30 under 30 miles (2022)
Based in the heart of the East Devon countryside, Greendale Farm Shop is an award-winning family business with generations of farming experience. We take pride in selling meat from our own farmland and fish from our own boats, and we also believe it’s incredibly important – now more than ever – to support the superb local growers and producers on our doorstep here in the West Country. To this end, each week we’ll be featuring a different small business, all located within 30 miles of our Farm Shop, and all brilliant examples of the wonderful produce available locally. From artisan bakeries, dairies and micro-breweries to jam, preserve and fudge makers, soap producers and candle workshops, this small region has so many passionate and successful businesses. By filling our shop with their exceptional produce, we can offer Greendale customers a great choice, support our local economy and keep food miles to a minimum – it’s a ‘win-win’ as far as we’re concerned!
BRAND 30: LUSCOMBE DRINKS
For our final '30 Under 30', we're celebrating a true local legend! Based on a farm in deepest Devon, Luscombe has been making beautiful drinks since 1975, crafting their brilliant beverages with care and integrity. Gabriel David, the head of this family-owned business, sources ingredients direct from growers he trusts, ensuring that only the best goes in the bottle.
BRAND 29: Two Drifters
Two Drifters are the world’s first carbon negative rum distillery. Made down the road near Exeter Airport, Two Drifters rums are produced with careful detail at every stage. Made with 100% molasses, yeast and water the 4 rum types begin in the same way, with 7 days fermentation, twice distillation and dilution to the required ABVs using Two Drifter’s signature purified Devon water. All of the rum (2000 bottles a week!) is created from raw ingredients, and waste molasses are used by local farms. The character of each type is added with extreme attention to detail, the white rum is distilled for a third time, the signature rum is coloured with burnt sugar and the lightly spiced and pineapple rum are spiced with vanilla and star anise. Two Drifters aim to show the drinks industry what can be achieved by carefully considered businesses, whilst still remaining profitable. They have recently achieved B-Corp status, a recognition of their commitment to creating a positive impact.
BRAND 28: EXE COFFEE
Since 2004, Exe Coffee Roasters have had a reputation for making great coffee. They took this to the next level in 2015 when they installed their current roaster, the Probatone 12, in their roastery and coffee shop in the heart of Exeter (just down the road from Greendale Farm Shop). They now concentrate on supplying local businesses like ours with delicious, XCR coffee.
BRAND 27: CROSSED ANCHORS
In 2015, multi awarding-winning brewer and publican Olly Bainbridge produced his first beer through Cuckoo brewing (using spare capacity in an existing brewery), before opening a part-crowdfunded 6 barrel brewery in Exmouth in 2015. Crossed Anchors Brewing launched their first finely-crafted beers at The Grapevine’s 2015 Beer Festival. They were met with instant success and fast formed a notoriety that has found both local and non-local beer fans eagerly seeking and sampling every new batch with increased enthusiasm. Since its infancy Olly has been very clear that quality and integrity are key to brewing, leading to this fantastic selection of beers that are heavy on taste and flavour.
BRAND 26 ROLY'S FUDGE
Roly’s Fudge, located a mile from the Greendale Farm Shop, have been hand-making fudge, the traditional way, for over 35 years. Starting with founders Peter and Lindsey Riley making homemade fudge in their thatched cottage in Devon for family and friends and opening their first shop in Torquay in 1987. Roly’s Fudge now have independently-run family fudge pantries across the UK, all with the same values of the original shop – using simple ingredients based on their family recipe and using artisan methods in small batches to ensure maximum taste. They never use artificial colourings or flavourings, emulsifiers, additives or palm oils – opting for natural, authentic ingredients wherever possible. There are now 48 Roly’s Fudge shops across the UK owned by just 15 families, all handmaking their fudge in the window!
