Farm Shop Diversification

From Potatoes to Profits: The Summers Family’s Journey into Farm Retail

For the Summers family, selling directly from the farm has always been a part of their heritage. What began as eldest son Frank's roadside stall selling surplus produce has now grown into a thriving farm shop, showcasing local products and connecting the community with their agricultural roots.

From Humble Beginnings

Selling directly from the farm gate is nothing new to the Summers family. Sam Summers recalls, “Instead of giving the boys pocket money, I would let them pick out the smaller under 45mm potatoes from the potato grader. They’d bag them up and sell them on the roadside. Much to my surprise, they made over £1,000 in profit from the first lot! Ever since then, they’ve always had a stall by the roadside selling bits from the farm like plums and walnuts.”

In 2019, Frank expanded this venture by setting up a plant-growing business, initially selling hanging baskets. The business's success encouraged Frank to think bigger. With local nurseries in abundance and high competition, he decided that a farm shop would be the best next step.

Launching Seed Farm Shop

A redundant turkey shed on the farmyard provided the perfect base for their new venture. With the help of a local planning company, the building was transformed into a bright and welcoming shop. “It’s a lot easier if you’ve got a building to convert, as planning is very simple then. If you’ve got to build something, that’s where it becomes tricky. Having the old turkey shed made it much easier,” explains Sam.

Seed Farm Shop opened its doors on 6th April 2024. Sam tactically chose the launch date: “We opened on April 6th 2024 solely due to the tax year! I run all the books, so for ease, I wanted to make sure we waited until the new tax year so that it could run alongside the farming accounting.”

Supporting Local Producers

The Summers family is proud to showcase their own products and support local producers. “It’s been good for us going around local producers to stock the farm shop. I didn’t know there were so many local producers within such a low mileage to us. We’ve got two butchers within a stone’s throw supplying us with rare breed meats, and bakers and other suppliers close by. Everyone is within a 50-mile radius, much less in most cases,” says Sam.

Farming Heritage

The family has farmed at Rectory Farm outside of Newmarket since 1943. Their main crops are potatoes and onions, along with cereal crops grown for the brewing trade. They’ve also started experimenting with the renewable crop miscanthus, taking the first cut in summer 2024. Solar panels installed by Sam power the entire farm, including the farm shop.

“Having the farm shop doesn’t change the way we farm. We’re still a small, mixed family farm. Everyone gets stuck in and does their bit to help. We’re just trying to highlight what we do and educate people about where their local food comes from,” explains Sam.

Lucie, Sam’s wife, heads marketing for Seed Farm Shop. She runs the social media pages and shares posts in local groups to target the community. Advertising in local village magazines has also spiked visitor numbers, now welcoming sixty to seventy visitors most days.

A Team Effort

Running the shop is a team effort, with sons Frank and Arthur, and Arthur's girlfriend Cassie each taking two days to manage the shop, along with Lucie and Sam. Tuesdays are well-earned days off and a chance to catch up on admin tasks.

Looking Ahead

The Summers family is happy with their current pace and has no aspirations to compete with larger farm shops. “We look at one week or one month at a time. Don’t have unrealistic expectations. As long as it wipes its face to begin with, that’s fine. We don’t need to be millionaires out of it. We just want to be able to continue and build,” Sam says.

Expanding the number of polytunnels is a potential option Frank is considering. Growing more of their own fruits and vegetables, such as strawberries and raspberries, would allow them to increase profits and reduce waste by picking to order rather than risking perishable items on the shelf.

Recently, Sam invested in a robotic arm to assist with the potato enterprise, easing the workload for him and Frank and allowing them to focus on other farming tasks.

Advice for Aspiring Diversifiers

Launching a farm shop is no small feat, and having family support has been crucial for the success of Seed Farm Shop. Sam offers advice to other farmers considering diversification: “Be realistic with your expectations; it needs to grow and build over time. Speak to people; it’s been a learning curve and really interesting to meet local producers. But you don’t meet them without speaking to them. Aim at your local audience; they’re on your doorstep, and people like to buy local.”

Watch the full diversification story video here. 

To find out how NFU Mutual can help with your diversification journey, contact your local agency.