IT all started in a kitchen at Aconbury, just outside of Hereford – experimenting with growing seeds and delivering the sprouted beans and pulses to a few local health shops in the boot of a Triumph Herald.

Little did Jim Hardy know 24 years ago that these small beginnings would lead to him becoming the number one producer and supplier of sprouted seeds and pulses in the UK. The little kitchen business had been started by a friend who decided to emigrate and Mr Hardy paid £300 to take it over.

Today, Aconbury Sprouts is one of Herefordshire’s hidden treasures, housed in a hi-tech sprout growing building on the Westwood Industrial Estate at Pontrilas and employing 25 people.

Its organic sprouted seeds, pulses and micro-greens are sold in supermarkets such as Waitrose and ASDA, in health shops, including Holland and Barratt, top restaurants nationwide, and many wholefood wholesalers.

They are the hidden ingredients in pre-prepared vegetarian dishes and are the principal parts of home-made stir fry meals.

Mr Hardy, managing director of Aconbury Sprouts, said he was continually looking ahead to create tomorrow’s products and his latest has won the business a prestigious international award.

His Golden Snow pea shoots so impressed organisers of the International Food Exhibition 2009, they awarded Aconbury their Fresh Ideas Award 2009.

The shoots have also reached the finals in the fresh produce category of the Heart of England Fine Food Diamond Awards, scheduled for next month, and have been contracted to be served in meals on Eurostar.

Mr Hardy said these “wonder” shoots, described as crunchy with lots of energy in the stem, were developed following a request from the Arabian culinary market. Now they have caught on as the new taste sensation in the UK.

Mr Hardy, who is the son of Richard Hardy – who was consultant in charge of the A&E department of the old General Hospital in Hereford for many years – and the nephew of actor Robert Hardy, is an organic livestock farmer in the Golden Valley.

But Aconbury Sprouts, named after the area where it all started in a small kitchen, plays a major role in his life. As the business has grown, he has had to move twice and, in July, will celebrate the first year in new state-of-the art premises at Pontrilas.

Under the leadership of production manager Steve Durham, growing methods have been refined and the shelf life of products is now 14 days.

Although Aconbury seems to have been keeping its light under a bushell, it has already won many awards including that for its sprouted sango radish, alfalfa, mung beans, chick peas and now the Snow Pea shoots.

All the seeds are obtained from abroad, because they are semitropical, and are grown organically using fresh water from a borehole in the Golden Valley.

Sue Roberts, sales and marketing manager, has described the story of Jim Hardy and the Aconbury brand as “inspirational”.

“I want to see a world where more people enjoy the tremendous nutritional benefits of organic sprouted seeds and pulses, known as living super foods, bursting with life, packed full of nutrients, vitamins and antioxidants,” she said.