
0:05:41 > 0:05:43There's always one at the back, Kate, yes!
0:05:43 > 0:05:45Oh, look at that. Feasting.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48Yeah, this is one of my favourite, favourite jobs, really,
0:05:48 > 0:05:51moving cattle from one paddock into the next.
0:05:51 > 0:05:55And on that note, can we go and eat some?
0:05:55 > 0:05:57Don't tell the cattle!
0:06:00 > 0:06:03Will's steaks can sell for up to £50 a kilo,
0:06:03 > 0:06:06compared to just £30 a kilo for standard beef.
0:06:09 > 0:06:11This would be a Wagyu ribeye steak.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14You can see the marbling coming through in the meat.
0:06:14 > 0:06:18Now, you see, I have to say, because I'm not used to that,
0:06:18 > 0:06:20I would look at that and go,
0:06:20 > 0:06:24"Ooh, it looks sort of fatty and unappealing, to be honest."
0:06:24 > 0:06:25Yeah, well, here's an interesting...
0:06:25 > 0:06:28Here's a piece of steak from a commercial supermarkets.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31As you can see, that's what I think the consumer
0:06:31 > 0:06:34has been sort of trained to want to purchase - no fat whatsoever.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37- Yeah.- The fat you're getting in Wagyu is a polyunsaturated fat.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40- It's a healthy fat.- It is. It's good meat to eat.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43So can we do a bit of a taste test?
0:06:43 > 0:06:45Yeah, yeah. We'll give it a go.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48Don't you just love a barbecue in Pembrokeshire?
0:06:48 > 0:06:52It's really, really, really good!
0:06:52 > 0:06:55How have you gone about marketing this?
0:06:55 > 0:06:59There actually is quite a recognition for Wagyu beef
0:06:59 > 0:07:01in the country and certainly where we are selling most of our meat
0:07:01 > 0:07:04- is London.- Right.- It's naturally growing in popularity.
0:07:04 > 0:07:08- Yeah.- And the best advert we can give it is to get people to try it
0:07:08 > 0:07:12so we do quite a bit of tasting when we go to London.
0:07:12 > 0:07:14Garnish and everything! Look at that. OK.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17So we've got... That's our supermarket.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20- Yeah.- That's our premium ribeye.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22- And that's the Wagyu. - That's the Wagyu.
0:07:22 > 0:07:24I'll do the honours.
0:07:24 > 0:07:26'It's only in the last 12 months
0:07:26 > 0:07:30'that they've been able to guarantee to slaughter two animals a week
0:07:30 > 0:07:32'and sell them to a major retailer.'
0:07:32 > 0:07:34Well, let's try that one first.
0:07:35 > 0:07:37It tastes all right. And this one.
0:07:39 > 0:07:40That's a grainier texture.
0:07:40 > 0:07:42- Yeah.- More flavour.
0:07:42 > 0:07:44The moment of truth.
0:07:46 > 0:07:47Oh, my God!
0:07:47 > 0:07:49It's extraordinary.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52It's got a softness and sweetness to the meat
0:07:52 > 0:07:54that neither of the other two have.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57It's a completely different eating experience.
0:07:57 > 0:07:59Is that what people say?
0:07:59 > 0:08:01It's very, very, very good.
0:08:01 > 0:08:03I take it we are going to finish the Wagyu ribeye off?
0:08:03 > 0:08:06I don't think there's going to be any "we" about it!
0:08:06 > 0:08:07Yeah, this one's for me!
0:08:11 > 0:08:14Will is taking quite a risk.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17To rear calves that he hopes
0:08:17 > 0:08:22in a few years' time will produce top quality beef
0:08:22 > 0:08:25for a pretty niche market.
0:08:25 > 0:08:30They say that fortune favours the brave, and he is certainly brave.
0:08:30 > 0:08:34But will that be enough to save his family farm?
0:08:36 > 0:08:38And it won't be until this year's calves are born in the autumn
0:08:38 > 0:08:43that we find out if Will's big investment is starting to pay off.
0:08:47 > 0:08:51Geetie Singh-Watson set up the UK's first organic gastro pub
0:08:51 > 0:08:53in her twenties, so knows all too well
0:08:53 > 0:08:58the challenges of running a company based on new ways of working.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08She's heading just over the border to Llanboidy,
0:09:08 > 0:09:12a small village nestled in the South Welsh hills,
0:09:12 > 0:09:14where from a caravan in his mum's back garden...
0:09:17 > 0:09:21..one rookie chocolatier has blended the region's organic milk
0:09:21 > 0:09:23with cocoa from Madagascar.
0:09:25 > 0:09:30I'm intrigued to see in this sparse coastal landscape of Pembrokeshire
0:09:30 > 0:09:33how a chocolate company is going to find its way into the market.
0:09:40 > 0:09:45Nom Nom is headed up by 23-year-old Liam with a 14-strong team...
0:09:49 > 0:09:53..who hand-make and wrap over 5,000 bars a week.
0:09:57 > 0:09:59- Hello.- Nice to meet you. I'm Liam.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02- Great to meet you. Look at this place.- Welcome to the cow shed.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05It's extraordinary. It's like kind of San Francisco
0:10:05 > 0:10:07in the middle of the Welsh hills.
0:10:07 > 0:10:09- In Llanboidy!- It's wonderful.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12So this used to be home to about 60 cows.
0:10:12 > 0:10:16And now it's home to 14 chocolate-making rascals.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19So over what period have you gone from
0:10:19 > 0:10:24- just you in a caravan to 14 people here?- Three years.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27- That's incredible.- Yeah. - How precarious are you?
0:10:27 > 0:10:30Cos that is rapid expansion and that's quite dangerous, isn't it?
0:10:30 > 0:10:31Constantly precarious. No,
0:10:31 > 0:10:34I don't know how we've managed it, but it's going really well.
0:10:34 > 0:10:36We just keep on making the chocolate bars.
0:10:36 > 0:10:38I want to look around this amazing place.
0:10:41 > 0:10:48Every year, 160 16- to 24-year-olds leave Wales and move to England.
0:10:48 > 0:10:52So over here, they're wrapping.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56All the team that work here are under 25 and want to stay.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59This is where all the figures happen.
0:10:59 > 0:11:00- This is the office.- Excellent.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03And then this is my mum. Hello.
0:11:03 > 0:11:08Mum wrapped the first 50,000 chocolate bars.
0:11:08 > 0:11:09What do you turn over?
0:11:09 > 0:11:12So we went from a £3,000 loan
0:11:12 > 0:11:15to half a million in, like, three years,
0:11:15 > 0:11:17which is quite a lot of chocolate bars.
0:11:23 > 0:11:25So this is the chocolate room.
0:11:25 > 0:11:26Oh, this looks amazing.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29- Do I get to have a go?- I reckon you should definitely have a go.
0:11:29 > 0:11:35Last year alone in the UK, we spent over £3 billion on chocolate.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38You must have invested a hell of a lot in this building.
0:11:38 > 0:11:42These machines cost about £10,000, these tempering machines.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45They keep the cocoa butter crystals at the right kind of formation
0:11:45 > 0:11:49so it gets that shine and the snap.
0:11:49 > 0:11:53Making chocolate by hand like this is a labour-intensive process.
0:11:53 > 0:11:55- Don't be scared.- No, I'm not.
0:11:55 > 0:11:57It will be fine.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00One person makes three bars every minute.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02- Tip it like that. - Tip it like that.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08This is our super salted caramel.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12It's about 25% butter.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14- Nice.- Very good butter from Calon Wen.
0:12:14 > 0:12:18Well, the butter bit's good. It's the sugar bit that's bad, isn't it?
0:12:18 > 0:12:21Well... We don't talk about sugar being bad here.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24- Do we not?- Sugar is very good!
0:12:24 > 0:12:25We like sugar a lot!
0:12:25 > 0:12:29Can I have a go? And are you using organic butter?
0:12:29 > 0:12:34So this is Calon Wen organic, so it's a local co-operative.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37The dairy got shut down but they got together a load of farmers
0:12:37 > 0:12:39and they rebuilt the daily.
0:12:39 > 0:12:41One of my big motives with setting up the pub,
0:12:41 > 0:12:43it was absolutely a prime motive
0:12:43 > 0:12:45was that I wanted to buy directly off farmers
0:12:45 > 0:12:47who were doing really interesting things.