BRAND 25: ASHCOMBE ORGANIC CIDERS
Ashcombe Estates Cider is made from apples and nothing else. The three cider varieties are produced in-house and sweetened with their own apple juice, each year is a new vintage from the orchard’s old English apples. Ashcombe carefully and thoughtfully blend each production to create these authentic small batch organic ciders. Choose from: White’s Original Ashcombe Cider – 4%: A delicious, slightly sparkling cider, medium-dry with a crisp apple taste, Gratton’s Gold Ashcombe Cider – 3.5%: a slightly sparkling organic cider. 3.5% ABV with a taste of apples and fruit and St Nectar Ashcombe Cider – 4%: A medium organic cider with a fruity taste and clean finish. The ciders are named after key players in the Ashcombe Estate’s story. The White family were the last professional cider makers in Ashcombe, creating up until the 1950s. Gratton’s Gold takes its name from Peter Gratton who looked after the orchard for 59 years after the White Family had stopped farming. The St Nectar Cider is derived from St Nectan of Ashcombe’s 12th Century St Nectan’s Church. These authentic ciders – that Ashcombe take care to avoid over-processing – are now award-winning too, with St Nectar most recently winning Gold at the 2022 Taste of the West Awards.
BRAND 24: EXETER BREWERY
Exeter Brewery brew all of their beers in their 'Engine Room' just 8 miles away, next to Exeter St Davids station. Their first beer, the Ferryman, was first produced in 2003 under their original name - Topsham & Exminster Brewery - and it's still stocked in our farm shop today! They then went on to produce Devon's original organic ale, Avocet and have since produced Devon's original organic lager - IPL (It's Proper Lager) available in cans in our farm shop. From there, Exeter Brewery have continued to rapidly grow and have recently invested in 2 new fermenters that will produce up to 15,000 pints a week to keep up with increased demand! Throughout their growth, Exeter Brewery have remained tied to their community, working with a number of charities and sustainability projects including the Exeter Foundation and utilising wind-powered exports to France. From real ales and stouts, to lager and IPAs, we're proud to stock this fantastic selection of locally brewed beers in our farm shop. Let us know your favourite from Exeter Brewery in the comments!
BRAND 23: GOOD GAME
Good Game do everything by hand, like true artisans. Using traditional simple methods to make great food, they look to the Italians for inspiration and more natural methods. At their small facilities in Topsham and the Clyst Valley, they cure using only salt and natural Exe estuary air. They use no nitrates, saltpeter or curing agents - they don’t even use drying chambers, preferring to do it the traditional way. Good Game keep their own pigs, at Powderham, and they also buy from local friends who have native-breed pigs. Their game is either shot by them, or by local Devon folk they know; spices come from Devon producers or from a small, specialist importer who has direct contact with growers and can ensure quality levels. Good Game’s signature sausage is a Venison Salami.
BRAND 22: QUICKES CHEESES
At Quicke's, they understand that great cheese-making is an art. They have been nurturing the family's land at Home Farm for 14 generations, crafting the very finest flavours they can from their Farm in Newton St Cyres, Exeter, only 12 miles from the Greendale Farm Shop. They carefully manage these ancient pastures, feeding their specially-bred cows on lush grass year-round so that they give them the very best milk, its subtle shifts in flavour a true expression of the landscape from which it came. Every morning they collect this milk and use time-honoured methods, passed down through the generations, to create their magnificent Cheddar. Each truckle is handmade, cloth-bound and slow-matured to perfection in the cool quiet of their ripening rooms. They're passionate about what they do, and proud of every award-winning cheese they make. Whilst their Buttery Cheddar reaches perfection in as little as three months, they're happy to let Quicke's Vintage develop for a full two years, making it the country's longest-matured clothbound cheddar. After all, you can't rush greatness.
BRAND 21: POWDERKEG BREWERY
This multi-award-winning micro-brewery is based here at Greendale. Powderkeg beers are hand-crafted in small batches, naturally carbonated and matured to their best on-site at the brewery. Powderkeg’s innovative range of real ales and lager has quickly garnered respect and recognition; ‘Cut Loose’, a pilsner, won ‘Best Independent Premium Craft Lager’ from the Society of Independent Brewers in 2020 and ‘Green Light’, a low alcohol ale, won Best UK Low ABV Pale Ale at the World Beer Awards 2019. John Magill, founder and owner of the brewery, says, ‘At Powderkeg, we look forward and outward. We combine international beer styles with exciting new ingredients sourced from around the world, tweaking tradition to produce progressive beers for those who think about what they drink.’
BRAND 20: DEVONSHIRE TEAS
Devonshire Tea includes Classic Breakfast (winner of a Food Drink Devon Producer Award 2021) and Earl Grey. These high-grade classic blends have been lovingly created by a little company in Devon, delivering depth of flavour to tea-drinkers anywhere! Devonshire Tea is sourced from ethical estates around the world to protect tea workers and their environment. The tea is packed here in the UK into plastic-free, home compostable ‘stitched’ tea bags which don’t contain glue or staples. These are wonderful blends to brighten every day!
