Farm shop helps produce success

Jun 27 2008 by Naomi Dunning, Chester Chronicle

Farm shop helps produce success

THE Hollies Farm Shop in Cheshire has come a long way from the wheelbarrow of vegetables sold at the side of the road in 1959.

When the Little Budworth shop started life, customers would help themselves to vegetables from the barrow at the garden gate, and leave their money in an honesty box.

This didn’t last for long as the honesty box was stolen, but the family decided to move the business to the shed.

With each generation the shop has expanded, from the farmhouse to a small timber framed shop in the 1970s, to the current building.

Now The Hollies has expanded beyond recognition. Inside it has a colourful display of vegetables, the majority of which are grown on the farm. It has its own bakery, a small coffee shop that sells Snugburys and Cheshire farm ice cream and they have their own nursery.

Edward Cowap and his brother Phil run the business, along with their parents and family and they employ about 75 members of staff. They have also won a hat-trick of back-to-back awards at The Visit Chester and Cheshire annual Tourism awards.

Edward and Phil were brought up working on the farm helping to supply the shop.

Edward said: “We have just grown up helping our Mum and Dad, planting lettuces and picking potatoes. In hindsight I wouldn’t change anything, but at the time when I was younger it seemed quite harsh. I couldn’t go and play with my friends until some of the jobs for the shop had been done.”

“When my brother and I left school, we were wondering what we were going to do with the business. We only have a small farm and farming was struggling. So we decided to build up the shop.”

“The business has really grown. We opened another shop near Stockton Heath in March last year. When we look back over the past 15 years we sometimes have to pinch ourselves because of what we have achieved.”

Edward said the core of his business is about what they can grow on the farm, but they also use other farms and small local businesses.

He added: “If you can get it locally then that is our priority. But then we will search further afield for the full variety of products.”

Last year, the family opened another outlet in Stockton Heath which includes the Concept Cafe. The 60-seat cafe specialises in simple local food.