0:12:55 > 0:12:59Currently, they have ten chocolate varieties on the go,
0:12:59 > 0:13:01two of them changing every four months,
0:13:01 > 0:13:05seasonally inspired by the local produce.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08At the moment, we're working on vodka and raspberry bar,
0:13:08 > 0:13:12so these are fresh organic raspberries from Roz the raspberry
0:13:12 > 0:13:14- in Hay on Wye.- Nice.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17So we're going to put that with some beautiful Welsh vodka
0:13:17 > 0:13:19from the Penderyn distillery.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22BELL CLANGS
0:13:22 > 0:13:24And strong ethical values
0:13:24 > 0:13:27are also at the heart of how the company is run.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37Do you all eat, have lunch together every day?
0:13:37 > 0:13:38I think it's very important.
0:13:38 > 0:13:40It's a good time to communicate with everyone.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43We review everything that happens in our day, if we had any problems,
0:13:43 > 0:13:46how we can stop that from happening next time.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49The fact that you've set it as part of your culture
0:13:49 > 0:13:53will mean that you'll always engage with it.
0:13:53 > 0:13:54It's really extraordinary.
0:13:54 > 0:13:56I am really, really impressed.
0:13:56 > 0:14:01Our mission is certainly to be able to say, "Well, no, actually, like, you can stay.
0:14:01 > 0:14:04"There are these opportunities and we can build these great places
0:14:04 > 0:14:09"and employ all of these people in an ex-dairy farming community
0:14:09 > 0:14:12"which has kind of been ripped away."
0:14:19 > 0:14:21Where did you grow up?
0:14:21 > 0:14:23Tenby, Pembrokeshire.
0:14:23 > 0:14:25Liam is hoping to expand his business
0:14:25 > 0:14:28and its values on a much bigger scale.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32I like that old Dutch barn.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34This is the weirdest place.
0:14:34 > 0:14:36In the next six months,
0:14:36 > 0:14:39they plan to move into this abandoned farm
0:14:39 > 0:14:42and set up a community of young makers and producers.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46How much have you got to spend here?
0:14:46 > 0:14:50So we're talking about raising £1 million in the next two years.
0:14:50 > 0:14:56Is this going to risk Nom Nom, moving your business in this way?
0:14:56 > 0:14:59Absolutely, yeah. It could. You know, in six months' time,
0:14:59 > 0:15:03we might be having a very different conversation.
0:15:03 > 0:15:05Well, I really hope not.
0:15:05 > 0:15:06Me too!
0:15:08 > 0:15:10Nom Nom is a fascinating business,
0:15:10 > 0:15:13and Liam's running it in a really innovative way,
0:15:13 > 0:15:16supporting local people in rural Pembrokeshire.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19Expansion is a risky time,
0:15:19 > 0:15:22and I really hope it works out well for him.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25It will be fascinating to see what progress they make
0:15:25 > 0:15:27over the coming months.
0:15:35 > 0:15:37I'm heading to the heart of the region,
0:15:37 > 0:15:42to the Eastern shore of the Cleddau estuary, where five years ago,
0:15:42 > 0:15:46Annette and Nick set up 50 hives in this ancient woodland
0:15:46 > 0:15:50hoping to make a new life for their family in a place they love.
0:15:50 > 0:15:52Many people, myself included,
0:15:52 > 0:15:54have started keeping bees
0:15:54 > 0:15:57in an effort to boost honeybee populations.
0:15:57 > 0:16:01But can beekeeping really be a viable business?
0:16:03 > 0:16:08As a nation, we eat 25,000 tonnes of honey a year
0:16:08 > 0:16:11but just 1,500 tonnes of that comes from British hives.
0:16:16 > 0:16:18Nick and Annette currently have 90 hives,
0:16:18 > 0:16:22producing an average of three and a half tonnes of honey,
0:16:22 > 0:16:23and in the winter months,
0:16:23 > 0:16:27they make over 4,000 jars of citrus fruit marmalade.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35- Hi, Nick.- Hello.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37Not very clever beekeeping weather, is it?
0:16:37 > 0:16:39No, it's a little bit wet.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41Oh, they won't like it very much.
0:16:41 > 0:16:43Hello, girls.
0:16:43 > 0:16:45You could try a little bit of honey, if you like.
0:16:45 > 0:16:47I'd love to.
0:16:48 > 0:16:49Thank you. Sorry, girls.
0:16:52 > 0:16:54Wow! That's so floral, isn't it?
0:16:54 > 0:16:56Incredibly fresh, as well.
0:16:56 > 0:16:57Incredibly fresh!
0:16:57 > 0:17:00When will you start harvesting, do you think,
0:17:00 > 0:17:02or does it absolutely depend on the weather?
0:17:02 > 0:17:06So, typically, we take the bulk of the honey off at the end of July.
0:17:06 > 0:17:08But you're at the mercy of...
0:17:08 > 0:17:11Yeah, and so it's blended by the bees through the season.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14- Well, that's not bad.- Which is why it tastes different every year.
0:17:18 > 0:17:21A good crop is totally reliant on the weather,
0:17:21 > 0:17:24which means honey producing is a risky business.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27To boost the yearly income,
0:17:27 > 0:17:30Nick has capitalised on another of his skills.
0:17:30 > 0:17:34He breeds and sells over 400 queens each season.
0:17:36 > 0:17:38So this is a breeder hive there.
0:17:38 > 0:17:43- Right.- This queen, she was born in 2013
0:17:43 > 0:17:45- and I bred from her last year as well.- Yeah.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48So it really is like having a great breeding bitch, for a dog,
0:17:48 > 0:17:51getting good puppies. I mean, you get a queen
0:17:51 > 0:17:54with the characteristics that you're absolutely looking for
0:17:54 > 0:17:56and they become your sort of main breeding female.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59Absolutely. We are looking to take larvae
0:17:59 > 0:18:03when it's about 24 hours old, which is about two millimetres long.
0:18:03 > 0:18:07Crikey, Nick! It's an incredibly intricate operation.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11'Selling queens to other honey beekeepers
0:18:11 > 0:18:13'can pull in over £6,000 a year.'
0:18:14 > 0:18:15We'll take it indoors.
0:18:15 > 0:18:21- OK.- And we can sit inside in the dry and graft some queen cells.
0:18:21 > 0:18:23OK.
0:18:25 > 0:18:28Gosh, it's a hive of activity in here. Hello!
0:18:28 > 0:18:31'Nick, Annette, and their daughters do everything they can
0:18:31 > 0:18:35'to secure the life they've built for themselves here
0:18:35 > 0:18:38'by making marmalade to supplement the honey income.'
0:18:38 > 0:18:40- So it's a real family business. - It is, yeah.
0:18:40 > 0:18:46When was it that you decided that bees were going to be the thing
0:18:46 > 0:18:49that were able to keep you here and keep your lovely family?
0:18:49 > 0:18:52I guess there came a stage when we thought,
0:18:52 > 0:18:56it's a beautiful place to live and we could manage to grow the business
0:18:56 > 0:18:58- and...- We could employ friends. - Yeah.- Family.
0:18:58 > 0:19:01To be able to live from this area is quite unusual, you know.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05There are so few things that you can survive doing.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08And I knew nothing of bees, or about bees, but I've learnt an awful lot.
0:19:11 > 0:19:15It was watching his father tending the family hives where Nick mastered
0:19:15 > 0:19:17his traditional beekeeping skills,
0:19:17 > 0:19:20and the intricate process of breeding queens.
0:19:20 > 0:19:24So these are some wax cell cups which we made and we're going to
0:19:24 > 0:19:29graft the 24-hour-old larvae into the bottom of each of these cups.
0:19:29 > 0:19:31I'm fascinated by this.
0:19:34 > 0:19:38'Nick can sell the larvae at two stages.'
0:19:38 > 0:19:41- See the larvae on the end there? - There it is! Yeah!
0:19:41 > 0:19:46'Once successfully transferred, and fed for seven days in the hive,
0:19:46 > 0:19:48'they can fetch £10 each.'
0:19:48 > 0:19:50Shall I have a go and see if I can...?
0:19:50 > 0:19:52- Would you like to?- Yeah.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54It's almost when it's too small to see,
0:19:54 > 0:19:56- then it's the right size to graft. - OK.
0:20:00 > 0:20:02It's really, really difficult.
