DELI OF THE MONTH Winning multiple awards in its first two years of trading hasn’t led to any laurelresting from Charlie Wells, director of The Farm Stratford – a highly diversified former fruit farm turned food hall. And given her constantly evolving approach to concessions and other attractions, here... Interview by Tom Dale
...it’s about the journey and the destination WHEN FFD VISITED The Farm Stratford, a modern, spacious food hall just outside the medieval market town it takes its name from, families were venturing out into the drizzle after picking up their essentials to check in on Pamela, the snoozing Gloucestershire Old Spot, the everhungry goats, the brood of hens, and the small flock of sheep. Only the pigs will end up on the butcher’s counter – except Pamela; director Charlie Wells’ favourite – but all of the animals help to build the ‘destination’ that the nine-acre site has become in the two years since opening in April 2019. And what a time to have begun trading. Wells says that by the time FFD is published, the shop will have been open under coronavirus restrictions for longer than it had not. This
VITAL STATISTICS
Location: King's Lane, Snitterfield, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire Turnover: £1.7-£2m (projected 2020/21) Number of line: 3,500 Retail floorspace: 1,000 m³ Gross margin – shop: 55% Gross margin – restaurant: 68-70% 56
April 2021 | Vol.22 Issue 3
hasn’t stopped The Farm attracting the attention of the Farm Retail Association, picking up its Rising Star award in 2019 and, in the days preceding FFD’s visit, winning Small Farm Shop of the Year and Café of the Year for its restaurant, Nourish. The likes of Suitcase Magazine, Condé Nast Traveller and The Guardian have also helped to raise the profile of the burgeoning business. “The one that got us noticed was The Guardian article,” says Wells. The piece implored motorists to avoid the traditional service stops and head a little further to a farm shop. “Overnight, that got traction. The next day we had a noticeable rise in customers.” All these will have helped put the family business on the map, but it’s Wells’ dedication to diversification that’s turning it into the destination it is unmistakably becoming, even
during the third national lockdown. The Farm’s story started back in 2017 when the Wells family decided to transform a derelict former fruit farm in the village of Snitterfield into a food hall with a focus on sustainability and Cotswolds-sourced fresh produce. After initially encountering some resistance from planning authorities and locals, both were won around by the family’s plans. “The residents all thought it was going to be a huge supermarket and they weren’t happy. But when they saw the drawings and that we were keeping a bit of the rural heritage they were on board.” With £3million capital investment, including the acquisition of the land, the neglected site was transformed into a fresh retail environment maintaining a rural feel. Using 95% recycled wood and keeping all the original brickwork and
