Like many farm-based businesses, dips and dressings brand Charlie & Ivy’s was born out of a need to diversify.
In its 10 years of trading, the brand has gained listings across the country and overseas, has developed a flourishing gifting range, and was last year recognised with two gold awards in the Farm Shop & Deli Product Awards.
The story of Charlie & Ivy’s actually begins 25 years ago, on the Palmer family farm in the Yorkshire Wolds, when Adam Palmer took over the tenancy following the death of his grandfather.
It was clear to Palmer, who had worked on the farm from the age of 16, that it would need to diversify, and he was keen to do so in a way that made use of crops they already grew. This led to the launch in 2008 of Breckenholme Trading Company, which started out by specialising in cold-pressing rapeseed oil under the Yorkshire Rapeseed Oil brand.
“Initially our aim was to press and sell oil to the bulk market, but as we trialled the product at farmers’ markets to gain consumer feedback, we got a real taste for getting out and seeing our customers,” says Palmer’s wife, Jennie, the business’s marketing head.
Having developed an interest for selling direct to customers and after growing the rapeseed oil brand locally, the couple realised there was room in the market for something a bit different.
“We felt there was space for more of a lifestyle product – one inspired by the Mediterranean approach to dining, sharing food and families coming together,” says Jennie, adding this may have been inspired by their farming background and big, noisy family meals.
Adam had the idea of launching a range of bread dipping oils, as the ones they had seen on the market were imported and used blended oils, while the Palmers could offer cold-pressed British rapeseed oil.
Wanting the range to sell beyond their home county, in 2015 they launched the dipping oils under new brand Charlie & Ivy’s, named after Adam and Jennie’s children.
Initially working with their existing stockists, the brand quickly secured a listing with distributor The Cress Company.
Three years after launching, Charlie & Ivy’s was rebranded, as the founders did not believe it was working as well as it could. At the same time, the range was expanded with flavoured mayonnaises and dressings.
“The rebrand made a huge difference to our sales, and we experienced huge growth following it,” says Jennie, adding that products are now stocked in independent retailers across the UK and in Canada.
All Charlie & Ivy’s products are produced on the farm, and the team and manufacturing unit have grown to keep up with demand. That team now includes Adam’s father, retired sea captain Ben. In the early days of the business, he helped out while on leave from the ship, but now works full-time as technical manager.
One of the biggest areas of growth in recent years has been the gifting range that includes tasting sets and themed gift boxes.
“Our bread dipper sets do well in both retail and e-commerce, and offer people something unique to gift,” says Jennie. “We’ve seen this be particularly successful with the likes of QVC.”
Further publicity for the brand came last year when two of its products – Chilli, Balsamic, Oregano & Thyme Bread Dipper and Lemon & Dill Mayonnaise – were announced at the Farm Shop & Deli Show as gold winners in the 2024 Farm Shop & Deli Product Awards.
The Chilli, Balsamic, Oregano & Thyme Bread Dipper is the latest addition to the Charlie & Ivy’s dipper lineup, and has a range of uses, explains Jennie.
“It’s delicious as a dipping oil, but we also recommend using it as a drizzle oil over pizza, pasta and salads. Because it’s made with the cold-pressed rapeseed oil, it can be used for cooking too,” she says. “The oil in the dipper is our own cold-pressed Yorkshire-grown rapeseed, while the balsamic is sourced from another amazing artisan producer and really adds to the product and flavour.”
Cold-pressed rapeseed oil is also the hero ingredient in the gold-winning Lemon & Dill Mayonnaise, which is one of the brand’s bestsellers.
“It’s always great to have industry recognition, and winning awards is a great boost for the whole team,” says Jennie.
“These awards are especially great to win as they are based on taste first, then brand and appearance. So, it’s lovely to have achieved a win on all those points. It’s also a great piece of news to share with our customers.”
Looking to the future, the Charlie & Ivy’s team see a lot of opportunity to grow the business home and abroad, particularly as their NPD ideas are “endless”.
“We’d really like to expand our reach but also support and nurture those accounts we hold now,” says Jennie. “This year we celebrate 10 years of the brand and it’s been a great chance to reflect. I’m excited for the next 10 years and what they may bring.”
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