0:20:02 > 0:20:04- It is a trick, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:20:04 > 0:20:06I think I've annihilated it.
0:20:09 > 0:20:13I've murdered a future queen of England and Wales!
0:20:13 > 0:20:16'Left to grow into a fully fledged mated queen,
0:20:16 > 0:20:20'this larva could be worth £55.'
0:20:20 > 0:20:24And why do people want to buy queens?
0:20:24 > 0:20:28- What's the market?- If you're wanting to produce lots of honey,
0:20:28 > 0:20:31it becomes necessary sometimes to replace an old or failing queen.
0:20:31 > 0:20:36- Right.- And we can post queens and send them by Royal Mail
0:20:36 > 0:20:40- all over the British Isles. - How very appropriate!- Yeah!
0:20:46 > 0:20:50Relying on honey for your income is precarious.
0:20:50 > 0:20:56The weather has a direct impact on bees and on honey production
0:20:56 > 0:21:00and as we all know, we can't control the weather.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03But if Pembrokeshire doesn't give them a good summer,
0:21:03 > 0:21:05there could be lean times ahead.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17Summer has arrived on the Welsh coast,
0:21:17 > 0:21:21along with the region's four million visiting tourists.
0:21:28 > 0:21:34I'm taking a trip out to Freshwater West on the wild Atlantic sea.
0:21:34 > 0:21:38The fishing industry here today is worth £8 million
0:21:38 > 0:21:41to the county's economy and this beach is a well-known spot
0:21:41 > 0:21:45for catching fish such as bass and pollock.
0:21:45 > 0:21:49But this coast provided another valuable resource - seaweed.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52For centuries, it was harvested and eaten,
0:21:52 > 0:21:56but then that tradition was lost until recently.
0:21:56 > 0:21:58Now, it's seeing something of a resurgence
0:21:58 > 0:22:03with a whole new generation of rural entrepreneurs picking it,
0:22:03 > 0:22:05processing it, and selling it.
0:22:12 > 0:22:16Four years ago, Jonathan walked out on his office job
0:22:16 > 0:22:19with £2,000 and a dream he could build a business
0:22:19 > 0:22:22from this shoreline's many riches.
0:22:25 > 0:22:30He now picks local seaweed that he sells in his gourmet beach shack
0:22:30 > 0:22:34and produces seven varieties of dried seaweed-inspired products,
0:22:34 > 0:22:37stocked in over 600 retailers globally.
0:22:39 > 0:22:43But most days still start here on the beach at five in the morning.
0:22:45 > 0:22:46Good morning!
0:22:46 > 0:22:49- Good morning, how are you doing? - Good, thank you.
0:22:49 > 0:22:50Wow! What a beautiful place.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52It's gorgeous, isn't it? I love it down here.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56What are you picking this morning?
0:22:56 > 0:22:59Basically, I'm picking this kind of black
0:22:59 > 0:23:01kind of thin film we call laver seaweed.
0:23:03 > 0:23:05This is the delicacy of Wales.
0:23:05 > 0:23:09Laver bread is the sort of staple, isn't it,
0:23:09 > 0:23:10of every good Welsh breakfast?
0:23:10 > 0:23:14Yes. Basically, you boil that for about ten to 12 hours,
0:23:14 > 0:23:18you mince it and it goes a lovely kind of greeney-blacky...
0:23:18 > 0:23:20I won't say lovely, because it doesn't look the best.
0:23:20 > 0:23:24And it's been used for hundreds and hundreds of years.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27Laver bread gets its name from the bread-like kneading process,
0:23:27 > 0:23:31which gives it a mashed-up spinach consistency.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36- Is your whole business dependent on this seaweed?- Yes, yes.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38- So...- So it's pretty risky.
0:23:38 > 0:23:39- Yes.- I like a little gamble.
0:23:41 > 0:23:44- You grew up in Pembrokeshire, didn't you?- Yeah, yeah.
0:23:44 > 0:23:46But you didn't grow up and then say,
0:23:46 > 0:23:49"Right, I'm going to make a business out of laver seaweed"?
0:23:49 > 0:23:51No. I did a lot of travelling.
0:23:51 > 0:23:52And ended up in Swindon.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55Got a proper job. Straight into that kind of nine to five.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58You're sitting there on a sunny day, inside, and you're thinking,
0:23:58 > 0:24:00you know, this is not for me.
0:24:00 > 0:24:02I remember I had one particularly bad day.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05Just going back home to the flat, and going, "I need to sort this out.
0:24:05 > 0:24:07"Write down everything you love in life."
0:24:07 > 0:24:09You know, and the top three was Pembrokeshire -
0:24:09 > 0:24:12there's food, beach and family - and, you know, it was obvious then.
0:24:12 > 0:24:14If you could build a business around those things,
0:24:14 > 0:24:16then you're onto a winner.
0:24:19 > 0:24:21His decision was bang on trend.
0:24:25 > 0:24:27Seaweed's superfood properties
0:24:27 > 0:24:32have meant 125% growth in UK sales last year.
0:24:36 > 0:24:40- Oh, that's nice. The sun's just come up.- I know.
0:24:40 > 0:24:43Now, getting up at 4.30 in the morning
0:24:43 > 0:24:46- and coming down here is no hardship.- Yeah, it's lovely.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48It's beautiful. In the winter,
0:24:48 > 0:24:51- I can imagine it's absolutely brutal.- No, stunning!
0:24:51 > 0:24:53I love it in the winter.
0:24:55 > 0:24:57In the winter, you can be here...
0:24:57 > 0:24:59You can have the whole beach to yourself.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02There will be no-one here. It kind of makes you feel alive.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05Whilst anyone can come and forage for their own supply,
0:25:05 > 0:25:10Jonathan has a commercial licence, and picks two tonnes a year.
0:25:15 > 0:25:19As his orders from shops and supermarkets have escalated,
0:25:19 > 0:25:23processing the crop has required ever more investment.
0:25:23 > 0:25:24This is the HQ.
0:25:24 > 0:25:26This is where the magic happens.
0:25:26 > 0:25:31And we keep on expanding and filling, which is all good.
0:25:31 > 0:25:33Meet our new seaweed washer.
0:25:33 > 0:25:38In essence, it's just a big bucket with a Jacuzzi in it.
0:25:41 > 0:25:43When it arrived, I'd got my measurements wrong,
0:25:43 > 0:25:46so had to speak to my landlord. We had to knock a hole in the wall.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49So luckily, I've got an understanding landlord!
0:25:51 > 0:25:55'And with limited fridge space to store all the fresh seaweed,
0:25:55 > 0:25:58'Jonathan came up with an alternative solution.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03'Drying it.' So by doing this dehydration process,
0:26:03 > 0:26:08it shrinks it down and it protects your production line...
0:26:08 > 0:26:09- Yes, yes.- ..through the year.
0:26:11 > 0:26:15It's now their biggest selling product - dried and toasted flakes
0:26:15 > 0:26:18they call Welsh man's caviar.
0:26:18 > 0:26:20And in the summer months,
0:26:20 > 0:26:2525% of turnover comes from his original solar-powered beach shack.
0:26:25 > 0:26:28- So this is your empire. - This is my little pride and joy.
0:26:28 > 0:26:30This is the tester. This is where we try and get all the locals
0:26:30 > 0:26:33and all the tourists to try different things.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36'All the ingredients served here are of Pembrokeshire origin.'
0:26:36 > 0:26:37- Can I go crab?- Crab?
0:26:37 > 0:26:39We got crab?
0:26:39 > 0:26:43'With fresh laver-bread seaweed as the cornerstone of every dish.
0:26:44 > 0:26:46'But what's driving their half a million pound turnover
0:26:46 > 0:26:49'through the whole year is the dried stuff.'
0:26:49 > 0:26:52We mainly use it as a condiment.
0:26:52 > 0:26:56That is absolutely delicious. It's almost like using a salt.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59There's a sort of iron-y spinach-y taste to it.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02And that is the seaweed that we picked this morning?
0:27:02 > 0:27:05- That's the same stuff? - Yes.- And they're being sold where?
0:27:05 > 0:27:09Just exported to Scandinavia, America, Czech Republic,
0:27:09 > 0:27:12and now Japan in October so we're super excited about that.
