INNOVATIVE FARMING

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INNOVATIVE FARMING FOR WELLBEING

TECHNOLOGY AND NATURE IN HARMONY.

hen you think of the rolling pastures of Cornwall’s Roseland Peninsula, you might not immediately consider that these areas are a hidden gem of British agri-tech and farm diversification. Trelonk, overlooking the fal estuary near Ruan High Lanes, is a 170-acre estate at the heart of specialist oil seed farming. Using cutting-edge technologies and sustainable practices, Trelonk has just launched innovative health and wellness therapy products to help support people living with stress, chronic and acute conditions, sleep issues and joint and muscular concerns. Their focus on environmental responsibility is clear through their application to be COSMOS Natural. certified.

Before 2018, Trelonk Farm had conventional livestock and cereal crops. The team undertook extensive research into nutraceutical and cannabinoid crop production and the suitability of the Cornish climate for crops specialist crops such as Calendula, Camelina, Sunflower and Borage. A licence to cultivate industrial hemp from the Home Office was secured allowing this versatile crop to sit front and centre. Nutraceuticals have high nutrient value and are used as supplements, or in alternative therapies. Oilseed crops produce rich oil high in fatty acids, with many proven benefits to health and wellbeing.

The crops, native to the warmer climes of the Mediterranean and South America, have flourished and thanks to the agronomic skills of the Trelonk team, yields have improved year on year. Roses have been returned to the Roseland with 20,000 plants cultivated, which will be extracted for the uplifting Roseland rose oil. Bulk herbs are now being grown at Trelonk including Sage, Lavender, Rosemary, Feverfew, Sweet Marjoram and Mint which will be harvested and extracted through super critical extraction and distillation methods for their essential oils.

Founder Mark Parnall believes there is a significant opportunity to connect the authentic origins of Cornish grown crops and world-class science to help people who do not always want to turn to pharmaceutical solutions. He says: “Living through Covid-19 has caused a shift in attitude towards plant science, along with compelling research showing the effectiveness of particular plant molecules on human health.” His aim is to retain the product development and production on site and take farm diversification to another level. These powerful plants are then cold-pressed onsite and used as base carriers for Trelonk’s expert aromacologist, Kim Lahiri, to blend with high-impact essential oils. Trelonk is able to analyse the structure and molecular make-up of its crops to harness Cornwall’s full plant potential and pin-point the most powerful molecules.

The pain, mind and sleep formulas are boosted with active ingredients, known as terpenes, designed to target specific conditions – like insomnia, stress, lack of focus and hyperactivity. Terpenes are a family of aroma molecules that contribute to how things smell, like when you zest a lemon. When terpenes are inhaled, they interact with hundreds of different olfactory receptors found on nerve cells inside the human nose. The olfactory system is linked to the centres of the brain that regulate both emotions and hormone production, which means that terpene inhalation has the potential to affect many bodily processes from stress to sleep cycles. It’s this combination of Trelonk’s nutraceutical crops, essential oils and targeted plant terpenes that creates wellbeing at a molecular level.

This new innovation has turned Trelonk into a bustling life science campus, attracting interest from plant-tech science companies all over the world. Newly resident is Phytome Life Sciences, a team of highly skilled scientists in plant genomics-to-clinical application.

New brand ‘Wild Cornwall’ has also been brought to life by Trelonk’s focus on wellness through nutraceuticals and the health benefits provided by the wild, foraged ingredients that can be found on Cornish land. The Wild Cornwall team have created superb dining essentials like their Hedgerow Burger Relish and Wild Gorse Pancake Syrup.