Exciting and daunting
Jenny Thornhill
Our plans to get our yoghurts and cream out of plastic and into glass moved a step closer last week when we were notified that our proposal had received planning permission. Welcome news indeed!
Part of the plans include some improvements to the shop space, mainly creating better storage areas. The present shop layout works very well and has a lovely ‘farm feel’ about it and this has been a big part of the considerations when looking at what improvements we should make. We are very fortunate to have such a lovely building to work in and run the shop from.
But the main part of the plans involves the dairy moving some of its operation into a building behind the shop that has been empty for many, many years. All things cheesy - cheese making, cheese storage (the cheese cave), and cheese cutting will move into here, allowing the present dairy space to convert to bottling milk, yoghurt making and yoghurt potting…into returnable, reusable glass jars, with all the pot washer machines required.
There is still a long way to go but we’re over the first main hurdle.
Now we need to work on the details and cost it all. It won’t be cheap, but it’s a move we feel compelled to make. Once we are clearer about costs, we will formulate a plan to raise the funds.
This is a development that really fits with a sustainable future on the farm, and we hope there are funds and grants that we can apply for to make this happen.
Equally, if anyone out there reading this feels excited by this proposal and can assist financially, we’d love to hear from you. Maybe we can name the building after you…
