A husband and wife team who run a bacon-making business are looking for investors in exchange for packets of rashers cured from duck, beef and turkey.

Andy and Sarah Martin have launched a crowdfunding campaign in the hope of raising £25,000 to fund new premises and hire staff for their company This Is Bacon.

The pair say they have put a modern twist on the humble sarnie filler, using unusual animals for their cured breast meat since launching the business from their home in Harrietsham.

The products have become a hit in farm shops like Macknade Fine Foods in Faversham and Deeson’s Restaurant in Canterbury, as well as Ashford and Whitstable farmers’ markets.

Mr and Mrs Martin, who run the business in their spare time, have already been awarded £25,000 from a government support scheme for rural businesses.

"I started learning about making cheese, butter and bread but when I made some bacon for myself I thought it was better than anything I’d ever tasted..." - Andy Martin, This Is Bacon

They hope the campaign on Crowdfunder, launched today, will allow them to run the firm full time, after environmental inspectors told them to move the business from an outhouse at the end of their garden.

Mr Martin, who works in IT in London, said: “I want to give up my job and do something more interesting instead, which is making bacon.

“When we started we were looking for better ways of eating. I started learning about making cheese, butter and bread but when I made some bacon for myself I thought it was better than anything I’d ever tasted.

“I started experimenting with different animals and they have become very popular.”

Anyone donating over £10 to the crowdfunding campaign, which needs to raise at least £20,000 to be successful, will receive a packet of bacon or a bottle of chilli bacon ketchup.

Investors pledging more than £25 will receive a bacon t-shirt or three packets of bacon, while donations over £350 are eligible to come to the This Is Bacon headquarters and find out how to make their own rashers.

Before launching the business in April last year, Mr and Mrs Martin owned a small holding in Faversham with more than 100 sheep but struggled to make money.

If the crowdfunding is successful, they hope to move to premises in the Maidstone district and hire two staff to help with manufacturing.

Mr Martin said: “It will be the sort of job which appeals to someone who wants flexible hours, working 10am to 3pm or something like that.”

This Is Bacon owner Andy Martin said he makes his products using traditional methods, with each piece hand-rubbed and slow-cured with sea salts for maximum flavour.

After being hickory smoked the cured slabs are then air dried over a period of weeks.

Each piece is thick cut, with the rind still attached to give a chewy texture and allow the skin to crackle when cooked.

Pork meat comes from pig farm Independent Trotters, based in Thurnham, while the Butcher of Brogdale supplies duck through a wholesale arm.

Mr Martin makes bacon to order so it stays fresh and avoids freezing. It has a shelf life of about 10 days.

For details visit www.crowdfunder.co.uk.