Bespoke hampers created in Taunton by The Hamper Guys

This means something great can come from a modest beginning.

In the case of one Somerset business, ‘mighty oaks grow from being out bid on 500 Spiderman stickers’.

This is how The Hamper Guys, who create bespoke corporate gifts for businesses and individuals, began.

The three brains behind the fledgling business are Clive Mallon, Andrew Hedges and Tony Johnson, who all work for Somerset County Council.

Three years ago they decided they wanted to make a bit of extra money and went to a local auction. They wanted to buy 500 Spider-man stickers but were outbid.

Instead, they ended up with a collection of wicker baskets and hampers and then had to decide what they were going to do with them.

They decided to make up Christmas hampers, putting in traditional items you would like to receive in a hamper at the Festive season.

This then became the spark for The Hamper Guys.

As Clive said: “What we are doing now compared to what we did three years ago is chalk and cheese.

"What we do now is have meeting with our clients and ask then what they would like us to do.

"We discuss a budget which is normally in a price band they want and we aim to fill the hamper with items which will fit their image and their brand. For example one of the hampers we did this year was for Red Bull.

"The company did not want a Christmas hamper but wanted New Year hampers for their staff.

“So we came up with the idea of filling it with healthy options like nutrition bars, health drinks etc.

“And instead of putting all the items in a hamper we put them in a ruck sack.

"We are always on the look out for local produce and national produce and always aim for it to be the best.

“We want to select products which stand out such as mince pie flavoured pop corn.

“As a company we want people to open the hamper and for them to experience a WOW factor.”

During the past three years, The Hamper Guys have built up a number of key contacts who trust them in giving them free reign to create these hampers for them so they can give them to valued clients, key clients or members of staff.

They work with the client to find out what they want, how are the hampers for, what do these people like, what are there tastes and what price band they want to worth within.

Each hamper which is created is unique, a one off.

The Hamper Guys are always looking of ways to go the extra mile such as if there is a bar of chocolate in the hamper it is has a label with the name of the company who is giving the gift on it and if something like a wedding hamper is create the ribbon has the newly weds name on it.

Clive said: “There is an element of being a personal shopper about what we do.

"What we are also doing is challenging people’s taste bud by giving them something different.

"This could be tea, jams, honey, coffee, granola or chocolate. It is about giving someone something special, something they would not normally buy.

“When we include Somerset products we do include a recipe list which people can follow and use their products in if they wish.”

The Hamper Guys produce a number of hamper ranging from 12inches to 38 inches.

They can cost from £10 all the way up to £200/£300 depending on what you want to spend.

The successes of the company has snowballed since it began with more and more people liking its Facebook page and more and more business working with them on different projects.

Speaking about what Clive believes he has learnt about himself in the last three years, he said: “I am far less of a snob in the snob of being interested in label products.

“I am a convert to local products. I wasn’t before as I was ignorant and naive about what I knew and I was one of those people who fell for the advertising.

"I have had my horizons broadened and know more about food products. It is a case of finding out what is on your own doorstep. 

“There is an understanding of why some chocolates cost five times the price of other.

“Why does one beer taste better than another? It is down to the hops and when it is brewed and how it is brewed There is a direct correlation between the different quality of goods, you do get what you pay for.

“What we (All three) have learnt is from the feedback which we get from clients.

“We learn what the clients appreciate and how many of them trust us in what we do.”

The Hamper Guys are always learning and always looking forward to the future.

Looking ahead, Clive said: “In the next 3 years we would like to see the business grow as much as it can do so that if it was possible it could replace our full time jobs.

“We are really excited about what we do and want to make sure we can take it to the next level.”

n You can get in contact with The Hamper Guys via Email: thegamperguys@gmail.com Website: thehamperguys.com Twitter: @thehamperguys Facebook: thehamperguys