BRAND 19: ORCHARDMAN CHARCOAL
Orchardman are based in an old cider orchard just 7 miles down the road in East Devon. They create over 12,000kg of premium-grade retorted charcoal from sustainable coppiced British woodlands a year. They use sustainable methods to create clean burning and up to 98% pure carbon product. Orchardman keep the environment and sustainability at the core of their business, even their packaging is 100% recyclable. Their agroforestry system has been developed to create a strong eco-system and protect natural habitats for wildlife such as the bees that produce honey in their hives and the birds that enjoy the orchard. The charcoal lights easily, needing only paper twists and no chemical firelighters or fuels, and burns slowly and evenly for a premium barbecuing experience.
BRAND 18: DADDY D'S
Daddy D's was formed in Paignton by Drew and his wife to bring the Jamaican flavours they grew up with to Devon. They strive for authenticity in everything they create, from the dishes in their own food delivery service to the hot sauces and marinades we sell here at the farm shop. The sauces are full of real Caribbean flavour from a rich blend of Jamaican ingredients. Ideal for BBQ season, these spicy and flavourful sauces are the perfect addition to fish, meat or veg. All of the sauces are vegan, gluten-free and have no artificial additives. Daddy D's pride themselves on perfection and bringing their own fusion of Caribbean flavours to the South West and in the future, across the UK.
BRAND 17: LOCAL CIDER PRODUCERS
This week, our '30 under 30 miles' campaign is celebrating some of the best cider producers here in Devon. We’re proud stockists of excellent locally-made ciders - from Sheppy's, Hunt's, Norcotts, Gray's, Four Elms and our own Greendale Scrumpy.
BRAND 16: FOUR ELMS FRUIT FARM
Four Elms Fruit Farm established its roots in Devon more than 50 years ago and has been run by the Smedley family since the early 1960s. Now into its third generation of family ownership, Four Elms continues to commit its investment in modern orchards and infrastructure, providing a sustainable future for apple production.
Each individual apple is carefully hand-picked from one of Four Elms’ own attentively nurtured Devon orchards just 5 miles down the road in Newton Poppleford, before being pressed while still fresh. Four Elms Fruit Farm grows a wide variety of high quality apples, including Cox, Russet, Gala, Braeburn and Bramley; it uses them to produce a range of delicious apple juices, pressed and bottled in Sidmouth, Devon. In excess of 1kg of apples is used in each 75cl bottle, with no added sugars, water or concentrates to interfere with the magnificent taste of the apples.
We also stock a range of Real Devonshire Ciders produced by Four Elms. Hand Crafted in the heart of the Westcountry, Four Elms ciders are made exclusively from apples grown by the Smedley family in Sidmouth, Devon.
Four Elms Fruit Farm take great pride in supporting the environment in and around the 70 acre orchards. Over the recent years Four Elms became an ambassador for the 'East Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty' and aim to educate and encourage the public to cherish the glorious area of East Devon. Multiple areas surrounding the apple orchards have recently been planted with wild flower meadows in support of a great number of insect species including the bees from the 40 hives around the farm.
BRAND 15 : BAR BUOY
After several years of being both behind and in front of bars around the world, our founder Tim Ball has learnt a thing of two about how to make a good drink. So when the world pressed pause in 2020, Tim dreamt up Bar Buoy Cocktails on the beach in Exmouth along with his wife and business partner Ria. With a taste for well-made drinks and a thirst for the perfect sized pre-mixed sundowner, Tim created a range of handcrafted, premium, cocktails to be enjoyed at home, sent as gifts or served in bars. The main aim has been to put some smiles back on faces and we do this by producing exceptionally high standard cocktails whilst making sure our business doesn’t have a negative impact on the thing we love the most; the sea.
Bar Buoy donate 1% of our sales to Project Seagrass.
They chose to support Project Seagrass because it’s a charity devoted to the conservation of seagrass ecosystems through education, influence, research and action They were blown away when they learnt that seagrass meadows are one of most productive and multifunctional ecosystems on the planet. They are biologically rich and play a significant role in sequestering carbon and mitigating the effects of climate change. They have also carefully considered our packaging to ensure it is plastic free. They use biodegradable labels made from sugar cane as well as 100% compostable tamper seals made from wood pulp.
