Feverfew Garden Company, an Orkney-based ladies’ garden wear business founded by entrepreneur Rachel Eunson, has achieved significant success in its first six months of operation. The company recently secured £10,000 in funding from Scottish EDGE, the UK’s largest business funding competition, supporting potential high-growth businesses.
Rachel entered Feverfew into the ‘Young EDGE’ category, designed for companies with directors aged 18-30. The submission included a comprehensive written application covering essential business details, financials, margins, and strategy. Rachel supplemented this with a social and environmental impact statement and a compelling three-minute pre-recorded pitch.
After making it to the final in mid-September, Rachel presented a live pitch to a panel of judges via Zoom, followed by seven minutes of questions for the final round. Feverfew emerged as the winner of the ‘Young EDGE’ funding category, impressing the judges with Rachel’s identification of a market gap and her ability to bring the product to market with a strong social impact.
Rachel expressed her delight at winning the Scottish EDGE funding award and receiving positive feedback from the esteemed panel of judges. She founded Feverfew Garden Company after struggling to find gardening gloves that were functional, well-fitted, and designed to her taste. The company’s flagship product, the Feverfew Original Women’s Gardening Gloves, has gained popularity since its launch in June, prompting plans to expand the product range.
Rachel said of her win: “I am delighted to win this Scottish EDGE funding award and receive such positive feedback from an esteemed panel of judges. I founded Feverfew Garden Company after being unable to find a pair of gardening gloves that were functional, well-fitted and designed to my tastes. After months of research and development, our Feverfew Original Women’s Gardening Gloves were designed to be the perfect summer all-rounder, providing the best possible balance of style, functionality and fit. I’ve been overwhelmed with how popular they have been since our launch in June and can’t wait to develop more products for our growing community of customers.”
Evelyn McDonald, CEO of Scottish EDGE, commended Rachel’s pitch, stating that Feverfew is an example of a business addressing a seemingly simple market need with determination.
Evelyn McDonald, CEO of Scottish EDGE said: “Rachel’s pitch had our Young EDGE judging panel asking that age-old question of ‘why hasn’t someone thought of this before?’. Feverfew is a perfect example of a business that has addressed a seemingly simple market need with the required determination to undertake a not-so-simple route to market. We’re delighted to support Feverfew’s journey at these early stages, and I look forward to watching the business’ growth in the years ahead.”
The funding will support Feverfew’s early-stage growth, and McDonald looks forward to witnessing the business’s development.
The gardening gloves from Feverfew Garden Company have garnered attention in consumer titles and received accolades, including Best Buy by Gardenersworld.com. Rachel intends to use the Scottish EDGE funding to diversify the range of women-specific gardening gloves and venture into the sun hat category in the spring of the following year.
For inquiries about stocking Feverfew Garden’s Original Ladies Gloves, contact rachel@feverfewgarden.co.uk. Follow Feverfew’s journey on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/feverfewgarden.co or visit the website www.feverfewgarden.co.uk.
Images courtesy © Sandy Young Photography