0:27:12 > 0:27:17We're standing here on quite a remote part of the Welsh coast
0:27:17 > 0:27:20and yet you're talking about exporting your stuff to Japan
0:27:20 > 0:27:23in a couple of months. It feels such a contrast.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25I can't quite believe that it works.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28No, no, neither can I, really. I don't think about it.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31I just do it and then, I think one day, when things slow down...
0:27:31 > 0:27:32Just so busy, you know,
0:27:32 > 0:27:34you don't really have time to think about it too much.
0:27:36 > 0:27:37But if anyone can break into
0:27:37 > 0:27:41the multi-billion pound Japanese seaweed market
0:27:41 > 0:27:45by selling Welsh laver bread, I think I'd take a risk on Jonathan.
0:27:45 > 0:27:49We'll catch up with him in the autumn to find out.
0:27:49 > 0:27:53He has taken an old Pembrokeshire tradition
0:27:53 > 0:27:56and dragged it into the modern era
0:27:56 > 0:27:58and made it work.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01And I love the fact that the whole business
0:28:01 > 0:28:05started with a list of the things that he loved.
0:28:07 > 0:28:09What better way to start anything?
0:28:10 > 0:28:12I'm going to try this crab sandwich
0:28:12 > 0:28:14and if it's not the best crab sandwich in the world,
0:28:14 > 0:28:16I'm going to have to eat all of my words.
0:28:21 > 0:28:25That is the taste of the sea in a bun.
0:28:36 > 0:28:38July brings the region's late potato crop,
0:28:38 > 0:28:42and for generations on these southerly banks,
0:28:42 > 0:28:45it was a staple industry for small family farms.
0:28:49 > 0:28:51Today, the only way to turn a profit
0:28:51 > 0:28:55with most traditional farming practices is scale,
0:28:55 > 0:29:00and investing in industrial-sized processing is a matter of survival.
0:29:04 > 0:29:09The assumption is that modern farms need hundreds of acres to succeed,
0:29:09 > 0:29:11but forward-thinking people are realising
0:29:11 > 0:29:16it's not how much land you have but what you do with it.
0:29:18 > 0:29:22Geetie is visiting a family with a surprising solution to keep their
0:29:22 > 0:29:2725-acre farm alive in Brynhoffnant, north of Cardigan.
0:29:31 > 0:29:34On a seemingly unprofitable acreage,
0:29:34 > 0:29:37Shann and Rich turn over £600,000 using milk
0:29:37 > 0:29:40from their small herd of goats.
0:29:40 > 0:29:42Hey, hey, hey, girls!
0:29:42 > 0:29:45Come on, beautiful ladies. Out you go. Come on.
0:29:45 > 0:29:46Come on!
0:29:46 > 0:29:48Good to meet you.
0:29:48 > 0:29:50- How are you?- I'm all right.
0:29:50 > 0:29:51What's going on here?
0:29:51 > 0:29:54We're just getting the goats out for the day.
0:29:54 > 0:29:56They're gorgeous. How many have you got here?
0:29:56 > 0:30:00- In total, we've got about 70. - Wow!
0:30:00 > 0:30:03'After leaving her city-girl lifestyle behind in San Francisco
0:30:03 > 0:30:05'eight years ago...'
0:30:05 > 0:30:07Hello, hi!
0:30:07 > 0:30:11'..Shann met Rich and set up home on Rich's then-struggling sheep farm.'
0:30:11 > 0:30:15How did you come across your first goat to begin this first project?
0:30:15 > 0:30:18Our son Benji had eczema and I said, "Rich, what are we going to do?"
0:30:18 > 0:30:20and he said, "We need to get a goat."
0:30:20 > 0:30:24And I thought, "Well, why? I've just told you our son is ill!"
0:30:24 > 0:30:26But apparently in the Welsh tradition,
0:30:26 > 0:30:29they know that goat's milk is really good for eczema, asthma,
0:30:29 > 0:30:31bronchial conditions and so on,
0:30:31 > 0:30:33so we got one goat and started milking her,
0:30:33 > 0:30:35and then we had too much goat's milk
0:30:35 > 0:30:38so I started making this handmade soap
0:30:38 > 0:30:40and skin cream with the goat's milk in it and later on,
0:30:40 > 0:30:43we put a probiotic in it as well, and it works a treat.
0:30:43 > 0:30:44Sounds fantastic.
0:30:44 > 0:30:47We were just looking for a solution to our family problems.
0:30:47 > 0:30:49We really weren't looking to start a business,
0:30:49 > 0:30:52although we wanted something that would keep us going on the farm.
0:30:52 > 0:30:54We had no idea what we had stumbled onto.
0:30:56 > 0:30:59'Sales of their goat's milk drink and skincare products
0:30:59 > 0:31:04'have grown by over 1,000% in the past year.
0:31:04 > 0:31:08'So they've invested in new on-site facilities and now employ 12 staff.'
0:31:08 > 0:31:10Thank you very much.
0:31:10 > 0:31:12'Originating from Russia,
0:31:12 > 0:31:16'kefir grains are the key ingredient in all their products.'
0:31:16 > 0:31:20Now this is what the kefir grains look like.
0:31:20 > 0:31:23- It looks like cottage cheese. - It does, and it smells a bit like...
0:31:23 > 0:31:25- Can I sniff?- Yeah, of course you can.
0:31:25 > 0:31:29Mmm... So it's similar to yoghurt and sourdough.
0:31:29 > 0:31:33Yes, a live, living culture that replicates itself.
0:31:33 > 0:31:34'Kefir grains,
0:31:34 > 0:31:37'like probiotic yoghurts are believed to help restore
0:31:37 > 0:31:40'the balance of good bacteria in your gut.'
0:31:40 > 0:31:42So after that ferments for three days,
0:31:42 > 0:31:45we'll strain that out and that is what gets bottled.
0:31:45 > 0:31:48How much do you sell this for?
0:31:48 > 0:31:51So a 21-day course goes for £39.95.
0:31:51 > 0:31:54We are turning over about £600,000 a year now.
0:31:54 > 0:31:56That's pretty impressive.
0:31:56 > 0:31:59- That's quite terrifying. - It's terrifying!
0:31:59 > 0:32:02We've really got a tiger by the tail.
0:32:02 > 0:32:06We had no idea there was so much demand, and now we're just trying to
0:32:06 > 0:32:09figure out how to hang on for the ride.
0:32:10 > 0:32:13So now we're going to go up to the soapery.
0:32:15 > 0:32:18'Their 70 goats are just about keeping up with production.
0:32:18 > 0:32:22'Shann is making around 1,000 litres of the kefir drink a week.'
0:32:22 > 0:32:25So, just up here to the left.
0:32:25 > 0:32:27'And the mixture is also used
0:32:27 > 0:32:30'as a basis for her soaps and skin lotions.'
0:32:30 > 0:32:33Again, it has our kefir in it.
0:32:33 > 0:32:35- It's delicious. Whoops!- Basically,
0:32:35 > 0:32:39it's olive oil and oat oil and rice grain oil.
0:32:41 > 0:32:45This is a soap-maker that Rich made out of an old piano.
0:32:45 > 0:32:48- OK, so I'm just going to pull it down?- Yeah, straight down.
0:32:50 > 0:32:51Oh! That's gorgeous.
0:32:51 > 0:32:54Rich is a bit of an expert at finding and reusing things,
0:32:54 > 0:32:57so none of this could happen without him.
0:32:57 > 0:33:00- Ooh!- You're hired!
0:33:00 > 0:33:02SHANN LAUGHS
0:33:02 > 0:33:05- Do you put these in shops? Are they stocked?- We do not.
0:33:05 > 0:33:07But do you want to expand this part of it,
0:33:07 > 0:33:10because it appears to me that this is the easier part?
0:33:10 > 0:33:11This is where the growth edge is.
0:33:11 > 0:33:13I can't see why you wouldn't have this anywhere.
0:33:13 > 0:33:16I do think it's really, really nicely branded
0:33:16 > 0:33:18and it looks absolutely delicious.
0:33:18 > 0:33:20'With such a rapid growth,
0:33:20 > 0:33:25'deciding what to do next is perhaps the biggest challenge they face.'
0:33:25 > 0:33:28Could you produce more from this venue here?
0:33:28 > 0:33:30I'm American. I want to grow it.
0:33:30 > 0:33:32Rich is Welsh. He wants to keep it contained.
0:33:32 > 0:33:36We don't want to be in an industrial estate in Swansea.