BRAND 14: THE CRUSTY COB
A long-time favourite... The Crusty Cob. The Crusty Cob was established in 1969, by Michael & Patricia Tubbs who purchased an existing bakery in Ottery St Mary. Michael had perfected his artisan knowledge and skills from scholarships in Switzerland and Germany and at 35, set about baking for customers in his new bakery with Patricia. Their focus was on providing high quality service and new products to customers in the area.
The bakery has since moved just 3 miles down the road from the farm shop, and with a lot of help along the way from their talented family members, they finally retired in 2003 and The Crusty Cob was incorporated and passed onto their children. Neil, Howard and Trudy have upheld the high quality of service and product that Michael and Patricia introduced in 1969, creating delicious, traditional and wholesome products that we're proud to stock in our farm shop.
BRAND 13: Waterhouse Fayre
Ann Stallard, founder of Waterhouse Fayre, has been making jams and preserves for over 18 years! Waterhouse Fayre started as Ann found she had surplus fruit from growing and selling her own fruit and decided to learn to make jams and chutneys. A family business from the beginning, her niece has helped out from the first local market stall all the way through to being an award-winning producer stocked across the West Country, with more family members joining the business along the way.
All of the Waterhouse Fayre products are created in small batches, around 20 pots of jam at a time, which isn’t dissimilar to what you’d make at home! This careful production method ensures perfect results with a really high fruit content. The passion and care put into Waterhouse Fayre preserves has been noticed by customers all over the West Country. They have won a number of awards, most recently receiving Gold awards for their Gin & Orange Marmalade and Whortleberry Preserve from Taste of the West.
Their use of homegrown and locally-sourced ingredients allows for a low carbon footprint as part of their commitment to sustainability. The ever-growing business has now moved to a smallholding just outside of Tiverton, with a purpose-built unit designed to blend into the surroundings and solar panels that cover 1/3 of their energy usage.
BRAND 12: CHOCOLATE BY ANNIE
Chocolate by Annie is based just 11 miles from the farm shop on the outskirts of Exeter. Formerly the nationally-known ‘Chocolate Pizza Company’, Annie decided in 2021 to streamline the business and focus on selling flavoured chocolates to local outlets and farm shops.
As a Devon producer, Annie is a big supporter of shopping local, from small businesses. Keeping it small and local ensures the highest standards can be maintained; Chocolate by Annie products are made by hand from Belgian chocolate flavoured with delicious, tried and tested combinations. Additionally, Annie reduces waste through her minimalist packaging solutions and personal delivery service.
Her products really are delicious, the Dark Chocolate Raspberry Shards received a Silver Award from Taste of the West and we highly recommend her best-seller – Salted Caramel Milk Chocolate Honeycomb.
BRAND 11: THE RECYCLED CANDLE CO.
We love these beautiful candles - all the more so because they’re carefully crafted from waste material. The Recycled Candle Co. team collects scrap candle wax, preventing it from going to landfill, then melts it down, cleans it, dyes it and scents it before using it to make new candles. Customers are encouraged to deposit old candles, including here at Greendale. These are then recycled again – a clever, ‘closed-loop’ production process that keeps waste to a minimum without compromising on quality. So far, they have saved over 40 tons of wax from landfill.
BRAND 10: SHALDON BAKERY
Make way for the Ugli Bun! This hugely popular treat comes from Shaldon Bakery - AKA the Surfing Bakers - just 18 miles from Greendale Farm Shop. Big, spicy and full of fruit, the Ugli Bun has made a name for itself in Devon - we're currently offering 3 buns for £5 at the Farm Shop and online, so why not see for yourself what all the fuss is about!
BRAND 9: GINGER CAT
After spending ten years working in an office, with dreams of starting their own home-baked food business, Ben and Sally Sullivan noticed that a shop in Exminster had come up for sale; they decided to take the plunge, and in July 2015 The Ginger Cat Deli was born! You'll find their delicious, hand-made pies here at Greendale Farm Shop and on our website.
BRAND 8: LYME BAY WINERY
Lyme Bay Winery is a small, dedicated West Country company passionate about producing delicious, award-winning English Wines, Country Wines, ciders, meads and liqueurs from our home in Devon’s beautiful Axe Valley. Everything they do is inspired by traditional recipes but they like to push the boundaries so they use the most up-to-date production techniques and employ some of the country’s most talented winemaking and brewing experts.
