The Mid Devon Chillifarm was started by Jon and Sandy Rose in 2005 in an industrial unit in Exeter where experiments were performed growing chillies in NFT tanks using hydroponics.

The plants did well and fruit yields were excellent however the associated costs of using sodium lights meant that long term production wasnt going to be financially viable.

Some land was aqquired near Pinhoe on the outskirts of Exeter and 2 polytunnels have been erected to house the 20 different types of chillie plant we grow.

Winter 2005 - Hydroponic Chillies in Devon "the idea"           

The Idea was to produce chillies using hydoponic pumps powered by Monocrystalline solar panels and battery arrays. The chillies would grow in NFT tables fed by nutrients recycled with pumps and collector tanks.  Through the winter months a gas growth converter and sodium lights would provide vital heat and light.

Spring 2006 - Year 2 of the project and were still here          

It was a difficult start to 2006 with the move to the farm not running as smoothly as planned, but most of the issues were overcome and fruit production has started again. Unfortunately we were unable to get the second tunnel into operation last year due to an early snowfall in november - our production projections suffered as a result and the mail order service was affected. We are over these hurdles now and the plants are doing well - fruits are not far off.

2006 Summer - All systems go                                                    

We have had a cracking summer on the farm with bumper yields - this has enabled us to increase our sauce range with the addition of  3 chutneys and 2 additional compliment sauces. You may also of seen us at Tiverton market or The Slow Food Market where we have been selling sauces, garlands and dried chillies.

2006 Autumn  - Fresh fruits ending soon                                  

With the evenings drawing in now, fruit production is beginning to come to a close - we project that we will be able to keep the fresh fruit mail order going until the end of december, we had considered going through the winter, however we believe that in order to maintain the exceptional quality of our fruits it is necessary to start re-planting for next year. Sauce production will continue throughout.

There are also new seasonal gift packs available for purchase if your looking for that niche gift this festive season.

Winter 2006/2007                                                                        

Fresh chilli production ended in December after a successful year in the polytunnels (apart from one early Sunday morning, where we nearly lost one in the gales!) Our Market participation has been a successful addition to our growth strategy and led to the introduction of spice supplies.

Chilli production has started early with the warm weather helping to kick start production and this year we plan to run 2 tunnels right through the winter.

Many thanks to everyone involved with the project this year, especially our customers for without you there would be no us and dont forget to look at our new range of herbs and spices.  

Spring 2007                                                                                      

Alls going well, with one and a half tunnels now full, we'll hopefully have fresh fruits by June including some exciting new varieties. The farmers markets and outlet supplies have been moving fast and the MDCF brand is building in strength.

Summer 2007                                                                                  

Having a strange year with the weather this summer, the lack of sunlight and extra rainfall has slowed the ripening process. Overall the plants are doing well - having benefited from extended green growth, we have also been been experimenting with lemongrass!

We have also launched a new range of feisty sauces, carribbean red hot and lime being the hottest.

We are also proud to announce the granting of our planning permission, for our Goffins Farm site.This had been an ongoing issue that could of possibly threatened the future of the farm in Exeter.

A special thanks to all involved and thank you for the support.

Autumn 2007

The tunnels have done exceptionally well this year and our experiments with new fruits and spices have exceeded all our expections.

The Dorset Naga and Naga Hari's are growing well, they started out as a curious experiment however we aim to produce a new hot sauce once quantities are reached.

(they are tipped to be the hottest chilli ever!)

Winter 2007

Christmas is upon us again!

We would like to start by giving special thanks to everyone who supported us through the year.

We are now starting to wind down on tunnel production in order to get new plants in for the spring, it may have been possible to grow through the winter with the mild temperatures howvever, we feel this may affect the quality of the fruits.

Sauce production will continue as normal, but all fresh fruits will be out of stock until late july.

In addition, we now have a hard wired power feed to both tunnels - with the ability to run under lights through next winter, we hope to provide an all year round supply next year.

Many thanks and Happy New Year.