Over the next two weeks The Scottish Farmer will be focussing on the region of Dumfries and Galloway.

Here are a few facts: Known for its 200 miles of coastline, and mountainous terrain, the region has a population of 148,030 – that is 60 people per square mile compared with the Scottish average of 169.

The largest town is Dumfries, with Stranraer and Annan coming in as the next largest.

The local economy is primarily based on agriculture, which accounts for 70% of the land area, with forestry and tourism making a significant contribution these days.

Steeped in history, the region boasts St Ninian’s cave, just 7km from Whithorn - St Ninian built the first Christian church in Scotland in 397AD. And six miles west of New Galloway, Bruce’s stone sits, which marks the spot where Bruce defeated the English in 1307.

Home to Robert Burns in the later part of his life, the region has produced quite a few famous names: from James Matthew Barrie, the author and playwright behind Peter Pan, to David Coulthard, formula one racing driver. The area has something to offer everyone; the literary types flock to Wigtown which holds a world famous book festival annually, showcasing the many bookshops that this quaint town has.

Making cream from the crop at Cream 'O Galloway

■ Farmshop and visitor centre bolsters takings

 By Gordon Davidson

WHEN WILMA and David Finlay made the decision to diversify into ice cream production in the late 1990s, the market onto which they debuted their Cream O’Galloway brand was an altogether friendlier place than it has since become.

Their homespun style, thrashing up a vast range of ice cream flavours using milk from their organic herd of British Holstein, Ayrshire and Swiss Red cattle, fed off the rich grass of Rainton Farm, near Gatehouse of Fleet, on the Galloway coast, was an instant hit with local restaurants and delicatessens.

There was also early interest from the supermarkets, which were just then waking up to the attractions of niche brands and local character.

But of all the outlets that the Finlays established for their excellent ice cream, they showed the most foresight with the creation of their own visitor centre and farmshop, which has since proven a bulwark against the slings and arrows of retail fortune.

Now that the economic recession has shrunk the ice cream market like a Cornetto in the midday sun, the supermarket freezer cabinets have become a battleground of two-for-one special offer muscle between the likes of Haagen Daaz, Ben and Jerry’s and Mackies. Wilma freely admits, were it not for the visitor centre, their ice cream business simply would not be in profit at all.

“In our first decade, in business terms, we’ve really only progressed from microscopic to tiny,” she confided, over tasty homemade beefburgers in the Cream O’Galloway cafe (a fine use for a grass-fed Ayrshire bullock).

“We rely entirely on the visitor centre for our profit. Ice cream production has been slowing and now it has plateaued, but the 70,000 people we have visiting and buying direct from the shop really helps us make the most of that production.”

The visitor centre itself, which began as an ice cream factory tour and tasting shed, has grown like topsy, with the addition of impressive outdoor play areas, complete with slides, elevated walkways and ropebridges, and treehouse-exploring type fun that certainly keeps the kids busy – and, dare I say, hungry.

Below all this, there’s a great looping go-kart track, and I can personally vouch for the surprising turn of speed possible in the parent and child two-seater carts – even though they are only cycle-powered.

Appetite suitably stimulated, guests have a choice of two eateries inside. One, the aforementioned cafe, offers snacks and drinks, plus substantial homemade fare like the burgers, and ice cream of course - the other is a dedicated ice cream parlour, adjoining the big indoor jungle gym, offering a full menu of knickerbocker glory-esque creations, ideally ordered and consumed whilst the kids are busy playing.

However, despite their success as hosts, the Finlays still very much see themselves as food producers, and the ice cream business, if not growing in bulk, continues to be finessed and improved.

It is a food industry cliche, but one that is certainly in political fashion in Scotland, that when you can’t compete on quantity, quality is the only way to go – and the Finlays are now pushing further in that direction, adding value to their range with some flavours that are entirely fair trade, and some that bolster the organic milk content with entirely organic ingredients.

Currently, while only eight of their flavours go into retail packaging, there is still a roster of 30 flavours available to catering buyers – and to visitors at Rainton. Not that its always the same 30 - the Finlays clearly relish the occasional purge of varieties that they’ve grown tired of, to make way for exotic new ideas.

And speaking of exotic, this year has brought a very unusual business development to the table – exports to South Korea. It is a complicated story, but in a nutshell, the South Koreans have a bit of a thing about Scottish ice cream.

Aberdeenshire’s Mackies brand first made inroads in the area as a result of the last World Cup, which saw a surprisingly large number of franchised outlets for Mackies ice cream spring up. Now, a South Korean businessman has decided to set up rival franchise stalls selling an alternative Scottish ice cream – Cream O’Galloway!

This competition has not quite reached Coca Cola versus Pepsi proportions yet, but in a far-flung foreign field, there is a wee head-to-head going on between Scotland’s plucky South-west and the mighty North-east.

“It is greying me a bit at the moment,” admitted Wilma “but it is something that landed on our plate, so we thought we’d give it a go. We’ve also had contacts from Eastern Europe,” she added, looking surprised for herself.

“But really, despite all that, I’m really quite proud of the fact that at least 45% of what we produce gets eaten within Dumfries and Galloway. It’s nice to be popular with your own people!”

Next week: we look at Craigrobin Holiday cottage, and Mersehead Farm in Dumfries and Galloway.