04 May 2018

Berry Town’s Honey Farm
Announced as Scotland Food & Drink
Excellence Award Finalist

We are delighted to announce that Heather Hills Farm has been named as a finalist in the prestigious Scotland Food & Drink Excellence Awards 2018. The awards recognise Scottish businesses and individuals who are leading the way with innovation, enterprise and quality. Our multi-award-winning Scottish Raspberry Jam is one of only four products shortlisted for the Retail Product Savouries & Accompaniments Category, out of a record number of 273 entries across all 26 categories. Winners will be announced on 07 June 2018 at the awards’ ceremony held at the Edinburgh International Conference
Centre (EICC).

As a Scottish Great Taste Producer we have been working extensively with local Perthshire berry growers for over 60 years. They depend on their 52 million worker bees to carry out the necessary pollination required for optimum crop yields and the perfect berry – both in size, shape, colour and flavour. In turn,
our bees gather the nectar that produces our outstanding Scottish Blossom Honey whilst keeping their colonies strong. It’s a natural synergy and one that was formative in our jam making.

“The Perthshire raspberry is iconic and an indispensable part of our local community and economy”,says Mark Noonan, our Managing Director. “With a reputation of being the best in the world, it has secured the viability of our local farming community and heritage for over a century. It has brought employment
opportunities and skills to a small, rural area and created strong social bonds with many a story passed through generations. There used to be enough fields here to employ the whole of Glasgow but, with the market forced down by cheap EU imports, local berry growers are giving up the struggle to secure a fair
price for their raspberries and are now digging out canes to make way for more profitable alternatives.”

Fearing the loss of the Perthshire raspberry, we started working with local farmers by offering them a fair price for their raspberries to lovingly handcraft an artisan preserve that allows the singular flavour of the iconic fruit to shine.

“It has taken time to perfect our artisan recipe, but after winning the Berry Best Raspberry Jam in the Scottish Artisan Category at the World Jampionships in 2011 and Gold in 2012, we were honoured when we were asked to join the panel of judges the following year.”

In 2016, the preserve also won a Great Taste Award, described by the panel as ‘a very natural soft set jam full of fresh, honest raspberry flavour with nothing to detract from the summery lightness of the fruit’.

“We ensure as much fruit goes into each and every jar and use whole local Perthshire Glen Ample raspberries pollinated by our own bees – not pulp or concentrate”, says Mark. “We gently handcraft in small batches in traditional open pans using minimal, 100% natural ingredients – no artificial flavours or
preservatives – and then bottle and label by hand. It’s certainly not the easiest method, but the best way to guarantee the quality and excellence of each jar.”

Each sale partakes in a very special relationship between our honey bees and the many foods they help produce. This not only prevents the decline of the honey bee – a truly great natural pollinator – but also supports the continued production of the best soft fruit in the world.

“Our Scottish Raspberry Jam is signatory of our local cultural and natural heritage. It represents our dedication to our craft as beekeepers and those of our local fruit farmers, the sustainability of our community, the honey bee and its essential work in pollination. To be shortlisted for a Scotland Food & Drink Excellence Award is testament to that and recognises our community’s commitment in producing the best in Scottish provenance and doing the best for nature for over a century.”

Recognised internationally, we supply both premium retail and food service.“We encourage partnerships that not only seek the best of Scottish provenance, full traceability and the integrity of our supply chain, but also support the survival of the honey bee and the conservation of its natural environment both here in Scotland and abroad."

Heather Hills Farm’s Scottish Raspberry Jam is available in our distinctive trademark 340g beehive jar with an RRP of £3.30 in all 7 Waitrose Scotland stores, Dobbies, selected independent retailers and onlineat www.heather-hills.com. Catering pails are also available for food service direct or through selected
distributors. For more information call 01250 886 252, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or visit www.heather-hills.com.