Sending email...The Cornish Duck Company
The Cornish Duck Company supplies most of the top class restaurants across Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.
“I thoroughly enjoy watching businesses succeed and my Members grow their companies, building themselves up,” says Cornish Mutual Insurance Inspector Joan Ball, who has worked for the South West insurer for over 33 years.
She continues, “My Members Roger Olver and Tanya Dalton have done just that with the Cornish Duck Company. There have been a few transformations of Roger’s business interests and we have been there every step of the way.”
Roger, who lives in Grampound Road in Cornwall says, “We’ve been Cornish Mutual Members for well over 50 years because my father signed up to the firm and my grandfather was probably a Member previously. We were running a dairy farm up to 1999, and then moved into agricultural contracting until three years ago.”
He wanted to get back into being a food producer, rather than leasing farm machinery and working as an agricultural contractor. Farmer’s daughter Joan understood the couple’s needs and spent time with both Roger and Tanya when they decided to diversify and change the direction of the business.
The Cornish Duck Company supplies most of the top class restaurants across Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly including the Jamie Oliver-inspired Fifteen at Watergate Bay and Michael Caines’ restaurant at Gidleigh Park. They also regularly attend Truro Farmers’ Market to sell to the public. The Company, which won a ‘Taste of the West’ Gold award for their whole duck in 2007, hatches and dispatches around 10,000 free range birds every year on-site.
Roger adds, “Being with Cornish Mutual is a tradition for us – we have been with the company for so long now, but it’s about trust and we know they are there when we need to use them. I just know that Cornish Mutual will deliver. When I was running the contracting business, we had to make two or three claims and they were sorted out efficiently in a fast, friendly and fair way.”
Cornish Mutual now insures the couple for loss of frozen stock, business interruption cover, public and products liability and buildings and contents insurance.
“It’s so pleasing to see our farm, which has been in the family for five generations, still being used today just in a different way. We’ve converted old buildings including the milking parlour and artificial insemination barn into a brooding house and slaughter house for the company – we’re completely self-contained and self-sufficient.”
Insurance Inspector Joan Ball, who has been on the road in mid-Cornwall since 2002, visits Roger and Tanya at least once a month and sometimes more often.
She laughs, “Roger makes a great cup of coffee and I even buy our Christmas lunch from them! But seriously, I make myself available all the time and out-of-hours and that’s the thing about Cornish Mutual – we’re very accessible, it’s not nine to five, but they can call 24 hours a day.”
Roger adds, “This is all about the personal service we get from Joan, its part of Cornwall’s business community interacting. Cornish Mutual has served the farming and agricultural industry and young farmers well over the years and it’s about everyone meshing together and sharing the camaraderie of life.”
To find out more about the Cornish Duck Company call 01726 882383 or email sales@cornishduck.com
Enter your details to receive our eNewsletter.
Sending email…
Cornish Mutual is a trading name of The Cornish Mutual Assurance Co. Ltd. We are Authorised and Regulated by the Financial Services Authority. The products featured on this site are available to UK residents only and, unless otherwise stated, are provided by The Cornish Mutual Assurance Co. Ltd. No advice on investments has been given. If you are in any doubt as to the suitability of a product you should seek independent advice. Please note all calls are recorded and may be monitored for security and training purposes.