SHOP TALK IF I’D KNOWN THEN WHAT I KNOW NOW... ELLA SMART, co-owner, Ben & Ella’s Farm Shop, Halstead, Essex
In March 2020, coronavirus arrived and we had to adapt, refocusing the shop around a faster and simpler service experience. Then, a few months later, hot weather followed by flash floods meant that the soak-away behind the shop failed and pushed water through the back walls. We had to close for two weeks to repair all the damage. These things taught us an important lesson: you can never plan for everything. You just need to be flexible and determined – no matter how hopeless a situation may appear. But I would still say that the biggest challenge we have faced was getting our premises retailready in the first place. The old grain store we set up in is a Grade II listed barn with uneven floors and woodworm. It required extensive renovation and structural engineering. The actual business of running a farm shop plays to our combined experience, which is perhaps why this aspect came more naturally. Prior to opening the farm shop, Ben and I were running a wholesale bakery and working market stalls around Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire. Before that, we worked together in Michelin restaurants – Ben as a pastry chef and me as front-of-house management. We are both very environmentally conscious and wanted a business that would reflect that. We decided from the outset that we were going to be palm oil-free. We stand by that decision 100%, although it has been a challenge to find like-minded suppliers and has, at times, cost us customers. Our made-to-order cakes, for example, are made with butter, and therefore cost slightly more than the same products made with palm oil. Our original vision was for a luxury-oriented shop. However, with time, we have found ourselves moving to more of an essentials shop, stocking all the items you might find in a supermarket while maintaining our core values. We are also bigger than we ever expected to be. In October 2019, less than a year in, we took on a second barn opposite our shop, expanded into ethically sourced homewares and gifts and brought our bakery on-site. In hindsight, we should have incorporated the bakery into the shop from the start instead of operating it off-site as a separate wholesale business. Since bringing it over we have seen a huge increase in demand for bread and bakery items. Fresh bread is our best-seller, along with cheese from our all-British counter. After two years of trading, the business is turning over £400,000 and has just started to turn a profit. We’d like to look at opening satellite shops in surrounding villages, but first, our focus has to be consolidating and growing our customer base. Interview: Lynda Searby Photography: Craig Fountain
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April 2021 | Vol.22 Issue 3
