FARMA Awards

Speciality Bites with

Paul Hargreaves

Chief executive of Cotswold Fayre

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This week I was privileged to be at the FARMA conference and awards. This annual event helps farm shops grow their businesses as well as awarding the best farm shops in the land. As one of the fastest growing retail sectors in the UK and key customers always for any producer of speciality foods it is a good event to be at

Whilst farm shops should primarily focus on their own produce, followed by other good local produce, the key to making these businesses more profitable is to stock the “best of the rest” in terms of speciality food from the UK, and have some well-known speciality food brands that encourage customers to increase their basket spend, which is often far too low.

Many of the initial large farm shops developed in the South of England 10-15 years ago, but the north of England, Wales and Scotland have certainly caught up in recent years, and some of the best examples of good practice are now to be found north of Birmingham.  This is certainly reflected in our growth over the last 2-3 years.  Just look at this year’s winners:

Farm Retailer of the Year: Blacker Hall Farm Shop, Yorkshire    

Best Farm Shop Newcomer: Kilnford Barns, Dumfries    

Pick-your-Own Farm of the Year: Court Farm Leisure, Herefordshire                

Own & Local Farm Retailer of the Year: Welbeck Farm Shop, Nottinghamshire              

Best on-farm Butchery: Cheerbrook Quality Farm Food, Cheshire

Best on-farm Café/Restaurant: Suffolk Food Hall, Suffolk  

Best Small Farm Shop: Manor Farm Shop, Lincolnshire

Rising Stars:
Bodnant, Gwynedd
Castleton Farm Shop, Aberdeenshire
Rhubarb Triangle Farm Shop, Yorkshire

Looks like the South needs to chalk up some wins next year!

The good news is that FARMA will be under new management from now on which will bring some more energy to the sector and more publicity on the media for farm shops, which will benefit us all.  Also there is a need for a membership drive as I am sure many of our farm shops have not heard of FARMA, or may have heard of it, but not joined up.  We can all learn from each other and by talking to your counterparts in different parts of the UK doing similar things to what you are doing is an essential part of growing your businesses.  We are sometimes too reticent to do this.

I am off to the orphanage in Kenya next week with two other Cotswold Fayre colleagues. Talking of which the Speciality Food Charity Ball, which raises money for the orphanage, is a splendid networking opportunity.

Buy your tickets now from Ashton@cotswold-fayre.co.uk