It’s no mean feat, keeping a family-owned food business going for 30 years but Norman and Rita Morrey at Andreas Meats have done just that and are still full of enthusiasm for the future.

’It only feels like yesterday when we started rearing our own pigs and poultry. We are amazed it’s been 30 years - the time has just flown by,’ says Norman.

It was back in 1953 that Sam Morrey, Norman’s father, started a pig farming and processing enterprise on the former Andreas airfield.

He called the business Landrace IoM after the breed of pigs he reared.

In 1969 Norman and Rita Morrey came to the Isle of Man to work in the business. They also reared poultry and in 1990 they started M. & K. Poultry, selling local Manx chicken direct to the public.

Then Andreas Stores said they would like to stock locally reared and cooked ham and the Morreys embraced the opportunity.

They started producing not just ham but also sausages and bacon and so the Andreas Meat Company was born.

They gave up farming themselves to concentrate on processing but they have kept their commitment to using local pork, beef and lamb for their products.

They have achieved half a dozen UK Great Taste Awards and their products are stocked in Shoprite supermarkets, EVF convenience shops, butchers’ shops, street food caterers like Meximann, and of course, Andreas Stores.

’A lot of our customers have been with us from the start and their continued loyalty is greatly appreciated,’ says Norman.

Earlier this year, as with many food businesses, Covid-19 brought with it a shift to website ordering and home deliveries of freezer ready meat packs and this side of the business is expanding with a new website and new products set to launch later this month.

Andreas Meats’ managing director, Phil Teare, says: ’Doing a lot more home deliveries has worked immensely well for us and we’re just going through a massive restructuring programme, covering everything from the deliveries to the factory, right the way through to the office.

’The directors have invested a huge amount of money in this business to position us for the next 15 to 20 years in terms of operating standards and food production.’

The new website and a presence on social media will also raise the company’s profile.

Phil goes on: ’I would say Andreas Meats is probably one of the best-kept secrets in the Isle of Man in terms of producing food which is born, reared, processed, cured, manufactured and delivered in the island.

’We are probably the biggest buyer, processor and supplier of Manx pork on the island and, alongside that, we are now in a position where we are doing a lot of direct deliveries to people’s homes through the website.’

Manx pork is not always easy to source as there are now only a handful of pig farmers left in the island but Phil adds that they have ’a very good relationship with Isle of Man Meats’ and using only local beef, lamb and pork remains one of the business’ core principles.

As is the idea of supplying everything as fresh as possible. Phil says: ’It’s very much a morning business. We start early because we like to get the wagons away, going out with fresh products every day.’

And when it comes to the Morreys, who have both now reached the ’Covid-shielding’ age, Phil says: ’I take my hat off to them.

’Most people would say: "right that’s it I’ve had enough", but they are still investing and looking to secure the company’s future for the next 20 years.’

The company’s website at www.andreasmeats.com will be launched soon.

It will include 35 new products lines and a ’build your own meat pack’ option, to suit your individual needs and island-wide home deliveries.