Who We Are

The first Genesis Farmers is in Buckland Newton, Dorset. It consists of its five founder members and our two brilliant butchers.

Richard Gordon-Head

Genesis Farmers was the idea of Richard Gordon-Head. He comes from a farming family in Cumbria. After a career in the Parachute Regiment, followed by a period in industry, he has come back to farming.

Driven by the idea that most of us have lost touch with the landscape and become ignorant of, and desensitised to, the natural environment, he wanted to find a way of reconnecting people to farming, food and the value of precious natural resources. Genesis Farmers was born and came to symbolise 'a better way', with an important aim to educate and resensitise, not just to supply the basics of living.

Anne Fletcher

After a career in industry followed by doctoral research, Anne Fletcher came to Buckland Newton in Dorset, in 2000, to bring up her family. In 2004 she began working with Richard Gordon-Head, researching and developing the Genesis Farmers idea. With both a practical and a research background in business, she has helped set up the strategy, organisation and processes behind the first 'Genesis Farmers'.

The transition between theory and practice was made when, in 2005, she spoke to her neighbour Andy Foot, about the idea of a farmer-run business to market produce and reconnect the consumer with farming. The inaugural meeting of potential 'Genesis Farmers' took place at The Old Farmhouse, Buckland Newton on 29th July of that year.

Andy Foot

Andy Foot, whose family has farmed in Buckland Newton for generations, knew that farming was at a crossroads and that farmers had to work together to find a different, and 'a better way'.

The idea of Genesis Farmers represented a necessary route to market for his livestock, but Andy also believes profoundly in reconnecting the public with the countryside. He believes in looking at everything we do, and doing it in 'a better way' - particularly when it comes to the way we produce and consume both food and energy. To protect and conserve the countryside, we have to make it available to, and understood by, a wider public. He sees Genesis Farmers as a vehicle for conveying, not just food and energy, but also a greater level of understanding and appreciation of our natural surroundings.

Jim Sturmey

Jim Sturmey is known locally for the quality of the meat he produces from his Angus cross Charolais herd. He is also a local contractor - farming over 600 acres of arable land in this area.

He, like Andy, knew that with the advent of changes to the farm subsidy system, farmers would in future have to work together to find more profitable ways of retailing their produce. They would have to find new routes to market and make better returns. They needed to get closer to their customers, to tackle what he saw as a lack of knowledge and discernment by consumers about what they were consuming - in other words to reconnect the public with farming and food, before the knowledge and experience of what it takes to produce 'proper' food are compromised forever.

Robert Lasseter

Robert Lasseter comes from a farming background and has experience in rural management consultancy. He returned to farming in the late 1990's. He was highly commended by the NFU as a new entrant to the pig farming industry in 1998 and as a Nuffield Farming Scholar, he studied opportunities for independent pig producers in the UK.

At the first gathering of Genesis Farmers, he too was convinced that farming was at a crossroads. He saw the need for change and for farmers to find ways of adding value to their produce. However, there was also a need for an organisation of the size necessary to absorb the volume of produce that he was capable of producing, but this had to be an organisation that made sense for the future - in other words, local produce for local people, not shipped all over the country, contributing to an exponential growth in 'food miles'.

How we did it

We five Genesis Farmers are all local people who have worked hard since July 2005 to create 'Genesis Farmers'. We began with regular meetings at the Old Farmhouse in Buckland Newton. The major decisions were taken - to start with the supply of meat, to be sales driven, to be commercially focused and to get up and trading as quickly as possible.

We converted an old dairy to a meat cutting room. We developed our marketing materials. We set up our systems and processes and are now selling successfully in our area, with plans to apply the same approach to the sale of other products.

Our Brilliant Butchers

Martin Hyde

Genesis Farmers are fortunate in having Martin Hyde and his son Paul as key members of the team. Martin, our excellent butcher, lives in Brockhampton, started working in a butcher’s shop in Sherborne when he was 15 years of age and now has over 40 years experience in the trade. With a farming background and traditionally trained in butchery, he is keen to embrace modern cutting techniques as long as quality is not jeopardised. Martin takes real pride in the quality and presentation of his meat and is happy to discuss various cutting options with all our customers.

Paul Hyde

Paul, like his father, is Dorset born and bred and has a real appreciation of the country and farming in particular, having worked as a pig farmer for 15 years.

We were delighted when he recently decided to join Martin to expand our butchery team. We are keen to invite all our customers to visit us in Buckland Newton so that you are able to discuss your particular needs and see two brilliant butchers at work.

If you interested in what Genesis Farmers have done - and in our help if you would like to do the same - please do contact us

Ring: 01300 345388

Email:

info@genesisfarmers.co.uk

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