EXACTLY 20 years ago Ann Forshaw made a batch of yogurt on the kitchen table in her farmhouse in Lanes.
Now she runs one of the country's most successful familyowned yogurt businesses - and is on target to sell 1m tubs a week through leading supermarkets.
The Ann Forshaw brand is now one of the best-selling yogurts in Sainsbury, Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, Safeway and Somerfield, but it was the northwest regional supermarket chain Booths that gave this unique style of yogurt its first shelf space - and now it's the best-selling yogurt in the firm's 28 stores.
"I wanted to create something different; something that was low fat but used natural ingredients and didn't resort to artificial sweeteners," says Mrs Forshaw whose family-run business now owns four farms and produces all the milk for the yogurt factory from its own herd of 200 cows at Longridge, near Preston.
And it's using the exact amount of apple juice - still the And it's using the exact amount of apple juice - still the
only yogurt that uses this method of sweetener - that gives the product range its unique taste. The product has won the best yogurt award at the celebrated Nantwich Cheese Show for the last seven years.
As the business grew, Mrs Forshaw started to employ marketing staff to assist with the sales drive: "But it didn't work out. This is a business that I created and I am totally committed to it. I believe that to be successful you have to be passionate about what you produce and meet the supermarket buyers yourself, face-toface, to demonstrate that."
Ann Forshaw yogurts are produced in the company's new factory at Alston Dairy, Longridge, and are now on sale in almost 400 supermarkets. That figure could soon double, with an increase in demand from Sainsbury.
From her own experience Mrs Forshaw says she has always had complete co-operation and support from supermarket buyers.
"I have established an excellent working relationship with supermarket buyers, but they are astute people and can tell if you really believe in what you are producing and if you are producing it to the highest standard.
"Consumers are becoming more demanding in what they expect from supermarkets and that is providing a great opportunity for regional food. The Asda chain's commitment to locally produced food has been an invaluable initiative."
Mrs Forshaw says she has occasionally been asked to cut 1p off her "pot price".
"But in most cases supermarkets will pay what you ask providing they think you have a product they can sell. Some want seven weeks to test sales and customer opinion before they take you on as a supplier."
It hasn't all been plain sailing. "Bar coding, contents labelling and a host of other legislation had to be dealt with. But we've always found supermarkets to be supportive. There is always someone there to ask and to help - they are not the big baddies."
