Welsh Ice Cream Producer Gets Gold Mark

A Welsh ice cream company has become the first producer processor to qualify for the prestigious ‘Gold Top’ quality standard. Carmarthenshire based Cowpots, is run by the Bowman family, who use the rich creamy milk from their farm’s pedigree herd of Jersey cows to create a delicious range of premium ice cream.

The company is the first UK ice cream producer to be licensed to use the Quality Milk Producers’ Gold Top logo, and has also given its pedigree Jersey herd the prefix Cowpots.

“Being able to use the logo is important for us and for the Gold Top brand,” said Brian Bowman, who set up the company with his wife Marylou and son William and who were joined this year by younger son Martin and his partner Natasha.

“We meet the public on a daily basis and today’s consumers more than ever like to know where their food comes from, being able to display signs of quality such as this reinforces this message.”

The family moved from Hampshire where they had run a 100 strong herd of pedigree Holstein Fresians to Pen y Back Farm near Whitland at the beginning of 2005. Their dream was to create a quality ice cream business, and made their first Jersey ice cream in July that year.

Help with the business has been forthcoming in the form of a Welsh Assembly Government Processing and Marketing Grant and an Agri-Food Grant.

In a relatively short space of time the Cowpots range has expanded to include up to 20 different flavours in six pot sizes, and are proving very popular with the hospitality sector and the general public alike who can be seen queuing up to buy the ice cream at shows and events.

The ice cream is made from Jersey milk and cream with only natural flavourings and cane sugar, and since the milk is from their own herd they offer full traceability – and important factor in today’s increasingly consumer conscious market.

“We believe that what makes our ice cream so special is our Jersey milk and cream. Jersey cows are famous for their fantastically creamy milk which makes wonderful ice cream,” said Brian.

Now the family is planning to expand the business further by opening an ice cream parlour and tea room on their farm at Cyffig.

“We’d like to be able to offer people the opportunity to not just taste our ice cream but also see the cows which make it all possible,” added Brian.

Cowpots is located at Pen y Back Farm, Cyffig, Whitland, Carmarthenshire.