0:33:36 > 0:33:40We want to stay here so that kind of tension of how we grow the business
0:33:40 > 0:33:44but keep it sustainable and small enough to live with,
0:33:44 > 0:33:46that's the constant question.
0:33:46 > 0:33:48GOATS BLEAT
0:33:48 > 0:33:52It's fascinating to see how far Shann and Rich
0:33:52 > 0:33:55have come in such a short period of time.
0:33:55 > 0:33:57But the next step is perhaps the hardest.
0:33:57 > 0:33:59How do you expand your business
0:33:59 > 0:34:03without damaging the lifestyle you've learned to love?
0:34:03 > 0:34:05And as the year unfolds,
0:34:05 > 0:34:08we'll discover which path they lean towards.
0:34:15 > 0:34:18For Pembrokeshire's remote rural businesses,
0:34:18 > 0:34:22reaching the customer is one of the biggest challenges.
0:34:22 > 0:34:24For start-up chocolatier Liam,
0:34:24 > 0:34:27internet marketing has been the company's lifeblood.
0:34:33 > 0:34:36But with grand expansion plans afoot,
0:34:36 > 0:34:39Liam has set up a stall at the fine food and drink fair
0:34:39 > 0:34:41at London's Olympia...
0:34:42 > 0:34:47..to compete for sales with over 800 other artisan food producers.
0:34:47 > 0:34:50There's so many chocolate products out there.
0:34:50 > 0:34:53It's like, you come to a place like this, and you find out, like,
0:34:53 > 0:34:56ten chocolate bars that you didn't even know existed.
0:34:56 > 0:34:59It is really important that you grab the retailers' attention.
0:34:59 > 0:35:03You know, staying enthusiastic about it and getting the story across.
0:35:03 > 0:35:07But with little experience and around 11,000 buyers here
0:35:07 > 0:35:10on the lookout for new, innovative products,
0:35:10 > 0:35:13advice from other food entrepreneurs is crucial.
0:35:13 > 0:35:15How have you worked this show?
0:35:15 > 0:35:17We've been letting people try the chocolate,
0:35:17 > 0:35:21- asking them where they're from.- And you've taken all their details down?
0:35:21 > 0:35:26We're just two kids from West Wales, clearly out of our depth.
0:35:26 > 0:35:28You have to keep going for a yes or a no.
0:35:28 > 0:35:31If it's a no, it's a no for now.
0:35:31 > 0:35:33It's not a no for ever.
0:35:33 > 0:35:37With plans to move to new premises and invest in a fully automated
0:35:37 > 0:35:41production line, they need to raise £1 million in the next two years,
0:35:41 > 0:35:44so securing a deal with a distributor here
0:35:44 > 0:35:47could be the first step to make that a reality.
0:35:47 > 0:35:50- Hi.- Hi.- Liam, is it?- Liam. - Hi. Nice to meet you.
0:35:50 > 0:35:53We're NOMNOM. We're a small team of about 14 rascals,
0:35:53 > 0:35:56basically a cow shed down in West Wales.
0:35:56 > 0:35:58- The product itself... - Yeah?- Why did you go with that size?
0:35:58 > 0:36:01It's just the perfect size for a chocolate bar.
0:36:01 > 0:36:03In, like, three to five years, do you know where you're going to be?
0:36:03 > 0:36:05Yeah, absolutely.
0:36:05 > 0:36:07We want to make the best chocolate bars in the world.
0:36:07 > 0:36:09- In the world?- In the world.
0:36:09 > 0:36:12So if we were to say a starting order of 200 cases a week
0:36:12 > 0:36:15and build from there - is that scalable now? Or...
0:36:15 > 0:36:17Yeah, we can build up to that, no problem.
0:36:17 > 0:36:18- Yeah?- Yeah.- OK, so build up.
0:36:18 > 0:36:20What's the kind of timeframe?
0:36:20 > 0:36:23We'll take on some people and we'll make the chocolate
0:36:23 > 0:36:24and it'll be fine.
0:36:24 > 0:36:27If you've got the sales before you've bought the kit, bingo,
0:36:27 > 0:36:29because then you can go to people and say, "We've got the orders,
0:36:29 > 0:36:31"we just need to buy the kit."
0:36:31 > 0:36:33Have we got everything we wanted?
0:36:33 > 0:36:34- Yes.- There we go.
0:36:34 > 0:36:36- Can we go home now?- Yes.
0:36:36 > 0:36:38OK. Thank God for that!
0:36:49 > 0:36:54The end of summer is approaching and the season's stunning wildflowers
0:36:54 > 0:36:57have begun to turn to seed.
0:36:57 > 0:36:59Beautiful meadows like this
0:36:59 > 0:37:01were once a common sight in Pembrokeshire,
0:37:01 > 0:37:03but during the 20th century,
0:37:03 > 0:37:06around 90% of Welsh lowland meadows
0:37:06 > 0:37:09were lost to re-use or redevelopment.
0:37:13 > 0:37:17Meadows are enormously important to the biodiversity of our countryside,
0:37:17 > 0:37:19but they have a value that goes beyond looking beautiful
0:37:19 > 0:37:23and supporting a huge range of different species,
0:37:23 > 0:37:26as one family in Pembrokeshire has discovered.
0:37:31 > 0:37:35I've come to meet the Sutton family on their 87-acre farm
0:37:35 > 0:37:39not far from Pembroke on the south coast.
0:37:41 > 0:37:45Former conservation officer Matt and his partner Vicky took on
0:37:45 > 0:37:48what was a beef farm ten years ago.
0:37:48 > 0:37:50The business focus now
0:37:50 > 0:37:53is on the rich grazing land itself.
0:37:53 > 0:37:57They harvest traditional wildflower seed from their meadows
0:37:57 > 0:37:59and sell it online.
0:38:02 > 0:38:05- I'm Kate.- Hello, Kate. - Lovely to meet you.
0:38:05 > 0:38:08- I'm Matt. How are you doing?- Isn't this absolutely fantastic?
0:38:08 > 0:38:11It's normally a little quieter than this.
0:38:11 > 0:38:14Normally you just hear skylarks and grasshoppers.
0:38:14 > 0:38:16This is one of the rare days when we bring a machine into the meadows.
0:38:16 > 0:38:18I see you've got everybody in the car.
0:38:18 > 0:38:22- Hi, guys!- I've got my partner Vicky and my two boys, Noah and Derry.
0:38:22 > 0:38:24- They come along on the job. - So, for you,
0:38:24 > 0:38:26this is a proper family business,
0:38:26 > 0:38:30- and the whole family are very much entrenched in it?- Absolutely, yeah.
0:38:30 > 0:38:33I think it's an important thing to make them realise that there is
0:38:33 > 0:38:35a future in this kind of old land, that they don't have to...
0:38:35 > 0:38:39as Noah once said to me, they don't have to plough it up
0:38:39 > 0:38:41and turn it into something else.
0:38:42 > 0:38:47'Last year, Matt and Vicky harvested seed from this protected farm,
0:38:47 > 0:38:50'alongside six other local sites.
0:38:52 > 0:38:57'In this meadow alone, there are 25 varieties of native wildflower.'
0:38:57 > 0:39:01I've come to have a look at your bounty.
0:39:01 > 0:39:03Oh, look at...
0:39:03 > 0:39:06My goodness, that smell. Isn't that just wonderful?
0:39:06 > 0:39:09Yeah, nothing like the smell of a ripe hay meadow.
0:39:09 > 0:39:10Oh... Beautiful.
0:39:10 > 0:39:14Gosh, that is the smell of summer, right there, isn't it?
0:39:14 > 0:39:17Sweet vernal-grass. It's got a substance in it called coumarin,
0:39:17 > 0:39:20which has got that kind of coconut-y smell...
0:39:20 > 0:39:22Yeah. It's absolutely lovely.
0:39:24 > 0:39:28'The meadows supply a rich source of food for Matt and Vicky's small herd
0:39:28 > 0:39:31'of cattle and their native bees,
0:39:31 > 0:39:35'and the seeds are processed with as minimal a cost as possible.'
0:39:35 > 0:39:38It's a pretty rough-and-ready low-tech solution
0:39:38 > 0:39:41we have to sorting our seed. We've just got a couple of old crates...
0:39:41 > 0:39:44- Yeah?- Just grab a handful or two of this.
