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Philip Bowen is the founder of ALVAHORSE. His love for horses started when he was a 7 years old, helping out at a local riding school. Phil left school at 16 and trained as an apprentice mechanic. He later created and operated many successful businesses in and around his home town, Llanelli in Wales, United Kingdom. These included: Reflections Hair Salon, Regalia Off-License, Regalia uPVC - double glazing company, a cosmetics sales business and then he became a Land & Property Developer.
Against everybody's advice, Phil purchased 68 acres of land in Five Roads, Llanelli back in 1990. Whilst viewing the land Phil had seen Blue Pennant Stone in abundance. Knowing how rare this very decorative stone was, Phil had the vision to develop it into a working quarry. After further exploratory tests had proven there was a rich band/seam of stone running under his land, Phil then started the ball rolling. It took Phil 2 very long years before he was finally granted planning permission. Named after its stone, Pennant Quarry is one of the Country's leading suppliers of Welsh Blue Pennant Stone. www.welshstone.com During his years at the Quarry Phil had developed the showing bug. Phil was unhappy with the products available for his own horse, the Welsh Cob Stallion Rhystyd Dazzler 38023 and in 1995 he combined his years of expertise and knowledge and formulated his first ever product, AlvaSparkle Coat Conditioner. Due to requests from fellow exhibitors Phil was soon making AlvaSparkle for them too. With the now ever increasing demand for this very popular product, Phil was able to purchase larger quantities at better prices. He then started to supply tack shops in and around Llanelli. It was Christmas Eve in 1999, when Phil called on Clayton Animal Feeds in Ammanford a Welsh based animal wholesalers owned and managed by Arthur Clayton. See below one of Arthur's news letters.
A Christmas to remember! Christmas Eve in 1999, we were flat out in our busy Welsh based animal wholesalers. Every one and their friends had decided to place last minute orders and they wanted them the day before. Nothing was new! Clayton Animal Feeds had been getting busier every year. We had just stopped for lunch when one of the counter staff called me to speak to what I first thought was a desperate rep still working on Xmas eve. I give him my time and in only a few minutes of listening to his achievements I was well and truly impressed. Having kept horses for years and also running a livery yard I could see the potential in these Natural Aromatherapy Products, that’s if they were to do as Phil Bowen claimed. It was Xmas morning and I was in the yard ready to test my new grooming products. My first impression was WOW love the smell. I was spraying our nervous little pony with AlvaDazzle mane and tail conditioner. Its lavender content was very high and seemed to have a calming affect on our horse. After lunch, my wife Jackie came down to the stables and she too commented on the lovely smell. Jackie was delighted to see our pony looking ready for a show; we both noticed how relaxed the normally jumpy pony was. During our days off (only 2) we used the rest of the Alva International products and on our return to work, called Phil Bowen (founder of Alva International) to talk business. Cutting a long story short Clayton Animal Feeds are now wholesalers for Alva International Ltd. I had seen from my first encounter with the Alva products that if they pleased my wife Jackie, then they were good enough for the rest of the WORLD! My Best Regards,
Arthur With the help and financial support given by Clayton Animal Feeds, Alva International went from strength to strength. Phil now had a growing list of testimonials from many satisfied exhibitors, amongst them Helen Wright (Hendal Welsh Cobs). Helen introduced him to Ron and Debbie Thomas of the renowned Thomas Show Team of Wales - winners of numerous Championship and Supreme Champion awards at horse shows all over Great Britain, including the Horse of the Year Show in the U.K. Despite some initial scepticism, they tested his products and gave the product range their full endorsement. Ron Thomas telephoned his good friend and fellow judge the famous Peter Wilkinson of Fylde Saddlery, recommending Peter to stock the Alva range of products. Highly respected as a company selling top class equestrian products, Fylde Saddlery was instrumental in introducing the Alva products to many of the Top Show pony people on the UK circuit. For many years later Phil was to be seen promoting the Alva products on the Fylde Saddlery exhibition unit. In December 2002, Clayton Animal Feeds part funded Alva International Ltd. to attend a unique Equestrian Trade Exhibition held in The World Trade Centre in Dubai. This was Alva International Ltd. first journey overseas. The trip proved a huge success with Hassan Finnat Equestrian taking on the Alva product range. In the summer of 2003 Phil was invited to a Wales Trade International monthly meeting. Here he was told about a very adventurous overseas trip to Australia and New Zealand taking part in the October and November. Intrigued by the possibilities of exporting the Alva products to the other side of the World, Phil had accepted the WTI's offer of a free consultation. Equitanna Melbourne 2003 was to being held two weeks after the WTI missioners were due to fly back from Auckland, New Zealand and it was planned that Phil was to travel back too Australia. At this horse show Phil linked up with the other British Equestrian Trade Association (BETA) members attending. After four weeks away, Phil finished off his marathon trip with a further one week visit to Dubai. Whilst in Dubai and on a continual high Phil made an appointment to see the Stud Manager of the Royal Stables in Abu Dhabi. Phil was very privileged to be allowed such a visit to one of the best known Studs in the Emirates. After demonstrating the Alva products Phil was told that they had known about these products for some time. In a state of shock and with a lump in his throat Phil asked "What are your views on them" The reply was magnificent, Barry Shephard their head show man had visited the Royal Welsh earlier in the year and had brought the products back with him. The Royal Stables in Abu Dhabi did not have a current supplier and had recommended their equestrian wholesalers Horse & Carriage in Dubai. Phil was due to fly home the following day after being away from his four Daughters for five long weeks. On arriving back in the U.K. Phil telephoned the WTI asking when the next mission was due to go back to Dubai, the answer was in seven days time and there was room for one more. Phil was on it and visited Horse & Carriage who were to become Alva International Ltd. importers for the United Arab Emirates. In 2004 Phil decided to register ALVAHORSE Ltd. New labels were designed and ALVAHORSE Ltd. was to be the distribution company for the Equine range of products manufactured by Alva International Ltd. Plans for the near future are to launch, ALVADOG and ALVACAT.
Phil was born in 1961 and has 4 daughters, who are all horse mad! Phil Bowen ALVAHORSE (Founder) 2005
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