Lester of Lester’s Farm Shop, Drury Lane, Buckley, Flintshire, spoke with Horticulture Wales about how the Pandemic has impacted his business, and how the business has adapted and changed to meet customer demand. The Farm Shop has been in business for 18 years, and has an onsite Café and plant centre.
When the café at the Farm Shop closed, Lester knew he would have to adapt to ensure local people had access to essential food items. He sourced new suppliers, and set up a delivery service for groceries, fruit, veg, meat, milk and other essentials.
Lester said:
“With the café closed, and that income gone, in order for the business to survive, I had to adapt. Previous to this, it was hard, as fruit and veg has very tight margins and market conditions were very competitive.
Market conditions are not easy, especially with the local supermarkets and, before this, it was hard to see the market surviving, but the biggest surprise has been how much the local community have supported us. It has been like working on three Christmases all at once, very busy.
Setting up the deliveries for socially isolated and vulnerable wasn’t to do with the money, it was about helping people, and the local community, and putting Drury on the map.”
The demand for deliveries has been so successful that there are now plans to put a butchers into the Farm Shop, and Lester is working on long-standing plans to grow locally, as well as plans for chickens to provide local free-range eggs.
Lester said:
“For the future, I hope to produce more good quality, home-grown produce on my land, fresh to the Farm Shop, and I hope that people will continue to support local.”
To find out more about the home delivery service offered by Lester’s Farm Shop, visit their Facebook Page:
https://en-gb.facebook.com/pages/category/Shopping—Retail/Lesters-Farm-Shop-355209128188/
For more information, please visit their website:
