Gower business hoping to bloom in gloomy times
The £250,000 tourist attraction located at the gateway to the picturesque peninsula will open next Thursday.
Gower Wildflower and Local Produce Centre will be open seven days a week at Blackhills Lane, opposite Swansea Airport in Fairwood.
It will showcase local produce from Gower firms at regular markets and at the site's cafe.
Among the firms to sign up to the scheme so far are Gower Salt Marsh Lamb, Stuart's Bakery, Killay, and Gower Cottage Brownies.
The attraction will also feature Wales' first wildflower centre, Gower's only produce centre and an eco building demonstration site.
The project is the brainchild of husband and wife team David and Rachel Holland.
The couple, both aged 36, from Mayals, will employ Rachel's 39-year-old brother, Greg Sandles, of Killay, to run the site, initially creating six full-time jobs.
Mr Holland, a professional ecologist, bought the derelict Blackhills Nurseries site four years ago and has restored it to a modern growing business.
With spare acreage, the couple saw an opportunity to create something unique in the area, promoting Gower and its fresh produce.
The project has benefited from a Gower Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Sustainability Fund grant, which has helped to create two ponds, a wildflower meadow, round house and interpretation boards about Gower's diverse wildlife and wildflowers.
"We grow a wide range of herbs and vegetables on-site which are available for sale and used in much of the produce," said Mrs Holland.
"By offering the best local seasonal foods together with our home-grown produce, we are supporting the local economy while reducing the amount of food miles our food travels and the associated pollution.
"It has become more important to people to buy local due to awareness of food miles and quality of produce — the same applies to garden plants.
"Many garden centres sell mass-produced, imported plants.
"We provide a local alternative, giving people an opportunity to feel they are giving something back to the local community.
"We are hoping tourists as well as locals can enjoy the centre and that it may in the future become a Gower institution."
Swansea University economics professor David Blackaby said the project had huge potential.
"If it survives and is successful, it could make millions," he said. "It's difficult to say at this stage, though.
"There is a niche market for these type of things."
He said the location was good and the rest depended on weather, the strength of the euro against the pound and other factors.
"The people producing these products will get a higher mark-up and higher profit margin than they would selling their goods in supermarkets," he said. "It's a great opportunity for them."
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