2010 FW Awards: Poultry Farmer of the Year finalist – Judy Goodman
Delivering superb quality of product and service to a range of customers are the overriding principles for Worcestershire’s free-range goose and turkey producer Goodman Bros.
Set in the rolling hills in the north-west of the county, the business is very much a family affair. The redoubtable Judy Goodman is the driving force in the marketing department, ably supported by her husband Geoff, while sons Michael and Andrew look after the production, slaughtering and processing sides of the business.
“Our main focus is on direct marketing – selling to consumers via the internet and farm shops,” explains Judy. “We want to be in control of our market, so no one customer has more than 10% of our sales.”
About half the partnership’s geese go direct, with the other half sold to local butchers, although the split for turkeys is more like 25:75.
“We’ve never let any of our customers down,” says Judy, who also chairs the British Goose Producers sector group. “One year our distributer had a problem and it was Christmas the following week. So we took off in our van and delivered to our customers in London and the south-east throughout the weekend.”
It is this attention to service that has allowed the Goodman’s business to secure a loyal customer base and build its reputation for quality. Marketing the product starts in late August, when mailshots are sent to about 3000 previous customers. “One year we tried emailing customers, but that was a waste of time.”
Orders normally start to come in straight away for either Michaelmas or Christmas. The cheques also start to arrive and, with a 6kg bird for overnight delivery in December retailing at £79 last year, the boost to cash flow is welcome.
Judy and Andrew are also proactive at getting out and about, attending all manner of food festivals and shows, and giving talks and cooking demonstrations to help promote the product. Judy frequently rubs shoulders with celebrity chefs and last year Jamie Oliver said of her: “What Judy Goodman doesn’t know about the good old goose ain’t worth knowing”.
Goose production started at Walsgrove Farm as a hobby in 1982 with a handful of geese. Numbers increased quickly and Bronze turkeys were added in the 1990s. Today, the farm is home to more than 4000 head of each species.
The goslings arrive as day-olds from supplier Norfolk Geese in four batches in May and June. “We take them in batches as we are looking for a range of weights, from 4-6kg, for the Christmas market,” says Michael.
The birds start off in the brooder house on shavings, under heaters being fed a starter crumb for two weeks. They then move to permanent pens with access to the paddocks, where a grower ration is later introduced.
The goose operation fits in well with the rest of the mixed farm, which includes 20 acres of asparagus, 400 acres of cereals and a herd of Longhorn cattle.
Whole wheat is fed to the birds from eight weeks, all the straw is used for poultry bedding and all the muck goes back on the arable ground. The cattle graze the paddocks in the spring, to encourage good regrowth ready for the geese in May and June.
Processing is an equally slick operation, with about 30 staff able to prepare up to 600 geese or 900 turkeys a day. Some of the equipment, for example for pulling flight feathers, has been developed by the family in conjunction with a local engineer.
The geese are dry plucked and waxed, then hung for about 10 days before being eviscerated and boxed up for dispatch. All the birds are beautifully presented, tied up with string, adorned with a sprig of herbs, and sold with a vacuum pack of giblets, a pack of goose fat and a recipe leaflet.
The feathers are sold to a merchant in Norfolk and the surplus goose fat is retained for sale throughout the year – last year the Goodman’s sold about 5000 jars at £2 each wholesale. While the goose fat is just a sideline, overall profit for the business have increased on an almost annual basis, with money ploughed back in rather than borrowing to fund expansion.
“Being in control of our market enables us to set a price that delivers a margin. We are not price takers,” says Geoff. “We have a policy of increasing the price each year to match inflation – though we did hold them steady in 2009 to help customers in the economic hard times. We never cut back on quality, and we always deliver 100% service.”
Farm facts
• 400 acres of arable, poultry and beef
• 20 acres of asparagus
• 4200 free-range geese
• 4200 free-range turkeys
• 30 staff at peak times
The judges liked
• Strong leadership in promoting the product and representing the goose sector
• Attention to quality and service
• Innovation in the processing area