As a man who has spent many years growing thousands of daffodils on his farm in the hills of Powys, Kevin Stephens has a surprising confession to share.

“The daffodil is the most recalcitrant plant I have ever dealt with – it is awkward, stubborn, uncooperative. For that reason, I should hate them!’’ he laughs.

It is the process of extracting the plant alkaloid galanthamine that has caused him sleepless nights, not the growing of Wales’ favourite flower; this compound is an approved treatment for slowing down the progress of Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia. It is the reason why daffodils are such an important part of Kevin’s business.

“We have to separate the galanthamine from the biomass but it is the most awkward substrate to work with, it won’t filter, settle, boil, centrifuge, that’s why it has taken so long to get to where we are now.’’

It all started in 2008 with a phone call he made to scientist Professor Trevor Walker. Kevin had read an article on research by Professor Walker in conjunction with the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research at Aberystwyth; growing daffodils at altitude had been shown to stimulate the production of galanthamine, the so-called ‘Black Mountain effect’.

At 1,200 feet, Kevin’s fields at Fedwlydan, Glasbury On Wye, are not short on altitude.

He called Professor Walker. “I got conscripted into making it happen and 14 years later, Trevor has retired and I’m still bashing away at it,’’ says Kevin.

That ‘bashing away’ is the work is he doing at Agroceutical Products, the bio-research firm he established in 2012 to commercialise Professor Walker’s research.

It has been a frustrating process because before Kevin can secure a contract from a pharmaceutical company he needs to show that he can produce hundreds of kilograms of galanthamine.

“It is a chicken and egg situation, we can't get to the point where we can deliver that volume until we get investors, but we can't get investors until we get a contract from a pharmaceutical company,’’ he explains.

But 2023 marked a breakthrough in part, with the launch of what Kevin calls a ‘brain health pill’, an over-the-counter supplement he has developed with a Canadian neuroscience company.

“Our research and development has taken a lot of time, so it is very exciting to get to the point where we have a product coming to the market.’’

It has been years in the making and Kevin has persevered when others would have given up. “My wife tells me I’m just plain pig-headed.’’

He is both a farmer and an entrepreneur.

As a farmer, with his wife, Tracey, and their eldest son, Mark, he produces lamb from a flock of 520 March-lambing Texel-cross ewes and beef from 40 Limousin-cross suckler cows.

“We are a typical mid-Wales family farm,’’ he says.

But while the farm may be typical, Kevin is anything but a stereotypical farmer.

He is advising on projects across the world, from China to South America, after being contacted by others who have heard about his work and are researching their own products, including anti-cancers and anti-virals.

“I took a call last summer from a man in the Northern Territory of Australia who wanted to extract a chemical compound from the bark of his trees and asked me to help him find a way of doing that.’’

Although he could charge a consultancy fee Kevin often gives his time and advice freely.

“I can’t take it with me,’’ he reasons. “When they stick me under the ground, I would like to be remembered for helping a lot of people rather than for making a lot of money.’’

Despite all the many plates he is spinning, Kevin remains a farmer at heart.

“I still get up at 6am to feed the sheep, farming is a way of life.’’