Framlingham pig farmers expand Suffolk salami business

Twenty years on, and their celebrated Suffolk salami and chorizo brand is thriving - bolstered by the next generation.

The couple's eldest daughter, Rebecca Miles, has been with the business for 12 years and she has recently been joined by younger sister, Sarah. Their cousin, Harry, is Rebecca's "right-hand man" on the production side.

They are rightly proud of the family business at Lane Farm, Brundish, near Framlingham. Today the pork products company employs 10 people - and is keen to ensure that it stays true to its artisan roots.

As they make the transition to a second-generation business, they have sought advice and help from Broadland Food Innovation Centre and its Food Innovation Cluster.

They heard about the centre through the Aldeburgh Food and Drink Festival which they regularly attend.

"They have just been so supportive and I still don't think we have scratched the surface of what we could do with them," says Rebecca.

As a result of the link with the organisation - which promotes and supports Suffolk and Norfolk food and drink brands - they were delighted to take part in the Farm Shop & Deli Show at the Birmingham NEC.

Lane Farm was one of 12 local businesses to attend the event under the centre's banner - enabling them to make new contacts and build sales. It was a big step for the company, which has relied largely on organic growth.

"We always like to try and grow gradually over time - we like to look after the customers we have got and look for new ones," explains Rebecca.

"We are a very funny family - we just keep our heads down and carry on."

But they also want to expand and develop, and the addition of Sarah, who recently returned home after working for company in London importing green beans, is part of that.

"When you work for your family you have to work harder than anyone else. We have always had a very strong family dynamic," says Rebecca.

The sisters are also trying to persuade their hard-working mum and dad - who bought Lane farm back in 1987 - to slow down.

Sue and Ian's first year in business was a lesson in endurance. Shortly after buying the farm, it blew down in a major hurricane. They bought the site so they could breed pigs - but then the price of pigs fell and they had to look at diversifying the business.

They started producing sausages and bacon using their own pork and in 1995 Lane Farm Country Foods was launched.

They started by supplying small local shops, then built an industry-standard meat room which enabled them to extend their reach to local supermarkets.

They continued to invest in the business, and in the early 2000s launched a smoke house for their bacon and a cooked meat room for their hams.

It was during a family holiday in Italy in 2003 that Ian got the idea to develop their own charcuterie. They visited the cured meat shops and were struck by what the Italians were doing.

They did further research in Germany and Spain and by trial and error developed their own recipe.

In 2005 Lane Farm became one of the first commercial salami producers in the UK. Since then, the Whiteheads have spent years perfecting their recipes and adding to their range - including one of their latest - Little Oinker Snack Salami. 

"We are proud to supply some of the amazing farm shops, local co-ops and Waitrose in the areas of Suffolk, Norfolk and Essex and we will always be so incredible grateful of our customers and the support we have received," says Rebecca.

"Working with distributors has proved invaluable in enabling Suffolk Salami to travel further across the country, to outlets such as Chatsworth Farmshop, Whole Foods and Booths."

The Lane Farm and Suffolk Salami team are receiving fully-funded business advice from an expert who will help them identify and approach potential new stockists and distributors.

They are excited at the opportunities to come, says Rebecca, and delighted at how their products were received at the Farm Shop and Deli Show at the NEC.

"A really heartwarming part of joining the Suffolk and Norfolk Pavilion was getting to know the other producers who were there who were all incredibly supportive, together with the positivity of the team from the Food Innovation Cluster who are so passionate about the region's food and drink and helped us to maximise every opportunity,” says Rebecca.

"It was the first time that Suffolk and Norfolk had been showcased as a region at the Show and people were really interested to come and discover the best that we have to offer.

"We have already secured some new stockists through connections we made and are in discussion with some significant new distributors and stockists.

"It’s a really exciting time which wouldn’t have been available to us without the support of the cluster.”