Stay Loyal to Local series – how Flower Farm has been flourishing

Could you start by telling us how the last few weeks have been for you?

Busy, in different ways each week! First it was fire fighting and then it was planning… each week brings a new challenge and a new level of business. So, as well as bringing our farm shop online, we have used the time to make some exciting improvements to the existing shop, taproom and bar.

In fact, we’ve been wanting to provide an online system for a while and actually started on March 18 – five days before lockdown. Initially, we were running the online system in tandem with our shop, but the store had been getting increasingly busy with people panic buying just before lockdown. My priority was the safety of my staff and my customers, so, based on that decision, we closed the shop, making our offerings entirely online for the time being.   

Starting with a simple ration box scheme to begin with, we offered a one-size-fits-all box of fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, milk, eggs and bread. Then, over the following weeks, we began to expand on our online offerings. Now, we sell our full range of farm shop produce – from deli items, quiches, hams and roasting joints to picnic hampers, beer, wine, cider, sweet treats and much more! 

What positive steps have you taken to get through the lockdown?

As well as all the above, we are fortunate to have been in a position to help those in need. So, as well as providing free fruit boxes to nurses, we have donated to a number of NHS charities in connection with Godstone Football Club – who we sponsor – by matching funds raised by them for the NHS. Plus, we’ve also been helping out local dairy farmers by buying in extra milk, to help them where they have lost trade from restaurants and cafés closing. We have then gifted this milk for free to our customers – with a little note – that encourages them, in turn, to gift it to a needy neighbour or a friend in need.

In addition, we have also gifted items where food has been a little past its best, and added ‘waste not want not stickers’ to encourage people to use every bit they can to avoid food waste. Again, this has often been gifted, in turn, to neighbours. For example, we’ve heard of customers using overripe bananas to make banana bread and sharing it around with neighbours, or gifting items entirely to boost morale. 

I feel particularly proud of the work that we have done to support the local community – and to have been in a position to help.

Are there any innovations of which you are particularly proud?

I am fortunate to have, what I believe to be, the best team in place – a team that can react quickly and respond; nothing is too difficult and nothing is impossible. They are all very proactive, and always remain positive, and I think this has been a huge asset to us during this time. Despite everything that has been going on during this pandemic, the team spirit has remained high.

So, I’m particularly proud of them – and also what we have built. Namely, a system that enables people to buy local, supporting local bakers, fishmongers and other local farmers, and also understand more about their food through our ‘Food for Thought’ cards. Provided free with each order, the cards give people top facts about a specific item and also how to use it to make simple recipes – helping to reconnect people with their food.

How have your customers been supporting you during this time?

Our customers have been truly brilliant! We obviously haven’t had the face-to-face time we usually have, but we have been speaking to them every day over email, phone and on social media. We respond to every single query – every single email and message or comment that we receive – and our customers have been great.

They’ve told us stories about how they have shared our free gifts, donating them to needy neighbours; they’ve sent us artwork of the vegetables in their food boxes, as well as photographs of their food and recipes; and they email us to ask for answers to the crosswords in our newspaper The Flower. We use this to share all the good news in the community and include one with every delivery. It brings news from the farm and encourages our customers to share their good news with us – which we print in the next edition. We’ve also printed art work that people have drawn for us and recipes that they have sent us based on the food within their boxes. It’s had a real community feel.

Lastly, we’ve also had some fantastic feedback – chats over the phone, emails, people saying they’ve discovered new recipes or found a new found love of cooking – the support has been truly wonderful.  

Are there any special measures you’ll be bringing in once you re-open/get back to more normality?

Yes, while all the changes have been made with the online shop, my farm team have been busy making adjustments to the farm shop. As well as creating more space for customers, we have given it a complete makeover, moving the fridges around, the deli counter and the butchery, along with new changes to the tea room.

And it’s not just us, because The Godstone Brewers, who brew right here on the farm, have moved into a new taproom that will enable people to enjoy a pint while they brew. We’re very excited about welcoming our customers back, and we really hope they appreciate all the changes we have made to accommodate them.

Why is it so important that people ‘Stay Loyal To Local’ going forward?

It’s so important to support local businesses, as shopping local helps the local community in so many ways. As well as creating jobs and helping to build the identity of your community, it can promote individuality – with shops providing something different from the huge chains. Plus, it helps reduce the carbon footprint – which means shopping local is good for the environment.

Above all, supporting local shops supports local suppliers. It’s a more personal service, a more personal way of shopping… You get to know the butchers and the shop staff – and, in return, they become more willing to help, and you have absolute trust and transparency in where your food comes from. The whole food-buying process in general becomes more than just a trip to the shop – you become part of a family. 

As farmers, it’s not just our job but our duty to secure the local supply of food, and I feel very proud to be in a position to do this. 

What’s the best way that our community can do that for now?

Going forward, I really do hope that changes in the way people have shopped recently have shown them that they can get so much more from their local farm shop or brewery – and that shopping at their local stores gives them an opportunity to be part of a wider community, allows them to reconnect with their food and encourages them to learn a bit more about what they eat – and the care and consideration that goes into food produce that is made. 

The best way people can get more out of what they eat, is by understanding what they eat, and that’s what happens when we shop local.