Chilli entrepreneur supports stray dog charity

Adam won the WSCT friend of the environment award last year with his mum Carrie, founder of Sussex Green Living​.

Adam​ raised over £90 at his first event with his home-grown chillies. Carrie said: “I am so proud of Adam and how he has developed his first business and is now taking action to help homeless dogs”.

Adam was inspired to grow chillies aged eight years old when he managed to sell his summer glut at the local garden centre; Cannon Nursery who also sell local fruit and vegetables.

Adam said: “The landlord of the Countryman pub in Shipley saw my chillies for sale and agreed to buy a supply every week.

“Last year I saved the seeds from my Ring of Fire chillies, which are of a medium heat and this year I have grown 252 plants”.

The plan was to sell the plants at the Floral Fringe Fair, which Adam did with great success, however he sold them to raise money for stray dogs in Montenegro.

Days earlier he returned from a holiday there where he spent time feeding and befriending 15 stray dogs. On his return he wanted to take-action to reduce the problem of increasing numbers of strays in the ancient capital Cetinje. The money he raises will go towards neutering and vaccination of dogs through a Montenegrin charity.

Adam added: “My chillies have no food miles or packaging. All you have to do is buy a plant, grow them, eat them, cook them and dry them. Whereas chillies bought in the big supermarkets generally have travelled thousands of miles and have one time use packaging. That is a big carbon footprint!”

On June 24 Adam will be taking part in the Sussex Green Living the future we want carnival procession for a second year. The carnival ends up at the Billingshurst Show where Adam and his ​family will have their green stand and where he will be selling more chilli plants.

To learn more about caring for the plants you can read Adam’s first blog post at ​www.sussexgreenliving.co.uk/2018/06/fire-dragon-chilli-blog/