Young farming entrepreneur having a quail of a time establishing new business
Seventeen year old farming entrepreneur David Vaughan, from Builth Wells, is working on plans to grow his quail farm to 10,000 birds.
David, a student at the NPTC Brecon campus, has been farming quails for a number of years now, which he keeps in a large shed facility in his parent’s garden. At present David is responsible for his flock of 120 quails, which provide him with up to 350 eggs a week, which he supplies to local butchers and wholesalers.
Along his journey to starting up his business, David is receiving mentoring and business support for his first entrepreneurial venture from Big Ideas Wales, part funded by the European Regional Development Fund.
David supplies his quail eggs all over mid Wales, principally Brecon, Builth Wells, Llandrindod Wells and Llanwrtyd Wells. He has established solid business relationships with a number of local independent butchers, including Easts of Brecon and Paddy Sweeney Butchers, who buy his eggs from him in order to sell to restaurants, along with their speciality meats.
Describing how he established his quail egg business, David said: “A friend of my father’s kept quails, so it was something I had seen first-hand and thought it looked really interesting. I started with a few birds, and started to grow my flock bit by bit.
“I soon realised that I was going to have to establish a number of outlets to take on my eggs and so I started visiting local towns and speaking to independent butchers who expressed an interest in receiving my stock.
“I really researched my market and knew what businesses were looking for, so my young age was never a factor in my business relationships. Everyone has always treated me like an equal which has given me a huge amount of confidence when it comes to developing phase two of my plans when I turn eighteen.”
Phase two of David’s business plans include the development of a 10,000 bird quail farm, which he hopes to establish this year. He has already been speaking to the council about rates and planning permissions and has prepped his business plan in readiness to progress following his eighteenth birthday in April.
Sam Allen, A Financial Advisor from Big Ideas Wales has been advising David in shaping his business plans, from a financial perspective.
David recently attended the Big Ideas Wales Bootcamp to Business event in Betws-y-Coed in early March, where he was one of fifty ambitious young entrepreneurs participating in a series of challenging weekend workshops dedicated to expanding the knowledge of young entrepreneurs in order to equip them with the essential skills they need to help get business ready and grow their network of connections.
During the weekend David won the award for ‘Best Business Pitch’ for his presentation on his quail egg business and his plans for the future.
David heard about the Bootcamp event via Kelly Jordan, the Big Ideas Wales Enterprise Champion for the NPTC college group, of which he is a student. “Kelly’s help has been invaluable”, says David, “if it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t be where I am today. She has supported me throughout it all.”
And looking ahead David is already forging the new relationships he will require to develop his impressive plans, having already been in discussions with with Stonegate egg packagers and distributors, whose state of the art packaging facilities in England and Wales supply free range and organic eggs to outlets all across the UK.
“I love what I do and want to forge my own path forward”, said David, “I’m passionate about quails, who I refer to as ‘my girls’, and want to turn my passion into a real business. A business that can thrive in the heart Wales’ rural economy. I may be young but I am focused.”