Endorsement Has Helped Us Keep Growing

Hull Daily Mail, Allison Coggan, 3rd December 2009

WHEN the letter from 10 Downing Street landed on the doormat, inventor Robin Rose and his wife Margaret knew their idea was a winner.

The Hornsea couple behind East Yorkshire firm Higrow are taking the gardening industry by storm with their innovative products to make "growing your own" accessible to all.

Higrow's inventions include the Sticklebag, a fresh twist on the grow bag which comes complete with compost and sectional growing canes and offers everyone the chance to grow tall vegetables and flowers, even in the smallest of spaces.

Another winning product is the Higrow Station, a compact mini-garden for children and people with limited mobility.

Robin has also invented the Sproutapouch, designed as a micro-greenhouse to grow salad shoots, red cabbage and broccoli on windows in just six days.

Now Sarah Brown, wife of Prime Minister Gordon Brown, is lending her support after the couple sent her a Sticklebag to use with their young sons John, six, and Fraser, three.

In a personal letter, Mrs Brown told the couple her family was aiming to use the Sticklebag next summer, saying: "I wish you well with your new venture."

Margaret Rose, managing director of Higrow, says: "We were delighted when Sarah Brown gave us her support.
"She seems to appreciate our products will help everyone "whether they live at 10 Downing Street or in a high-rise tower block in an inner city "to grow their own produce and enjoy gardening."

Higrow is already attracting orders from as far afield as Japan, the US and all over Europe as an antidote to spiralling supermarket costs.

Already, the firm has claimed runner-up in the prestigious innovations section for the Higrow Station at the Glee gardening and leisure exhibition at Birmingham's NEC, coming second only to gardening giant Scott's new Miracle-Gro product.

None of their products cost more than £60 and Higrow believes they are a cost-effective way of educating children on growing food. The firm is now engaged in discussions to supply schools throughout Yorkshire.

As well as bringing innovation to the industry, Higrow is proving small businesses can thrive, even in a recession.
Hiring local people at its headquarters in Beeford, near Driffield, Higrow is providing a welcome boost to the rural economy while remaining true to its principles of being a small, family-run business.

"We were really hoping our ideas would be as successful as this, but it's still taken us by surprise just how good the response has been," says Robin.

The small business is receiving support from corporate finance firm MWS Business Management, run by Melvyn Sadofsky, which has raised almost £50m for small to medium-sized enterprises in Hull and throughout Britain since 2001.

"His support has been a significant development, giving us the courage and financial support to move forward," said Robin.

"We were already quite far down the line when the recession hit so we were committed to pressing ahead and taking our company forward.

"It has been a very nerve-racking time for us, but it seems now like all the hard work and effort in bringing our dreams to fruition is going to pay off."

As part of their commitment to the environment, the couple have scoured the world to source eco-friendly materials, including a peat-free compressed compost from India made from coconut husk and previously considered a waste by-product in coir production.

The lightweight disc expands to eight times its volume when water is added, making it far easier and cleaner to transport and use than conventional compost.

Margaret said: "It is important to our business that our products leave a minimal carbon footprint and we do our best to make everything recyclable, reusable or biodegradable wherever possible.

"It has always been our belief that everyone can play their part in protecting the planet for future generations.

"Our products mean all of us, from school children learning where food comes from to older people with a passion for gardening, can invest in the future as well as slashing ever-increasing supermarket bills by growing their own healthy produce."

Higrow is in talks with several large garden centre chains and is also considering an offer to stock their range in hundreds of National Trust properties throughout Britain.

The Eden Project in Cornwall is interested in stocking the products in the spring and TV programme Jimmy's Farm has also expressed an interest in featuring the products in their farm shop.

Several Internet sites are also clamouring for the right to stock Higrow's range.

Mr Rose said: "Some people may consider it foolhardy to launch a business during a recession, but we were already too far down the road to turn back by the time the credit crunch hit.

"It has cost a huge amount of money, but you have to be committed to your idea and see it through."