A couple living in Pembrokeshire have been able to turn their passion project into a business.

Toni and Alex Borella reached their goal of establishing Green Up Farm—an enterprise centred on farming microgreens and herbs—after leaving London for Pembrokeshire.

Formed in 2021, their venture was significantly boosted by the British Business Bank's Start Up Loans programme.

Mrs Borella, 49, said: "I grew up in Sully, South Wales, so have spent lots of time in Pembrokeshire and know just how beautiful it is and Alex, who is a chef and originally from Northern Italy, is also very aware of the beauty of the natural world.

"So, in 2019, we made the big move from London to North Pembrokeshire."

The couple were motivated after they were both furloughed from her sales and tech marketing and chef roles.

While on furlough, they began growing five crops in their spare room.

They decided to invest in a smallholding to grow microgreens indoors.

An £8,000 Start Up Loan allowed them to buy environmentally friendly and hygienic packaging trays for their microgreens.

Now, the couple grows sunflower, rainbow Swiss chard, pea shoot tendril, and rose radish in their 100-square-metre commercial unit at Food Centre Wales in Horeb, Llandysul.

Mrs Borella explained: "We’ve gone from strength to strength but began having challenges around our growing trays for distribution.

“There’s great strength in being a zero-waste business, but it can also be quite problematic.

"All our produce is grown and sold live to customers in returnable and reusable trays, which we deliver and then collect the following week."

The couple researched, designed, and made their own bespoke growing tray from clear plastic rPET, which is 100 per cent recyclable and reusable.

She added: "It's been a long but exciting journey to get to where we are now.

"We are very lucky that the British Bank really believed in what we do and understood our vision— as a start-up business, that can be very difficult and very rare."

They plan to invest the loan into the final product’s tooling.

An expansion plan will soon see their products distributed beyond Wales. They are also considering using passive solar greenhouses to capture the sun's energy.

Jessica Phillips-Harris, senior manager for Wales at the British Business Bank, said: "The story of Green Up Farm is inspiring; the owners wanted to come back to Wales, leave careers they didn’t like, and then made the most of furlough to come up with a positive, eco-friendly business.

"The British Business Bank is committed to helping sustainable businesses start up, thrive, and grow.

"We wish Toni and Alex the best of luck as they seek to expand their business further in Wales and then into England."