A Pembrokeshire businesswoman has been named among the best entrepreneurs in the country in a competition to find the nation’s most creative business thinkers.

Anne-Marie Harries from Farmers Food at Home has been shortlisted in the Welsh retail entrepreneur of the year in the Great British Entrepreneur awards.

Named the Grammys of entrepreneurship, the awards, which have been running for over a decade, celebrate and champion the entrepreneurs behind brilliant British businesses in al industries and in all stages.

Farmers Food at Home began in2013 as a way to use up a glut of blackberries picked on a dog walk.

Milford Mercury: Anne-Marie with her award-winning jams, chutneys and preserves.

Anne-Marie, who at the time cooked for her family’s then pub, the Farmers Arms in Mathry, found her home-made jams, chutneys and preserves were flying out of the bar when she put a few jars up for sale.

Within weeks, requests were pouring in from customers eager to savour the pots, and the Farmers Food at Home brand was born.

After selling the family pub where she first sold her preserves, Anne-Marie decided to devote herself full-time to developing Farmers Food at Home and to continue to create artisanal preserves using homegrown and locally-sourced ingredients from north Pembrokeshire.

Since then, the business has blossomed into an award-winning brand supplying cafes, shops and restaurants across Wales.

Anne Marie’s hard work and dedication paid off and in 2018 she opened her own catering unit, allowing her to scale up production to meet increasing demand.

When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, Anne-Marie showed her entrepreneurial spirit by diversifying into The Paddock farm shop, keeping the local community supplied with essentials and giving her products a retail outlet.

Looking to the future, Anne-Marie plans to continue increasing the amount of homegrown produce used in her preserves by expanding the land and polytunnels dedicated to growing fruit and vegetables.

She also aims to improve sustainability by investing in rainwater harvesting systems to make the most of Pembrokeshire’s rainfall. Continued investment in production equipment will help streamline the preserve-making process as Farmers Food at Home goes from strength to strength.

Milford Mercury: Anne-Marie crafting her wares in her catering unit.

Anne Marie was also a finalist in this year's Food Awards Wales .

“Anne-Marie Harries’ passion for local, seasonal ingredients and determination to build a thriving business around the natural produce of her Pembrokeshire home have made Farmers Food at Home a standout success story,” said a spokesperson for the Great British Entrepreneur Awards 2023.

“Anne-Marie and her team have earned recognition as one of Britain’s most inspiring entrepreneurial ventures.”

Anne-Marie will find out whether she has won at an awards ceremony in London in November.