From Farmer to Shopkeeper
Photo: Sam Blacker and Stuart Beaton at the Ainsty Farm Shop
Ainsty Farm Shop Offers Key to Rural Regeneration in Deliciouslyorkshire Style
At the Ainsty Farm Shop, they take their meat extremely seriously.
As Sam Blacker explains: 'We know exactly where all our meat comes from. We can tell our customers which farm it came from; which field it came from; what the animal was fed on and which pub the farmer drinks in. And that was probably because we were there drinking with him!'
It's that combination of attention to detail and a total immersion in the local farming community that encapsulates Ainsty's approach to business.
It's no surprise that Sam, his colleague Stuart Beaton and the four other members of the Ainsty cooperative can be found supping a pint with their suppliers on a regular basis. Because Sam and Stuart only gave up farming six years ago - their colleagues remain the main source of livestock for the shop's meat.
Sam's family had been working the same North Yorkshire farm for three generations. But tough times led to tough decisions and a change of career beckoned.
Sam says: 'My family farm went back to my grandfather. But after BSE, our lifestyle changed entirely. There's so much paperwork these days that it's almost impossible to keep up with it all.
'Then we had foot and mouth and the floods – it was just one disaster after another really.'
His predicament was shared by his neighbouring livestock farmers in the Ainsty area, between York and Harrogate. In 1998, six of them got together to form a cooperative to supply their meat direct to the public through farmers' markets and local delivery.
It soon became clear that they needed a permanent retail outlet, which opened near Green Hammerton, on the A59, in summer 2001.
It fell to Sam and Stuart to manage the shop, which proved so successful, the pair took the huge step of giving up farming, to concentrate on retail full time.
As Sam explains: 'I've got grown-up kids who've never shown any interest in farming and I knew that it was going to end with me anyway. So why flog yourself to death for nothing? We had to find a new way of working and a new way of earning money.'
As part of this new way of working, the team joined the Regional Food Group for Yorkshire and Humber (RFGYH) two years ago and have found that the profile-raising opportunities have worked particularly well for them.
One such venture is the RFGYH's campaign to support National Barbeque Week.
Customers visiting the Ainsty Farm Shop on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 June will be welcomed by the evocative aroma of a full-scale barbecue, loaded with burgers, sausages, steaks and more.
Sam adds: 'All the meat will come from within five miles of the shop and we'll be hand-making everything ourselves here, as usual. We just add flavourings according to whatever takes our fancy.'
Other benefits of the RFGYH membership have included the networking opportunities. Sam took part in a recent Meet the Buyer event at Wetherby racecourse and, as a result, is stocking products from four local suppliers he met on the day.
Several members of staff have taken part in the RFGYH's Skillfully courses, which offer carefully-targeted training for food and drink businesses.
Naturally, meat remains the shop's speciality, but there's a great deal more on offer. An in-store bakery means fresh bread daily. Fridges house a complete range of cheeses, dairy products and juice, while the shelves are groaning with local cakes, preserves and more. Fresh produce is resolutely local, too, with seasonality particularly important to the Ainsty team.
'For example, we take our asparagus and strawberries from two local farmers,' says Sam, 'We don't stock them until they start and when they finish, we finish. We don't haul things in from Spain and all over the world. Our customers are becoming more and more enthusiastic about a return to eating seasonally – especially when that means a glut of juicy local strawberries or sun-ripened tomatoes.'
Ainsty's online shop means you don't even have to drive to Green Hammerton to sample their excellent products – although most can't help but take the trip themselves.
And those who do are ensured of a warm welcome.
'We have some great customers,' says Sam, 'The thing with farming is you never see the end product. With the job we're doing, we get people coming back and saying "that was fantastic". It's extremely rewarding.
'And we pass those messages on to our suppliers. We have boards up around the shop, saying where our meat comes from and the farmers are so proud to be part of that.'
The way Ainsty Farm Shop is run means the retailer remains exceptionally close to the local farming community. But now Sam has given up farming himself, he believes it has given him a clearer perspective on the future for farming in Yorkshire.
'Now I'm out of the industry, I can see that farmers can be quite blinkered,' he says, 'They do things the way they've always done them because that's the way they've always done them. I believe there's a bright future for farming here – but it will need a completely different approach.'
It's visionary people like Sam and his colleagues who hold the key to that future. People who are passionate about quality, committed to paying their suppliers promptly and enthusiastic about helping customers to know more about where their food comes from. Thanks to them, the future for both farming and eating in Yorkshire is looking brighter – and more delicious - all the time.
