The New Forest Hamper Company opens new shop in Sway selling local produce

A NEW shop packed with local produce has been opened by the owner of the New Forest Hamper Company.

Adie Callaghan, from Sway, set up her hamper business in 2016 selling online, and when the opportunity arose to launch a retail business in the village she jumped at it.

“This has always been on my radar,” she said. “Quite often people say to me, ‘have you got a shop we can come and see the products?’, and I haven’t really been able to be customer facing.

“On the website, I’m limited in terms of the ranges – but the shop has allowed me to expand those, and my customers will now get a lot more choice.

“And the great thing about the shop is people don’t have to buy a hamper, they can just purchase items separately to try themselves or give to others as gifts.”

Adie sells a wide range of goods at her Station Road premises, including Sway-based Marlings wine, The Noble Bee honey, Fordingbridge Fudge, Conker spirits, Brook Hill wine, jams, chutneys and preserves by From Dorset With Love, bakes from the New Forest Cake House, Lyburn cheese, tea by the New Forest Tea Company, charcuterie by The Real Cure, and chocolate by Chococo and Beaulieu Chocolate Studio.

Adie continued: “What we really want to do is work with other businesses in the village and help each other.

“Nicky at Sway Butchers opposite does amazing homemade quiches and sausage rolls, so along with the products we sell we could put together pre-ordered picnics for customers.”

The response from villagers has been “fantastic”, said Adie, who plans to introduce tasting events and ‘meet the supplier’ evenings at the shop.

“The support we have seen so far has been really encouraging,” she said. “The best-selling products have been the local honey and candles, which are contained in jars handcrafted from repurposed glass bottles.

“My suppliers have really interesting back stories and a great ethos, and it’s great to be able to support them. Marlings Vineyard lost their presence in the village when Budgens, which stocked their wine, closed down; so they were delighted I was able to fill that gap for them.”

Adie, whose husband Jay runs the Forest Deli in Sway, said she has seen an “upturn” in her business this year with the addition of two new corporate clients – one an eco housebuilder based near Bransgore.

“They were looking for an eco-friendly gift, and because we work with local suppliers that use environmentally friendly packaging, we were a really great match for them,” said Adie.

“Around 95% of my business goes nationwide, and I’ve never understood why we’re not capturing that local market. People tell me they just didn’t know I existed – so it’s great to have a physical base here. There’s nothing like being able to come to a store and see and talk about the products on the shelves.

“A lady came into the shop recently and bought some raspberry shortbread – she said she had struggled for a long time to get hold of any, and I wish I could have captured the look of joy on her face.

“For her to be able to see and touch a box of local shortbread really it summed up what we are trying to achieve here. It’s about really engaging with people, and in the process of taking on part-time staff I’ve stressed the importance of being able to talk to people.

“I’m very conscious of the fact that some people who come in the shop may want some company too – it may be that they only want a jar of jam but I want those people to feel just as welcome as anyone else.

“My goal has always been to champion local produce, but I also want to make the village a destination. Sway used to be bustling – it’s people are becoming hopeful again that successful businesses will draw other firms in and make them believe it’s worth opening their doors.”

For more information about the New Forest Hamper Company, visit www.newforesthampercompany.com