A Sheffield dairy farm known for the eye-catching ‘Our Cow Molly’ branding of its milk processing business is the winner of a BBC Food & Farming Award.
The Andrew family were announced as winners of the Future Food Award at a presentation ceremony where judge Julia Glotz, Managing Editor of The Grocer magazine, described the Our Cow Molly approach to dairy sales as a model that could help save many more of the UK’s struggling dairy farmers.
The 216-acre family-run farm has a dairy processing business that has increased the proportion of milk sold locally – either in liquid form or as ice cream – by promoting the benefits of ‘superfresh’ milk, which is delivered to shops and cafes in Sheffield within hours of the cows producing it.
"It makes a real difference to a cappuccino – the milk froths better and has a sweetness that makes a good coffee taste even better," says Eddie Andrew.
"We’re supplying a growing number of shops and cafés in Sheffield, including the University."
Investment in a new facility completed last year has provided the processing and bottling capacity to meet increased demand and trials are currently underway to add Our Cow Molly butter to the product mix.
The colourful branding used on containers and delivery vans and imaginative and frequent use of social media has helped offset the decline in traditional doorstep deliveries by promoting sales of fresh milk and the varied flavours of Our Cow Molly ice cream sold on the farm.
"This is the last farm in Sheffield processing its own milk and for years we just milked the cows, delivered the milk and didn’t tell anyone about it," says Eddie Andrew.
"Through our branding and promotion at events, and by using Facebook, Twitter and other social media, we’ve built a strong reputation for a quality local product with good nutritional and ‘green’ credentials.
"That enables us to sell a greater proportion of our milk more profitably and to invest in the new processing facility, creating opportunities for expansion and safeguarding jobs on the farm," he adds.
Last spring, the Andrews took delivery of one of the first of a new range of McCormick tractors. The X6.420 was handed over to Graham Andrew at Cliffe House Farm, Dungworth by Mick Rimmer of McCormick dealership Barlow’s of Henbury to become the farm’s main tractor.
Apart from handling routine field work, the new machine proved a great attraction at the farm’s Open Farm Sunday event last year when visitors young and old could dress up in McCormick overalls and have their picture taken with the tractor.
They can do the same this year - but regular visitors to the Our Cow Molly farm, students at Sheffield University and coffee shop customers are being encouraged to pick up a PasturePot and grass seed from the ice cream parlour and take the resulting mini sward along on Open Farm Sunday where plant scientists from the university will explain the features and characteristics of soil and show rooting structures in specially planted glass-sided pots.
