SF-Confectionery-2020

16 SUMMERDOWN MINT @specialityfood I n a world of out-sourcing, contract-manufacturing and big buyouts, it’s rather refreshing to find a company that puts the buzz around a field of plants coming into season so high up its agenda. The team at Summerdown Mint – ‘the peppermint people’ – grow, the farm. “My grandfather first planted a small corner of a field 30 years ago, and nowwe grow around 100 acres.” It’s a rather fickle plant says Jo, harder to farm than the ubiquitous spearmint, but the results are “a very refined, specific flavour that you really can’t find anywhere else.” This laser focus on ingredients (dark chocolate is ethically sourced via the Cocoa Horizons project) resonates with Summerdown’s indie stockists; the company has never courted multiple retailers but prefers an independent approach. “Our customers aren’t anonymous markers on a map,” says Jo. “Farm shop managers aren’t just buyers but people who care passionately about what’s on their shelves. We’re so proud that our products make the cut.” What’s more, Summerdown’s strong environmental ethos has found favour with a burgeoning demographic of consumers who care deeply about the planet and want to feel good about their purchases. “As a family we care passionately about the environment and our role as stewards of the land,” says Jo. “The bees and butterflies that call our peppermint home, and the wildflowers, harvest and distill a very special peppermint crop on the family farm in Hampshire, just as they have for the last 25 years. “Our exceptional Black Mitchammint is the start of everything we make,” says Jo Colman, grandson of mustard man Sir Michael Colman who founded hedgerows and ground-nesting birds around the fields...all of that is vital to make our star ingredient flourish.” The company finds its values in perfect alignment with what many customers want. “It’s wonderful not to think ‘Oh gosh we have to change everything,’” says Jo. “Instead our job is a slow and gentle uncovering of what we’ve always done.” After thirty years of care for this finest of crops, you can guarantee the future of Hampshire’s exquisite mint chocolate is in very safe hands. Rooted in sustainable practices, the ethos at SummerdownMint is truly coming into season ABREATHOF FRESHAIR Farm shop managers aren’t just buyers but people who care passionately about what’s on their shelves