Turning a hobby into a thriving artisan business has helped Mark Reynolds bring home the bacon after being made redundant from his oil and gas role last November.
Now, the former Senior Pigging and Inline Inspection Engineer of 27 years aims to use his project management skills and advice from Business Gateway Aberdeen City & Shire to turn Piggery Smokery into a household name.
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Already the Alford-based business, which grew out of Mark’s desire to produce high welfare bacon for his family to eat, has seen production increase from 15kgs to 65kgs of bacon per week since initially launching 16 months ago.
With three gold star Great Taste Awards under his belt for Sweet Beaver™ back bacon (two Gold stars) and Dark Dubhloch™ Lardons (one Gold star), the self-taught bacon producer has simplified the buying process by launching the a new website – www.piggery-smokery.co.uk.
He said: “Being made redundant came out of left field but that’s the nature of contracting in oil and gas nowadays. Losing my job forced my hand and I’m now putting all my effort into turning a hobby business into a successful one, as I need to pay the mortgage and don’t want to look to the dying oil industry to support us. To grow, I need to improve efficiencies and the new website is the first step in helping me do that as it simplifies how people can buy from us.
“I’d never had the slightest inclination to become a full-time business person so Business Gateway has helped lay out every step I need to take in a clear and understandable way. With my focus fully on the business my adviser, Gordon Mackay, has taught me tricks of the trade and I’ll shortly benefit from his sales masterclass. What I need to do next is build a larger smokehouse to increase production so I can target food distributors and delis, and Gordon’s knowledge and connections will help me identify potential funding streams to do that.”
Gordon Mackay, Business Gateway, said: “Redundancy has made Mark determined to quickly grow Piggery Smokery, taking advantage of people’s increased desire to buy high quality produce with provenance. With our help, he has gained the practical skills and knowledge needed to push the business forward. Next, we will help him refine his sales process and investigate different funding routes that could help him physical grow his enterprise.”
A love of self-sufficiency led Mark to make his own bacon, buying his first pork loin and salt from his local butcher in 2016. The results were outstanding, and he began to produce more bacon using pork from high welfare pigs to sell at local farmer’s markets and via his Facebook shop.
Unafraid to experiment with flavour, Mark has developed a unique range that includes Sweet Beaver™ back bacon, which is made using real maple syrup, Dark Dubhloch™ flavoured with treacle and ale, Hanze Panda to celebrate Chinese New and flavoured with white pepper and clove, and CC Vincent’s Call up, named after Mark’s uncle who died in the Battle of Bapaume 100 years ago, which is single smoked with a small kick of chilli.
He said: “Pork can take huge flavours, and I love producing bacon that cannot be bought from anywhere else. Our bacon comes from happy pigs that live a high welfare life and produce outstanding tasty bacon. In the short time that I’ve been working on the business full-time I’ve seen our reach on Facebook skyrocket. That plus our five star reviews proves there’s a larger market out there for me to tap into and that I’m doing something right!”
