Clubbing together to sell produce
ADYNAMIC group of smallscale farmers and wholefood suppliers in East Devon have clubbed together to launch a brand new cooperative, with the aim of providing their local community with fresh and high quality food in an easily accessible way.
In My Back Yard works by allowing customers to buy direct from the producers and growers involved via a convenient online platform, with a phone buddy system available for those who don’t have access to the internet.
Using weekly order cycles, the shop is open from 10am on Monday until 11.45pm on Wednesday, with orders then prepared by the individual cooperative members and delivered to one of the four current collection points on Friday afternoons. Deliveries for anyone self-isolating or unable to leave their homes can also be arranged, thanks to a network of loyal volunteers.
With the aim of building a more resilient, nourishing and community-centred food system for the local area, that will continue beyond the coronavirus pandemic, In My Back Yard offers a wide range of fresh, natural and delicious food, with lines including vegetables and salad, herbs, meat, eggs, dairy, honey and sourdough bread.
Founding member Jenny Lonnberg, whose family-run business Natural Branscombe specialises in the growing of salad leaves, herbs, vegetables, edible and cut flowers, as well as producing grass-fed beef and lamb; explained that the cooperative has been in development for the past two years, but was launched two months ago as an emergency response to the coronavirus outbreak – which has seen a surge in demand for local produce.
“In Britain today, small-scale farming is a difficult way to make a living for a number of reasons, not least the low prices received for produce relative to the costs of production,” she said.
“We wanted to help develop In My Back Yard as a way of getting better prices for small producers and linking them to local consumers. We believe that our production methods and care we put into our livestock can be seen, and tasted in our produce. We want to be able to share this with our customers directly and build a relationship with them through In My Back Yard. By selling more of our produce directly, rather than through markets and wholesalers, we hope to improve our returns so that we can continue to farm in this way.”
Ms Lonnberg, who along with her partner Ian Crowe collected the hugely prestigious title of supreme champion at the 2019 Taste of the West Awards for their mixed salad bag, added: “With our memberships of this new cooperative venture and organisations like the Landworkers’ Alliance, Ecological Land Cooperative, Pasture for Life and others, we are hoping to be part of a larger movement that will help move mainstream food production away from ever-larger environmentally damaging farm businesses.
“Our wish is towards a greater diversity of small farms, working in harmony with the natural environment and that are directly linked and responsible to their customers, supplying seasonal, fresh, tasty and more unusual varieties of produce than found in standard supermarkets.”
Joining Natural Branscombe as members of In My Back Yard are Bulstone Springs, Browings & Comhar, Elbow Farm, Fillfull, Natural Worx, Norsworthy Dairy Goats and Vinnicombes Bakery, along with non-producer member, Emma Brice.
Recently awarded a development grant from the Devon Locality Budget, the cooperative hopes to add more fresh produce and larder items over the coming weeks, as well as bringing more local producers on board.
It also plans to introduce a wider delivery service and more East Devon collection points, making it even easier for customers to access fresh local produce.
Paul Rigley, owner of Vinnicombes Bakery, will be offering his ecofriendly sourdough bread to customers through the In My Back Yard food hub, as well as providing a new weekly collection point for the Sidmouth community.
With just four simple ingredients: organic flour (wheat and rye), sea salt, water and time, he said the loaf is a fine example of “slow food”, with the yeast left to work to its natural cycle. “As only the third owner of a bakery that’s been feeding Sidmouth since 1912, it was a big responsibility taking on Vinnicombes”, Mr Rigley added.
“This new sourdough product using only organic ingredients is the start of a new direction to transition towards a more environmentally sustainable bakery, whilst upholding Vinnicombes’ traditional reputation.
“It’s very exciting to be able to work with like-minded people with a keen interest in producing the best products in an enjoyable way, under a brand that says excellence.”
For further details about In My Back Yard, how to order, or if you are a producer based within 30 miles of EX12 3BL and would like to join the cooperative, please visit the website www.inmybackyard.co, email feedme@inmybackyard.co or call 01297 680680.
The online shop can be found at www.openfoodnetwork.org.uk/ inmybackyard/shop
‘We wanted to help develop In My Back Yard as a way of getting better prices for small producers’