0:39:44 > 0:39:46So, this is what has come out of the machine?
0:39:46 > 0:39:49This came out of the machine, done yesterday.
0:39:49 > 0:39:53And then we just give it a quick riddle. The seed drops out.
0:39:53 > 0:39:56It's a little bit of stalk... and leaf,
0:39:56 > 0:40:00which just goes out to dry and we'll add that into the hay crop.
0:40:05 > 0:40:08It does look like you've got an enormous variety here.
0:40:08 > 0:40:13Yeah, this is from a lovely farm up in north Pembrokeshire
0:40:13 > 0:40:15and it's full of yellow rattle and red clover.
0:40:15 > 0:40:18We offer a cut of our proceeds to the people who are kind enough
0:40:18 > 0:40:21to let us harvest from their meadows.
0:40:21 > 0:40:24It's a small payment that provides some recognition for the fact that
0:40:24 > 0:40:29they're treasuring these meadows and keeping them going into the future.
0:40:29 > 0:40:32'This isn't a business run for huge profits.
0:40:32 > 0:40:34'It turns over just a few thousand pounds a year,
0:40:34 > 0:40:38'which they top up by selling their honey and meat boxes,
0:40:38 > 0:40:42'and from Matt's part-time work as an eco-consultant.'
0:40:42 > 0:40:44I'm sure the big seed companies would laugh at us.
0:40:44 > 0:40:48I'm sure there are bits of kit that would do all this sort of thing
0:40:48 > 0:40:50a lot more efficiently, perhaps.
0:40:50 > 0:40:55Being here, I'm falling in love with the idyll of it.
0:40:55 > 0:40:58I'm sure it's not all rural idyll...
0:40:58 > 0:41:00Come back in winter, it wouldn't be so easy, would it?
0:41:00 > 0:41:05Money is certainly not everything. We earn enough to get by.
0:41:05 > 0:41:09But as you can see, we live in an absolutely beautiful location
0:41:09 > 0:41:12and we have other riches in our life.
0:41:12 > 0:41:14Not just money.
0:41:16 > 0:41:19It's hard to argue with that.
0:41:22 > 0:41:24The seeds are bagged up in the packing barn,
0:41:24 > 0:41:27a beautiful structure self-built by Matt.
0:41:35 > 0:41:38- Oh, this isn't a bad office, is it? - No, it's all right, isn't it?
0:41:38 > 0:41:41It's lovely. So, this is the bagging operation.
0:41:41 > 0:41:43- Yeah.- Are these a reused sack of some sort?
0:41:43 > 0:41:46They originated from coffee sacks.
0:41:46 > 0:41:48And I spend my winter nights making them.
0:41:48 > 0:41:50Vicky, you are amazing.
0:41:50 > 0:41:53OK, so what do you put in each one?
0:41:53 > 0:41:56- Er, 250g go into that.- OK.
0:41:56 > 0:41:59My concern is, if you're selling seed
0:41:59 > 0:42:02and people try it and it doesn't work,
0:42:02 > 0:42:06that you lose your customer base straightaway.
0:42:06 > 0:42:10We do provide free advice, along with the seed, when we sell it.
0:42:10 > 0:42:15It's a sort of, buy this and we'll help you create a meadow.
0:42:15 > 0:42:18- Yes, absolutely.- That's very clever. I bet you'd do it for free.
0:42:19 > 0:42:20Yeah.
0:42:20 > 0:42:23I love the fact that you're so uncommercial,
0:42:23 > 0:42:25but I also slightly feel that maybe
0:42:25 > 0:42:28you should be a little bit more commercial!
0:42:28 > 0:42:31Right, here you are. Put your label on.
0:42:34 > 0:42:39Not every business has to be global, not every business has to be big,
0:42:39 > 0:42:43not every business has to bring in pots and pots of money.
0:42:43 > 0:42:48They have a wonderful partnership with their land and, for them,
0:42:48 > 0:42:51I think that's where they get their richness.
0:42:51 > 0:42:54They sum up the satisfaction of how life can be
0:42:54 > 0:42:59really, really good when you are on the land.
0:43:16 > 0:43:20It's mid-August and I'm heading out to the Preseli Hills
0:43:20 > 0:43:24in the north of the county to catch up with honey-maker Nick.
0:43:24 > 0:43:27Summer is a crucial time of year for the business,
0:43:27 > 0:43:29as they start to harvest the crop
0:43:29 > 0:43:33and predict exactly how much honey the bees have made.
0:43:35 > 0:43:37- Morning, Nick.- Hello.
0:43:37 > 0:43:41What are you doing up here? You're miles away from home!
0:43:41 > 0:43:42What a beautiful place, though.
0:43:42 > 0:43:45- Isn't it spectacular?- Amazing, yeah.
0:43:45 > 0:43:47'By taking the bees to these hills,
0:43:47 > 0:43:49'Nick can increase his honey-producing season
0:43:49 > 0:43:52'with the late-flowering heather.'
0:43:52 > 0:43:54When I was last here, it was miserable, wasn't it?
0:43:54 > 0:43:57It was absolutely pouring with rain and quite cold.
0:43:57 > 0:44:01How's it been in the intervening weeks since I've seen you?
0:44:01 > 0:44:05Yeah, we've been having a run of poor seasons, to be honest.
0:44:05 > 0:44:08- June and July, it was quite cool and wet.- Yeah.
0:44:08 > 0:44:12'Every year, the business' success or failure is at the mercy
0:44:12 > 0:44:15'of the unpredictable Welsh climate.'
0:44:15 > 0:44:19The bees need at least 12 degrees to fly, and they don't fly in the rain
0:44:19 > 0:44:21- either.- And if they're not flying,
0:44:21 > 0:44:24they're not collecting pollen and they're not collecting nectar and
0:44:24 > 0:44:27they're not making honey. With all the hives that you've got,
0:44:27 > 0:44:31what would you expect to get? What would your total be?
0:44:31 > 0:44:35In a bumper crop, in a really good year, we can achieve eight tonnes.
0:44:35 > 0:44:38- Eight tonnes?!- Yeah.- And this year, what are you thinking?
0:44:38 > 0:44:40I think it's going to be an under-a-tonne year.
0:44:40 > 0:44:42- Do you?- Absolutely.- Do you?
0:44:42 > 0:44:47- Oh, Nick. Shall we get these... - Take these boxes off, yeah.- Yeah.
0:44:51 > 0:44:56'Nick single-handedly moves the frames back to his processing barn.'
0:44:56 > 0:44:58We'll soon see how heavy this is.
0:44:58 > 0:45:00SHE LAUGHS
0:45:00 > 0:45:03- It must be stuck there! - It must be stuck.- I'll help you.
0:45:03 > 0:45:07- It's sticky stuff, honey.- OK. - Back to base.- Right.
0:45:09 > 0:45:13'And to collect frames from all his hives can take around four weeks.'
0:45:16 > 0:45:20It's like revealing your own personal gold mine.
0:45:20 > 0:45:22Pure gold.
0:45:23 > 0:45:27'But under a tonne of wholesale honey
0:45:27 > 0:45:29'will only bring in around £16,000.'
0:45:29 > 0:45:32- You can see it coming out now. - Oh, yeah, you can!
0:45:32 > 0:45:34'So just to break even this year,
0:45:34 > 0:45:38'the family will need to rely on their winter marmalade-making
0:45:38 > 0:45:40'and selling Nick's queens.'
0:45:40 > 0:45:44So the only way you can keep your business robust is to have...
0:45:44 > 0:45:46Have more strings to the fiddle.
0:45:46 > 0:45:48It's good to be versatile and flexible,
0:45:48 > 0:45:50and that's exactly what we have to do.
0:45:50 > 0:45:52When this jar is ready,
0:45:52 > 0:45:54how much do you sell it for?
0:45:54 > 0:45:57I think it should be worth a bottle of good wine.
0:45:57 > 0:45:58Over £10, certainly.
0:45:58 > 0:46:01Yeah. Because it's so rare and special?
0:46:01 > 0:46:05It's taken us a whole year...or a whole season to produce our crop.
0:46:05 > 0:46:09But it's always the same amount of work involved in gaining it.
0:46:09 > 0:46:13Well, I think that beautiful jar
0:46:13 > 0:46:16is really a pot of gold.
0:46:16 > 0:46:18Nick, it's been a real delight to meet you.
