A BALA entrepreneur who put on face masks and protective clothing to make his fiery chilli jam is celebrating a major milestone – netting his 150th stockist.

Llyr Jones and his business partner, Dominic Haynes, who launched the Dangerous Food Company less than three years ago when they were both made redundant from an Irish dairy, are now supplying their unique brand of chilli jams to restaurants, farm shops and delicatessens across the UK – and even as far away as Alphen in Holland.

They say a £2,300 grant from Denbighshire County Council has fuelled their rapid growth, including recent expansion into the luxury goats’ cheese market, and helped them to meet customer demand. The duo have now signed up their 150th outlet – the soon-to-be opened Frankie’s Farm Shop in Dyserth.

Llyr said: “We are finally at the stage where we know its working. We’ve done it all debt-free and its just grown and grown.

“There have been some initial dark days, like every business, but now everything is falling into place. It’s now all about expansion and doing things quicker.

“In order for a business to grow you have to outlay money, but if half the cost can be taken away it means you feel more confident and safer about expanding and you can grow more quickly and make the business more successful."

Read the full story in this week’s Meirionnydd edition of the Cambrian News