THE CULLIMORE GROUP GOES BACK TO ITS FARMING ROOTS

Gloucestershire haulage and aggregates company The Cullimore Group has re-launched Cullimore Farms, and in just a year has achieved Red Tractor Assurance accreditation.

The farm is growing barley, wheat and maize, rearing Gloucester Old Spot pigs and Charolais cows for pork and beef, and Cotswold Legbar and Burford Brown chickens for eggs.

It is also working farmland in Stroud, the Cotswold Water Park, Twyning and Ripple.

The Red Tractor mark is only found on food and drinks that are sourced from UK farms and have been checked from farm to basket.

Moreton Cullimore, Partner in the firm, said: “The Cullimores were farmers long before the first truck hit the road.

“While my father kept the farm operational with arable farming and about 300 dairy cattle, milk prices meant that

“This time next year I hope to be able to enjoy a nice cold glass of cider too. Which is most welcome when you’ve spent the day in the fields” a dairy farm of that size could not remain a viable commercial entity.

“The decision was made last year to bring me in as a managing partner while my father eases into retirement. We have been working around the clock and my first goal is for the farm to become self-sufficient, then offer services to others in the agricultural community.

“There’s been a lot of blood, sweat and tears this past year, but now we have reached Red Tractor standards it’s all been worthwhile. To see the logo on our produce demonstrates we are farming ethically – which benefits the end user.”

Moreton has also been busy planting cider apple, pear and plum trees. He added: “This time next year I hope to be able to enjoy a nice cold glass of cider too. Which is most welcome when you’ve spent the day in the fields.”

Growth kicks off for rugby player’s home audio company

Smart Homes Sounds, the Gloucesterbased home audio company, founded by former England and Gloucester rugby player Andy Hazell, has doubled in size over the last 24 months, generating an annual turnover of £3 million.

The company, which has offices at Churcham Business Park in Gloucester and a “listening pod” in Cheltenham, sells smart speakers by manufacturers such as Sonos, Bluesound, Kef, Bowers & Wilkins and Marshall.

Andy said: “We’ve seen the popularity of smart speakers surge, especially in the past 12 months.

“As a result, we’re growing month on month. Website traffic has also doubled with customers viewing our video tutorials.”

It’s been a year of change for clothing retailer Weird Fish, which has undergone key management and administrative changes. The company hopes the changes will set a “solid platform for significant future growth”.

Turnover at the retailer rose marginally to £22 million.

During the year the company, which relocated to Tewkesbury in 2018 after 24 years in Cheltenham, outsourced its distribution and logistics to Torque Logistics in Leeds.

The company continues to invest in its products, distribution channels and systems, as well as customer experience in-store and online.

Weird Fish has 17 branded stores and more than 1,400 stockists across the UK.

The company has also introduced a range of sustainable fabrics this year through the work of its research and development team, including bamboo, linen and Tencel – the latter of which has received a European Award for the Environment.

John Stockton, Managing Director of Weird Fish, said: “We will continue to increase the use of ecofriendly fabrics in our clothing and accessories. We then plan on moving to more platinum-rated ethical manufacturers and will widen our partnerships and collaborations with like-minded organisations.”