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16
Aspects of Land
Spring / Summer 2019
DIVERSIFICATION
D
iversifying a farm
business isn’t a new
concept, but the
options for generating
new income streams
are greater than ever.
Gone are the days
when it was down to renting out the spare
room for B&B, says Ashley Lilley of Savills
Food and Farming.
“Farmers are far more aware of the
opportunities that exist beyond the core
business, particularly if they have had a
career away from farming at some point,”
Ashley says.
“The rise of the internet and social media
has changed diversification opportunities
hugely,” he says. Trends travel quickly and
word of mouth marketing can be invaluable.
“Adding value to food produced on a farm
is a popular growth area.”
Willy Chase of Laddin Farm in
Herefordshire has done just this, turning
apples from his 200 acres of sustainable
orchards into Willy’s apple cider vinegar
(ACV) and capitalising on the recent
health trend for fermented food.
“I saw some millennials stocking up
on ACV one day, did a bit of research and
thought: ‘we could do that, and better’,”
says Chase.
He already made cider on site and when
he saw the potential for ACV he realised it
was a natural fit. He invested in fermenting
equipment and installed a canning and
bottling line so that the whole operation
could happen on site.
“We are a team of 11 and we handle
all the growing, harvesting, fermenting,
By their very nature, farms
and estates offer countless
ways to diversify, it’s all
about finding the
best fit for you
Branch
line