A conversation with Adam Dandy

Entering the family business

WHEN YOU ARE BORN INTO A FAMILY with a family business that dates back nearly 200 years, there can be an overwhelming expectation that you will step in and continue the business –leaving it for the next generation to take up the baton.

However, Adam Dandy, owner of Dandy’s Topsoil & Landscape Supplies, originally had no plans to enter the family firm. He had ambitions to join the Cheshire Constabulary. He even became a Special Officer at 18 and continued to serve with them while studying at college. However, having finished college he found himself driving a wagon for his father and realised he needed to make a decision about his future.

Adam explains:

“Although I was enjoying driving the wagon, I wasn’t really invested in the business long-term at that point. However, I went with my dad to JCB in Uttoxeter to attend a tour of the factory. During the visit the tour guide told us a story about how Mr Joseph Cyril Bamford CBE had stopped his son being late for work – by fining him £100 for every minute he was late. My dad thought this was a great idea and I soon owed him more than I was earning. It also made me realise it was better to be the one making the money!”

Matters of the heart

In 2004 Adam took three months out of the business to travel around Australia with his then-best friend, who is now his wife. On his return from travelling, he threw his energy into Dandy’s, pushing the business to grow over the first five years. With his keen interest in technology, Adam embraced the early days of the internet, making Dandy’s the first company in the UK to sell landscape materials online.

Adam adds:

“It was nerve-wracking starting to sell online. We kept it simple to start with. A one tonne bag of topsoil delivered to anywhere in the country for a fixed amount. Within our first 24 hours we had 30 pallets going to the South East.”

Today the business sells 75% online –and the majority of that is still to the South East.

Flattening the curve

Adam and his wife Clare bought out Adam’s parents in 2007. At the time, the company was targeting primarily landscapers, so Dandy’s Topsoil was a very seasonal business. With ambitions to grow, in 2010 Adam decided to purchase 2,000 tonnes of Rock Salt from British Salt, to distribute to councils for gritting. Whether it was luck or good judgment, Adam picked one of the coldest winters on record and managed to establish a loyal customer base. This diversification has enabled Dandy’s Topsoil to have a more sustainable year-round business with fewer peaks and troughs.

Celebrity endorsement

Visit Dandy’s website or social media and you can’t fail to see the smiling face of Dion Dublin, TV presenter, football director and pundit, and former professional footballer. Not necessarily an obvious ambassador for landscape supplies, but Adam explains how this came about.

“We have established a great relationship with Dion and I would go as far as to say he has become a close family friend too. However, we first met Dion when he had taken to Twitter to find a landscape gardener for his home in Knutsford. Several people recommended Dandy’s and we contacted him. Although we wouldn’t normally undertake the landscape work, we decided on this occasion to lay the turf for him. The project was a challenging one, but by the time we had completed it, we had created a fantastic garden for him and got to know him personally too.

“People buy on trust, and this is particularly true with online sales. If you can demonstrate a genuine, trusted relationship, you are likely to increase your conversion rates. Dion was a happy customer, and we were looking for a face that would be recognised and trusted by people, particularly in the South East.

“We approached Dion to become the face of Dandy’s and were delighted when he agreed.

“He has been our ambassador since late 2019. So far, it is working out very well for us and we had some real fun with him when we did our photoshoot!”

Making a difference

The first five years of running Dandy’s was all about developing the business and ensuring that Dandy’s as a business was sustainable.

But when Adam had the opportunity to undertake some charity work for a Leukaemia charity, he found that he felt a sense of genuine happiness from going in there and really making a difference. It made him realise that Dandy’s success meant that he could channel some of his energy into helping the local community and further afield.

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is not a box ticking exercise at Dandy’s. The whole team is committed to making a difference. Adam recognised a need for local support in Sealand and Blacon, so raised £2,000 via crowd funding to build and fill the shelves of a Food Bank based at Dandy’s depot. The company has also donated a wagon-full of food to other local food banks.

The sales team is also empowered to help charities where they can, like selling gravel to them at cost price. But when local charity Stick ‘n’ Step needed help laying it, Dandy’s team rolled their sleeves up and helped them in their own time.

Adam is pleased that the Dandy’s story has taken him in all kinds of interesting and unexpected directions over the years: “I think making that judgement call years ago, to invest myself and my life in the family business, was the best decision I ever made. It’s been an amazing journey and one I feel has further to travel.”

Greening the business

As a company that relies on heavy machinery and trucks, it’s hard for Dandy's to reduce its carbon footprint, but the business is committed to doing everything it can to minimise its impact:

• £35,000 investment in solar panels – these produce 35 kW electricity, which is enough to power the office, shop and most of the farm. It also powers the fleet of Ginger Scooters that operate in Chester city centre.

• £500,000 invested in the very latest Eco-delivery vehicles, fitted with Euro 6 Adblue engines.

• Utilising and blending most of Cheshire West’s green waste to produce a range of fertile growing medium, for gardeners and growers across the UK.

• The introduction of a soil specially designed for vegetable growing to encourage people to ‘grow their own’ and help reduce food miles.