"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
