Farmers Weekly Awards 2015: Local Food Farmer of the Year

Sally Bendall

Hollow Trees Farm, Suffolk

Sally Bendall is as impressive as her business. By embracing learning and other people, she has grown her farming enterprise into a highly professional outfit with 60 staff and a turnover in the region of £2m/year.

From the ashes of near bankruptcy, Sally and her husband Robert have turned their business from a roadside cart into a thriving farm shop, café and education destination.

On just 54ha the couple produce and sell vegetables, beef, pork, lamb, goatmeat and eggs and biodiversity is encouraged by a wildlife pond, nectar flower mixes and bird boxes.

They have installed 30kW of solar panels and plan to add a biomass boiler.

See all the winners and pictures from the night on our Farmers Weekly Awards page.

Sally’s understanding of people and passion for educating the public is paramount to the success of Hollow Trees Farm.

She has an instinctive sense about how to attract customers and monetise different aspects of the business – and the farm now pulls in 235,000 visitors a year.

About 70,000 visit the farm trail and an education barn hosts hundreds of school trips and educational events, including a recent land-based careers fair which attracted 400 students.

But her sense about what customers want is most evident in her bright farm shop, which offers a masterclass in farm retail and where attractive produce is sold at competitive prices.

It is Sally’s staff however – knowledgeable and confident – who do her most credit and provide ample proof of her exceptional people management skills.

Many have been with the business for a decade or more and some of their children are now starting work there too.

Sally openly shares trading figures with employees and works with divisional team managers to decide on targets, developments and promotions.

Less experienced staff are supported by a mentor and Sally encourages ideas.

The butchery team is encouraged to experiment and the meat counter is brimming with a huge variety of creative added-value items (such as ginger, garlic and herb butterflied leg of lamb and Thai pork kebabs).

Sally has also hired a new chef to develop an added value range and a herd manager with expertise to improve livestock genetics.

Education begins at home, and one of Sally’s strengths is her ability to recognise her own shortcomings and others’ expertise.

She has taken as much advice as possible, working with a mentor and has an impressive handle on every aspect of her business.

She looks at accounts on a daily, monthly and yearly basis and works from a three-year business plan.

With greater confidence she is continuing to drive forward, investing more than £250,000 in 2014-15.

Looking at what Sally and Robert have achieved, it is hard to imagine now that they started on just 5ha.

Finalists

Charlie Hughes

South View Farm, West Sussex

Charlie has created a secure dairy business on his 101ha unit based on high quality products processed, bottled and sold on farm.

His work ethic, attention to herd health and best use of technology and natural assets are just a few reasons Charlie is a great farmer.

Richard Vaughan

Huntsham Court Farm, Herefordshire

Richard is a true innovator and entrepreneur.

Having once produced beef under a feed lot system, his 156ha farm now produces high-quality, rare breed beef, pork and lamb for top restaurants – and 50 years on he is still tirelessly driving forwards.

Farma’s message

“Farma is delighted to support this award, which helps to promote food that is grown and sold by the same hands.

“Congratulations to these outstanding finalists and winner.”

Sally Jackson, chairman