From hobby sheep to retail success in Herefordshire

From selling lamb to friends and family in rural Herefordshire to supplying markets and festivals across the region, one farming couple has successfully turned a small flock of sheep into a diversified retail business.

Andy Offer has spent his life in and around agriculture, beginning as a child working on local farms before completing a degree at Newcastle University and building a career in farm consultancy with Adas.

See also: Tax and legal considerations for farm diversifications

Despite this background, he never expected to run his own farm. “I have always wanted to farm, but I never really thought I would get the opportunity,” he says.

Without a farm to inherit and discouraged by family, school and university, Andy’s ambition appeared increasingly unlikely.

That changed when he and his wife, Frances, found Whyle House, a property in rural Herefordshire with several acres of land.

“We got a place out in the countryside, which was really just a hobby to begin with.

“We bought a few sheep from the neighbour and sold lamb to our family.”

Expansion 

An opportunity to take redundancy, coupled with an economic recession that affected his consultancy plans, prompted a decision to expand. The flock grew to about 200 ewes.

However, Andy soon recognised that scale alone would not make the enterprise financially viable.

“We were never going to make enough on 200 sheep,” he says.

© Andy Offer

“So, we started retailing ourselves. We started in farmers’ markets and direct sales, and then we got into processing and started making lamb burgers.”

The business diversified into festivals and events, selling lamb rolls directly to customers.

“At our peak, we were doing seven festivals a year and 13 markets a month. We had a very demanding retail business,” he says.

Cashflow 

Andy described cashflow as an early challenge. “The first challenge was the fact that, because we grew slowly, we didn’t have enough cashflow to expand.”

He also reflected on the physical demands of farming, adding that as the years drew on, it was increasingly hard work.

The retail arm of the enterprise was later sold, and the farming operation ended when the couple retired.

Against the odds

Andy wrote a book about the experience. “It’s a book about two people battling against the odds to get a business off the ground,” he says.

Originally intended as a family memoir, the project evolved.

“The book started as a memoir for the kids, so they knew what we had done when they grew up.

© Andy Offer

“And then I realised there is an awful lot of information in there that could help other people.”

Titled It Wasn’t Meant to be Like This, the book covers a range of disasters and triumphs as Andy and Frances strive to live their farming dream. 

It is available from online booksellers, or from Andy directly at Andy@nhrclub.co.uk.