It’s never too late to diversify your business as Diversify Now magazine can demonstrate.
Diversify Now magazine is proud to be supporting The Glamping Show 2017 and the team is looking forward to a busy three days meeting existing and new readers.
As a supporter of The Glamping Show the publishers of Diversify Now magazine are offering all visitors to the event a Special Annual Subscription rate of only £26 (normally £36). Visit the Diversify Now team on stand OSA22 to take advantage of this offer!
Diversify Now magazine was launched in 2016 to aid farmers and landowners in exploring diversification projects, providing ideas and guidance on many of the options available. Since its launch, with content that is well researched and informative, the magazine has grown in popularity. Following are some snippets from published Diversify Now articles.
Top tips for hosting families on your farm
Farm Stay UK is the UK’s only farmer-owned rural accommodation consortium, with over 1,000 accommodation options on their books across the country, from self-catering barns, cottages and shepherds huts to yurts and farmhouse B&Bs. CEO Andy Woodward said: “Encouraging families and children onto our farms is a big part of what we do, as well as communicating the fact that there is no need to pay big bucks for a slice of the countryside for families keen to leave their passports at home and forget the stress of flying with little ones.”
A family farm shows everyone how diversification is done
Knockraich Farm has been owned by the Rodger family since the 1950s and perfectly illustrates what can be achieved by diversification. A year after making their first batch of premium Scottish yogurt, the ‘Katy Rodgers’ brand won its first accolade at the Scotland Food and Drink Excellence Awards – a true success story.
How to set up a vineyard
Vineyards are labour-intensive, requiring a large initial investment and a high degree of expertise. Strutt & Parker’s Nigel Porter said: “Vines are usually planted by specialist contractors and need to be securely fenced and trellised. Vine management also requires specialised viticulture tractors and equipment.” Although winemaking is not an easy or cheap option, landowners should not be discouraged. “You need passion and to be in it for the long haul,” Mr Porter said. “But if you get it right, the results can be fantastic – the success of English wine is testament to this.”
Making an international business out of elderflower
Belvoir Fruit Farms have been making elderflower cordials and pressés for over 30 years.
Still a family owned and run business, they remain true to their original recipes and roots, with their whole range being handmade on the farm, using only the finest natural ingredients.
“Originally we just made it for ourselves, family and friends,” said managing director Peverel Manners. “But it became so popular that people would beg, steal and borrow to get hold of a bottle. At the time our ‘pick your own’ fruit farm wasn’t doing terribly well and so my father decided we should try our hand at selling the cordial, initially through delicatessens and farm shops, making us the first company to go into commercial production of elderflower cordial in the UK.” From just 500 bottles in 1984, the business has blossomed, celebrating its 20 millionth bottle off the bottling line at the end of 2014.
