Only here for the spear
Grower profile: Ronda Morritt on how she swapped the shop floor for life as an asparagus farmer.
CHILDREN CHANGE your life, but Ronda Morritt had no idea of the impact they would have on her future career.
Ronda had been happily pursing a career as a manager in a department store before leaving to have her first baby. After getting back on her feet, she needed to work again to provide an income but wanted to be at home as much as possible to care for her child.
Initially, she started working on the family farm which grew arable crops, mainly involving heavy machinery. As the work wasn’t suitable, Ronda decided to look for something different that she could incorporate into farm and family life.
First thoughts led her to consider a “pick your own strawberries” business, but it appeared local competition was too strong. Ronda was then advised that the farm had the perfect land for asparagus growing. So she decided to try it. With little idea of what she was doing, she planted her first acre in 1997. Only a few bunches were produced to start with and Ronda put them in a toy box on a table outside the farm gate to see what happened. People snapped them up and were asking for more. The business grew from the early days of selling at the farm gate and taking the leftovers to local greengrocers who loved the fantastic freshness of Ronda’s asparagus. “Greengrocers started ordering more and more, so we kept planting acre after acre. We now have 12 acres of asparagus and still can’t produce enough,” says Ronda. I was surprised to realise that experience in my previous career helped with a farming business. I knew how to approach the asparagus business professionally and I understood marketing – for example, how to present our asparagus through good signage and packaging.”
Low Moor Farm at Sand Hutton now employs 25 staff and, among her other roles, Ronda looks after all of them. The asparagus is still sold at the farm gate, where Ronda operates a postcard system for the public to fill in their details so that she can let them know when the spears are ready for sale. In addition, she sell to a wholesaler who supplies hotels and restaurants.
“The thing I love most about growing asparagus is eating it – every day in the season! The best way to cook it is roasted with a little olive oil and sea salt. It just needs to be popped in the oven whilst you pour a glass of wine, relax for 10 or 15 minutes and then tuck in with a bit of butter and parmesan,” says Ronda.