Ceredigion-based kefir producer Chuckling Goat Ltd has been selected by the Parliamentary Review as an example of best business practice in the UK.

With no previous business experience or financial funding, farming couple Shann and Richard Jones sold Rich’s motorcycle to buy bottles for their goats milk kefir, when they started their family business on their farmhouse kitchen table in 2014.

The couple began making kefir in their stone barn; today they offer a range of natural gut-health products including cutting-edge Microbiome Testing. Last year, the company scooped the Best New Dairy Drink in the World accolade for their goats milk kefir.

This unusual rags-to-riches success story has caught the attention of MPs, Secretaries of State, Ministers and business leaders as an example of best practice in a challenging political and economic environment.

Ben Lake, MP for Ceredigion, said: “The story behind Chuckling Goat is a truly inspirational one. Shann and Rich’s passion for their produce and their sheer determination have enabled them to expand successfully as a business, whilst also retaining their commitment to keeping everything hand-made and creating jobs for local people. Small businesses are the backbone of any local economy and Chuckling Goat is a shining example here in Ceredigion.”

The Jones’ attribute their business success to staying fully committed to their values.

“We never compromise,” says Shann Jones, who has written three best-selling books on the topic of gut health.

“We stay in direct contact with our customers, we make everything by hand here on the farm, and we never cut corners. If you keep your quality high, even in a rural location like ours, the world will eventually find you and beat a path to your door.”

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