A former acupuncturist from Talog in Carmarthenshire has turned a smallholding hobby into a growing pig farm and charcuterie business thanks to British Business Bank funding.
Moch Coch, which translates to ‘red pig’, sells an array of artisan dry-cured meats, including salami, chorizo, coppietta and pancetta, produced from a herd of Tamworth pigs.
Owner Bethan Morgan, 44, previously ran a multidisciplinary natural health centre in Narberth, Pembrokeshire. During this time she began to recognise the benefits of eating well-sourced local meat and started to explore rearing her own livestock.
Bethan and her partner bought a smallholding in Talog, with the idea of becoming self-sustaining by rearing and growing their own food. From the very beginning of the farm’s establishment, high levels of animal welfare have been their priority.
However, after discovering that very few UK meat suppliers provided free range charcuterie, Bethan decided to turn the smallholding into a business.
Bethan said: “I think it’s important when we’re asking environmental questions about what we should and shouldn’t eat, that we ask where exactly our food has come from and how we’ve produced that food. I took the skills I developed as a natural health practitioner and wanted to use them to raise healthy, happy pigs that produce delicious meat.”
After buying sixty acres of rewilded land and with thirty Tamworth pigs grazing, Bethan realised that she needed to upscale the farm’s production facilities to drive profitability.
She received a £23,000 Start Up Loan from the British Business Bank in August 2022, which allowed her to build an onsite drying room and walk-in fridge.
“The British Business Bank loan was the difference between turning the farm from a smallholding to a profitable business. My production was limited and this funding has enabled me to upscale in a way that wouldn’t have been possible without the infrastructure that this loan has provided”, Bethan said.
Bethan now has over 35 pigs on the farm and is able to process over 60kg of charcuterie per month. She is selling her products at local farmers’ markets and on Moch Coch’s website.
Passionate about provenance and providing for the local community, Bethan has even established the local Talog Farmers’ Market, where she and other local artisan producers sell their goods.
Bethan now hopes to get Moch Coch products into independent shops across Wales and also has plans to upscale production even further with up to 80 pigs to drive profitability.
The British Business Bank Start Up Loans programme has delivered more than 4,400 individual loans worth over £44 million to entrepreneurs in Wales over the past 10 years.
In September 2022, the Start Up Loans programme was expanded to include new businesses that have been trading for up to three years, as well as introducing a new second loan option for businesses that have been trading for up to five years.
As well as the loans themselves, the programme includes mentoring and resources for the entrepreneurs behind the start up companies, provided by the Bank’s delivery partner in Wales, Business in Focus.
Jess Phillips, Senior Manager for Wales at the British Business Bank said: “We’re passionate about supporting start ups of all kinds across Wales. To be able to help drive growth at a female-led business that is supporting the rural economy, is exactly why the Start Up Loans programme exists. We wish Moch Coch all the best for its future plans as it looks to upscale production and expand its footprint across Wales.”
