Established in 1999, Hawkshead Relish triumphed from adversity after the foot and mouth epidemic hit in 2001 and celebrated their 20th anniversary in 2019 with a visit from H.R.H Prince of Wales. The business is owned and run by husband-and-wife team Mark and Maria Whitehead who jointly received MBE’s in 2011 for services to the food industry in Cumbria. They are accompanied by their daughters Abbie who runs their retail shop in the picturesque village of Hawkshead, and Izzy who runs the office. Along with a close team of over 20 local employees.

Supplying over 500 independent stores throughout the UK with the Hawkshead Relish brand, they also produce a growing range of products for private label production including Chef Tom Kerridge, and high-end stores such as Liberty of London, Harvey Nichols and Fortnum and Mason.

Whilst the company’s main customer base is within the UK their exports are growing with the main markets being to Sweden, USA, Germany and around 10 other countries worldwide.

Hawkshead Relish works closely with the DIT, attending successful overseas trade missions to using their services when exploring a new market and would recommend that any business wishing to sell their products overseas should contact DIT to learn more about the journey to exporting.

Maria is also a member of the DIT strategic trade advisory group for exports and sits as the co-chairman of the business task force for the Lake District National Park Authority as well as the business being an export champion for the DIT North West.

For information and assistance when trading internationally, please contact Lesley Robinson at lesleyr@cumbriachamber.co.uk.