0:46:18 > 0:46:20- It's been a pleasure. - Thank you very much.
0:46:20 > 0:46:24And I hope August is sunny and the heather honey crop is a good one.
0:46:24 > 0:46:29'I have nothing but absolute admiration for Nick, his skill,
0:46:29 > 0:46:32'tenacity and commitment to making a beautiful,
0:46:32 > 0:46:35'authentic British honey against the odds
0:46:35 > 0:46:39'in a place he and his family love and treasure.
0:47:02 > 0:47:05'Back in the summer, Geetie met Shann and Rich,
0:47:05 > 0:47:09'whose determination to make a living from just 25 acres
0:47:09 > 0:47:11'and a herd of just 70 goats...'
0:47:11 > 0:47:12- Hello.- Hiya!
0:47:12 > 0:47:15'..meant their successful probiotic milk products
0:47:15 > 0:47:18'were outstripping demand.'
0:47:18 > 0:47:20Just gorgeous out here, isn't it?
0:47:20 > 0:47:23- It's nice, isn't it?- The autumn leaves are just amazing.
0:47:23 > 0:47:25I love it at this time of year.
0:47:25 > 0:47:26It's spectacular.
0:47:26 > 0:47:31How's the last however many months been for you?
0:47:31 > 0:47:32It's been crazy.
0:47:32 > 0:47:36It has been a great year, but we've also had some real ups and downs.
0:47:36 > 0:47:39We bought a pasteuriser, which imploded.
0:47:39 > 0:47:41And so, you know, £6,000 later,
0:47:41 > 0:47:44we're out of a pasteuriser and that money is gone.
0:47:44 > 0:47:46You were dependent on that one piece of equipment
0:47:46 > 0:47:49- for all of your pasteurisation. - Yes! Yeah, we were.
0:47:49 > 0:47:51We were devastated by that.
0:47:51 > 0:47:53That was a very bad experience for us.
0:47:53 > 0:47:54So when I saw you last time,
0:47:54 > 0:47:58you were talking about expansion and whether or not you did or didn't.
0:47:58 > 0:48:02We can expand further, we can make more skincare, for example.
0:48:02 > 0:48:05So we're going to do that, but we're going to be right here on the farm.
0:48:05 > 0:48:08Could you rent land, if you can't buy it, to have more goats?
0:48:08 > 0:48:12We could maybe purchase more fields, not immediately around this farm,
0:48:12 > 0:48:14but we could expand out.
0:48:14 > 0:48:17I'm also very interested in having some other suppliers,
0:48:17 > 0:48:19so people who are maybe milking cows
0:48:19 > 0:48:22and having trouble with the economics of that,
0:48:22 > 0:48:24it's very difficult, could switch to milking goats.
0:48:24 > 0:48:26We can't run 2,000 goats here.
0:48:26 > 0:48:28It would be beautiful, 2,000 goats here, wouldn't it?
0:48:28 > 0:48:32You reckon? You come and milk them! You try milking 2,000 goats!
0:48:32 > 0:48:34- That would be gorgeous. - Night and day, that would be.
0:48:34 > 0:48:38I can tell that this is really satisfying you in your life.
0:48:38 > 0:48:39It's an exciting place to be.
0:48:39 > 0:48:42I wake up every morning and I'm exactly where I want to be.
0:48:42 > 0:48:43That's wonderful.
0:48:43 > 0:48:46- It is wonderful.- And I hope you inspire other people.
0:48:46 > 0:48:48Cos it's extraordinary.
0:48:48 > 0:48:49Oh, well, thank you.
0:48:49 > 0:48:51- Bye.- Bye-bye.
0:49:04 > 0:49:08'When I met dairy farmer Will Prichard back in spring,
0:49:08 > 0:49:12'his diversification to produce Japanese wagyu beef...
0:49:14 > 0:49:16'..was a brave and innovative idea
0:49:16 > 0:49:19'to support his traditional family farm.'
0:49:19 > 0:49:23Autumn is an important time of year for Will and his Wagyu herd,
0:49:23 > 0:49:25but first thing in the morning,
0:49:25 > 0:49:28it's his dairy herd that takes precedence.
0:49:29 > 0:49:31'Sadly, in the past six months,
0:49:31 > 0:49:35'17 Welsh dairy farmers have gone out of business.
0:49:35 > 0:49:37'And for Will, too,
0:49:37 > 0:49:40'the past year has seen a half-a-million-pound loss
0:49:40 > 0:49:42'to the dairy side of his business.'
0:49:42 > 0:49:44Oh, look at these!
0:49:44 > 0:49:47Aren't they delightful?
0:49:48 > 0:49:50'But for the Wagyu side of his business,
0:49:50 > 0:49:53'there's huge growth potential.'
0:49:53 > 0:49:55So how old are all of these?
0:49:55 > 0:49:58These will all be about ten days to two weeks old.
0:49:58 > 0:50:01So you've got a mixture here of Friesians and Wagyu.
0:50:01 > 0:50:04Yeah, indeed. We've got some fresh ones in the pen over here.
0:50:04 > 0:50:06OK. These are real youngsters?
0:50:06 > 0:50:10- Yes, they're only a couple of days old.- Oh, look at you!
0:50:10 > 0:50:12'It's taken Will the best part of seven years to get the
0:50:12 > 0:50:15'genetics behind these calves right.'
0:50:15 > 0:50:17Look how tiny this one is.
0:50:17 > 0:50:20- You can look after that one, Kate. - It's like a little thorn.
0:50:20 > 0:50:22It was born premature.
0:50:22 > 0:50:25- Oh, really?- That is actually two weeks old.- Oh, my goodness.
0:50:25 > 0:50:28- So...- Come on, you need to feed up.
0:50:28 > 0:50:31'They're the end result of the fertilised Wagyu embryos
0:50:31 > 0:50:35'Will implanted into his cows back in the winter.'
0:50:35 > 0:50:38You have to be patient in this business, don't you?
0:50:40 > 0:50:42Each calf is not going to give you
0:50:42 > 0:50:45any sort of return for a minimum of two or three years.
0:50:45 > 0:50:48Every day these animals need looking after,
0:50:48 > 0:50:50every day somebody has to come and tend to them
0:50:50 > 0:50:52and make sure they're well and healthy,
0:50:52 > 0:50:54so it's a lot of investment.
0:50:54 > 0:50:56So will these all go for meat,
0:50:56 > 0:50:59or will you keep some of them for breeding?
0:50:59 > 0:51:02- No, all these will end up on a plate, yeah.- Yeah.
0:51:02 > 0:51:03Next year, we would hope to have
0:51:03 > 0:51:06- three to four a week available to us.- Right.
0:51:06 > 0:51:08We'd like to get to eight to ten a week,
0:51:08 > 0:51:11I think that's probably the maximum for this farm and this business.
0:51:11 > 0:51:14- Right. What a lovely morning. - Yeah.
0:51:17 > 0:51:21'It's been a huge financial and personal investment
0:51:21 > 0:51:24'to get just this far for Will and his wife Alex.'
0:51:27 > 0:51:30There must be times when you kind of lie awake at night, going,
0:51:30 > 0:51:32"Are we doing the right thing?"
0:51:32 > 0:51:35Yeah. Yeah, there are days like that,
0:51:35 > 0:51:36but I think, certainly in the future,
0:51:36 > 0:51:39it'd be very exciting to see it get bigger and bigger.
0:51:39 > 0:51:42To grow it any further, we'll have to get more farmers on board.
0:51:42 > 0:51:44And that's the next step, really.
0:51:44 > 0:51:47You can be, effectively, a kind of Wagyu hub
0:51:47 > 0:51:50- for other farmers producing. - Actually, now having the confidence
0:51:50 > 0:51:53to go out and talk to your neighbours,
0:51:53 > 0:51:54I'll say, "I've got a good idea.
0:51:54 > 0:51:57"I think we can both make a few pound out of this,"
0:51:57 > 0:51:59and I really do believe it.
0:51:59 > 0:52:01Yeah. And what about for you, Alex?
0:52:01 > 0:52:06Do you see this as something that is a kind of rock-solid future
0:52:06 > 0:52:08for your next generation?
0:52:08 > 0:52:11Your grandfather was fairly revolutionary in his own time,
0:52:11 > 0:52:14so it's quite nice to see that William's decided to throw
0:52:14 > 0:52:17a bit of a curveball at what he's doing, as well.
