Highlands and Islands Enterprise
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Case study

Feverfew Garden Company

Woman holding up pair of green gloves in front of a greenhouse

Gap in market leads to new venture

Rachel Eunson - like many others - decided to take up gardening during the 2020 Coronavirus lockdown, and quickly noticed a gap in the market.

Having previously ‘made do’ with gardening gloves found around the house, she decided it was time to invest in a good pair for herself to better meet the needs of her new-found hobby. However, Rachel soon realised that women’s gardening gloves weren’t as hard wearing as men’s, and that it was almost impossible to find a pair that fitted her properly. There were no purpose-made gardening gloves for women on the market that Rachel thought was both durable and stylish.

With this in mind, and with help from IMPACT30, Feverfew Garden Company was born.

Determined to create high quality products to help women feel confident in the garden, Rachel started doing market research and developing samples to create garden wear for women with functionality and design front of mind.

She said: “I was in the process of getting everything set up for the business when I came across IMPACT30 on Facebook. With access to one-to-one mentoring sessions and a whole network of contacts, this looked like an invaluable programme to help me.”

IMPACT30 helped me through so many critical moments in getting my business off the ground.

Rachel Eunson, Founder, Feverfew Garden Company
Feverfew2

Support through the critical moments

Throughout Rachel’s IMPACT30 journey, she has grown and developed in so many ways. She explains: “IMPACT30 really helped deepen my understanding of operational matters, including contract manufacturing, and it was great for instilling accountability. In fact, it helped me through so many critical moments in getting my business off the ground. I wouldn’t be in the position I am today without that support.”

Making many new contacts along the way, she added: “Growing my professional network has been extremely helpful as I’ve been introduced to people I may not have met otherwise. It’s also been great to make friends with others on my cohort who are also business owners, as we’ve supported each other along the way.”

Having officially launched Feverfew Garden Company in June 2023 - the UK’s first garden-wear brand for women - Rachel is now looking to branch into retail, having been an e-commerce business for the initial start-up period.

She said: “My advice to anyone thinking of applying to the IMPACT30 programme is to go for it. From start to finish everyone is so friendly, welcoming and supportive which gives you a real sense of belonging.”

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