Couple successfully open farm shop in Blackwood

Natalie and Neil Abraham, from Caerphilly, officially opened the Sŵper farm shop in Pengam, Blackwood on Saturday, October 19, to the delight of locals. 

The couple, who had become popular within the local community and beyond for their their brand of organic ghee – a type of butter – earlier this year, say they have been “astounded” at the response the shop has been given since opening at the weekend. 

The Argus were invited along for a look around the shop and a chat on Monday morning. 

Sŵper is a shop that prides itself on providing locally produced, good quality food to its customers, in such a manner that people are able to know exactly where the food that they serve at the table comes from. 

Natalie explained: “We are committed to three things here – local, fresh, and quality. We want our customers to know that they are getting great quality produce and helping a local business when they buy from us.”

The shop’s produce all comes from local business who they have met at food fairs or are from the local area (Image: NQ) Natalie continued: “I think sometimes when you buy from the supermarket, you don’t always know where the food has come from and who has been a part of getting that food to your table. 

“We avoid that. We work with only local business – many of whom are just a short walk or drive away from our shop – to ensure that our customers become part of their food’s journey.”

Offering a range of products, including fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, Welsh cakes and even honey, Natalie says she hopes Swper “will offer proper value for money”. 

The shop stocks a wide variety of local produce including all your dinner table staples (Image: NQ) The couple were amazed at the response on opening day on Saturday, with Natalie explaining that they had people visiting from all over south Wales, including Penarth and Bridgend. 

She said: “We’re still on a bit of high, to be honest. We knew we’d had a lot of positive comments from people who were really looking forward to us opening, but we weren’t expecting the sheer number of people who came in on Saturday.”

Natalie says she has been astounded by the uptake and response they have had since opening on Saturday (Image: NQ) She added: “One of my favourite things about opening day was hearing people’s stories about coming in. A lot of people were telling me how much it means to them to have this sort of market shop available in the centre  of the village, and it’s lovely to hear that because we want to give back to the community. 

“We’re also committed to providing exactly what the people want, so if someone comes in and thinks something is missing, they are welcome to mention it and I’ll look into if we can stock it.” 

People have been raving online about the quality of produce, with many promising to return. 

Natalie added: “We’ve just been blown away by the response and we’re so proud to be part of this lovely community.”