0:52:17 > 0:52:20I'm sure he'll be remembered for it, one way or another!
0:52:22 > 0:52:24Let's hope it's for all the right reasons.
0:52:24 > 0:52:27It's been such a pleasure to meet you both.
0:52:27 > 0:52:31It really has. And I just... Yeah, I wish you enormous luck.
0:52:46 > 0:52:48Hello. Hi.
0:52:48 > 0:52:50'Just over the border in Llanboidy,
0:52:50 > 0:52:53'23-year-old chocolate entrepreneur Liam had grand plans
0:52:53 > 0:52:55'to raise £1 million...'
0:52:55 > 0:52:58- Hello. - Oh, hello, Geetie. How are you?
0:52:58 > 0:53:01'..and make a brave move into new premises.'
0:53:01 > 0:53:03- Nice to see you.- In your office, looking very cosy.
0:53:03 > 0:53:05My temporary office. I'm in exile.
0:53:05 > 0:53:08It's a really exciting day today.
0:53:08 > 0:53:11- Why?- It's first day of us moving into the new factory.
0:53:11 > 0:53:13How on earth have you funded it?
0:53:13 > 0:53:15It's purely out of cash flow now.
0:53:15 > 0:53:17So we haven't raised any money yet.
0:53:17 > 0:53:20It's worked out that we can actually do it off our own back.
0:53:20 > 0:53:22But you haven't bought it.
0:53:22 > 0:53:25No, so we've got two years to raise the money to purchase the farm,
0:53:25 > 0:53:28and in the meantime, we're leasing.
0:53:28 > 0:53:29Aren't you terrified?
0:53:29 > 0:53:32As long as nothing terrifying happens...
0:53:32 > 0:53:33it'll be OK.
0:53:36 > 0:53:40'The new premises are just over the road from the current factory
0:53:40 > 0:53:42'in the old cow shed.'
0:53:42 > 0:53:44- Am I going to see you over there? - I'll meet you in there.
0:53:44 > 0:53:48- Are you not going to jump on? - No. I'm not, actually, no!
0:53:48 > 0:53:51'The team have six weeks to move the office,
0:53:51 > 0:53:56'their existing production line, and build a new automated one.'
0:53:57 > 0:53:59They're completely mad!
0:53:59 > 0:54:04'By regenerating the old farm buildings on the new 50-acre site,
0:54:04 > 0:54:09'Liam hopes to create a community of small independent businesses
0:54:09 > 0:54:12'and a space where they can all grow.'
0:54:15 > 0:54:17We'll be back in a bit.
0:54:17 > 0:54:19We'll come and help. Yeah.
0:54:20 > 0:54:24How many makers or producers have you got coming in?
0:54:24 > 0:54:26Four. To start with.
0:54:26 > 0:54:28A leather worker,
0:54:28 > 0:54:30natural plant dyes,
0:54:30 > 0:54:34a potter and then these guys are going to kind of prove the model.
0:54:34 > 0:54:37But it's so important that WE get stable and we generate the cash flow
0:54:37 > 0:54:39to support it first.
0:54:39 > 0:54:42How much money do you need at this point to begin?
0:54:42 > 0:54:4450K to get us in.
0:54:44 > 0:54:46And that gives you what?
0:54:46 > 0:54:47That gets us into production,
0:54:47 > 0:54:50so moving everything that we've currently got over,
0:54:50 > 0:54:51and then a much better flow,
0:54:51 > 0:54:54so we'll kind of be able to double production.
0:54:54 > 0:54:56So it's quite a huge burden.
0:54:56 > 0:54:59- It's a big deal, yeah.- But it does keep you going, doesn't it?
0:54:59 > 0:55:02Yeah. Although it might appear from the outside that, you know,
0:55:02 > 0:55:05we're all having a great time and it's all chocolate factory,
0:55:05 > 0:55:07eccentric and all that kind of stuff, it's not.
0:55:07 > 0:55:10There is a really serious side to what we're doing.
0:55:10 > 0:55:13It's the risk that makes everybody come together and work hard,
0:55:13 > 0:55:17- because it matters.- And does that make you a success?
0:55:17 > 0:55:18What makes you a success?
0:55:18 > 0:55:23Success is doing what you love doing and having a whole bunch of people
0:55:23 > 0:55:27around you that you feel really excited to work with.
0:55:27 > 0:55:29And I'm proud of all of those things.
0:55:38 > 0:55:40'With winter approaching,
0:55:40 > 0:55:43'seaweed producer Jonathan turns the business focus back
0:55:43 > 0:55:45'to his range of deli products.'
0:55:47 > 0:55:49My first day back in the office.
0:55:49 > 0:55:52There'll be a tonne of stuff to catch up on, so...
0:55:52 > 0:55:55I think it's been two weeks since I was last here.
0:55:55 > 0:55:57'During the tourist season,
0:55:57 > 0:55:59'the gourmet beach shack has been the testing ground
0:55:59 > 0:56:01'for possible new product lines.'
0:56:01 > 0:56:05We did seaweed ketchup with kelp all year.
0:56:05 > 0:56:07It's gone down really, really well.
0:56:07 > 0:56:09And the plan for this winter
0:56:09 > 0:56:11is to develop the product ready for market.
0:56:11 > 0:56:16'Jonathan is planning to get six new ranges out to his global retailers
0:56:16 > 0:56:18'in the next six months.'
0:56:18 > 0:56:21When you look at the menu, what we were doing three or four years ago,
0:56:21 > 0:56:23it's completely changed since then.
0:56:23 > 0:56:25I think we've gone another level and it's just keep on pushing,
0:56:25 > 0:56:28being more imaginative. It's exciting, doing your own stuff.
0:56:28 > 0:56:30I'll see you later.
0:56:35 > 0:56:37Going to pick up the trailer, take it back,
0:56:37 > 0:56:40get a few guys on it and strip it right down.
0:56:40 > 0:56:42Just put it away for the winter.
0:56:42 > 0:56:44'This season saw the beach shack
0:56:44 > 0:56:50'sell a record 15,000 of those infamous seafood sandwiches.'
0:56:50 > 0:56:52It's been a really, really hard year.
0:56:52 > 0:56:56I've put in some huge weeks, especially over the summer,
0:56:56 > 0:56:59you know? I'm off to Japan in four, five days, so, it's just...
0:56:59 > 0:57:03It's been probably one of the best years we've ever had.
0:57:05 > 0:57:08Always emotional on a final day.
0:57:08 > 0:57:11'Jonathan's brave decision to follow his dream
0:57:11 > 0:57:15'and leave his office job to sell seaweed has certainly paid off.'
0:57:15 > 0:57:18This is my commute and this is my end point and, you know,
0:57:18 > 0:57:21to come down here, this beach is just...
0:57:21 > 0:57:24I think it's my favourite beach in the whole wide world.
0:57:40 > 0:57:42It's never going to be easy to make a living
0:57:42 > 0:57:45in Pembrokeshire's beautiful but rugged landscape.
0:57:45 > 0:57:49But that challenge has driven real innovation
0:57:49 > 0:57:51from the people we've met here.
0:57:51 > 0:57:54Now, interestingly, they haven't turned their back on tradition.
0:57:54 > 0:57:58In fact, tradition is at the heart of many of their business ideas.
0:57:58 > 0:58:02Seaweed biscuits, grass-fed beef, probiotic milk.
0:58:02 > 0:58:06But although those ideas may be influenced by the past,
0:58:06 > 0:58:10they absolutely represent the future
0:58:10 > 0:58:13and a new era of rural entrepreneurship
0:58:13 > 0:58:15here in Wales's wild west.
0:58:20 > 0:58:24'Next time, we're in South Devon's rolling hills...'
0:58:24 > 0:58:26What a beautiful day!
0:58:26 > 0:58:29'..meeting six new businesses trying to make a living...'
0:58:29 > 0:58:30This is the best-smelling room
0:58:30 > 0:58:33- you'll ever walk into in your entire life.- Oh, wow.
0:58:33 > 0:58:35That smell is incredible.
0:58:35 > 0:58:37Mmm. That is delicious.
0:58:37 > 0:58:40'..in this tourist friendly, food-rich region.'
0:58:40 > 0:58:44I never know what the next phone call is going to be.
0:58:44 > 0:58:46God, I have the best job in the world.