BRAND 7b: POPPY'S PAW
Poppy’s paws is a multi award winning independent family run pet shop located just down the road from us, in Exmouth. Poppy’s Paws believe that all animals should be fed the best food possible to maintain their health and wellbeing. A well fed pet means less Vet bills in the future. Happy Pets = Happy Owners. Their products are specifically chosen by the specially-trained staff to help keep pets healthy and sometimes cure or prevent common conditions.
BRAND 7a: Lawoofs
Run by Hollie, her partner Andy and most importantly Barketing Manager Otis the dog, Lawoofs of Devon specialises in planet friendly and British made dog products.
They make luxury pet care products that are either planet-friendly or locally-made, so you can shop guilt-free. Like us, they believe sourcing locally, and reducing their carbon footprint where possible, is the way forward. They also use recyclable packaging, use natural products and work with local communities.
BRAND 6: WINSOR FLOWER STUDIO
Winsor Flower Studio is located in the heart of Exminster Village, just 6.5 miles from Greendale Farm Shop. It's owned by multi-award winning Master Florist, Amanda Winsor, who supplies us with fabulous floral creations all year round.
BRAND 5: SWANAFORD ESTATE
BRAND 4: BUZZ COFFEE
Based in the seaside town of Sidmouth (about 9 miles from Greendale Farm Shop), Buzz Coffee was established in 2018 by coffee-loving ‘geeky mumpreneur’ (her words!), Lameze. Having noticed that consumers’ choice of coffee was effectively being limited to the varieties chosen by main retailers, Lameze decided to learn more about it, and discovered that there are in fact myriad coffee varieties - and tastes – to explore. After booking herself on a series of courses to learn the art of speciality coffee roasting, Lameze imported a 6kg Haoran roaster (fondly known as ‘Hester’), sourced her first green coffee beans and has never looked back!
Provenance is really important for Buzz Coffee; the company works with international partners to find the best green coffee beans from Fairtrade, organic, rainforest-friendly and sustainable coffee farms all over the world. Working directly with small producers helps to make the supply chain more efficient, and maximises the amount of money that goes back to the producers. When the beans arrive at Buzz HQ, they’re roasted according to type and origin (among other factors), in order to produce the most delicious coffee possible. This is not always a straightforward process, as each crop of coffee varies depending on where and how it has been grown (though Lameze happily admits that the occasional mistake sometimes leads to the perfect roast!). After taste-testing and quality checking, the beans are bagged - some are also ground - then packaged and delivered.
Buzz is a one-woman business, flying the flag for female entrepreneurs. Owner and head roaster, Lameze, has been using her experience developing Buzz to teach others. Most recently, she's been helping girls in East Devon schools to learn more about entrepreneurship and future career confidence.
Like Lameze, we love our coffee here at Greendale. We’re delighted to be part of the ‘buzz’, stocking her brilliant roast beans and ground coffee - especially as they’re made less than ten miles from our door!
Brand 3: Mins
Based in Sidmouth, less than nine miles from Greendale Farm Shop, Mins was the brainchild of two Sidmouth locals (and old friends), Tom and Polly. Having noticed a gap in the busy UK vitamins market, in 2020 Tom contacted Polly – an established graphic designer – with an idea for a new vitamin brand. Specifically, he wanted to create an approachable, aspirational and attainable offering that was both vegan and sugar-free. Through hours of tweaking, testing and friendly debate, the pair worked together to develop a fun, bright and engaging brand: Mins.
The first Mins product is a chewable, easy-to-take vitamin D supplement, blending plant-based vitamin D2 with turmeric and natural lemon extract. Produced in a UKAS (UK) and NSF (USA) accredited facility, with additional certification for Halal production, SUNBEAM gummies are 100% vegan and allergen-free, made with natural colours and flavouring, and contain no added sugar. Often referred to as ‘the sunshine vitamin’, vitamin D is produced when skin is exposed to sunlight. It’s key to maintaining healthy bones, muscles and teeth, but it can be hard to access; few foods contain vitamin D in large amounts, and winter light levels are often too low to provide a useful amount (not helped by a natural tendency to spend more time indoors at this time of year). Public Health England recently issued a statement advising the use of a daily vitamin D supplement, especially during winter.*
Mins products are supplied in fully recyclable pots (the lids are recyclable, too), and packaged in boxes produced by a carbon-balanced printer partnered with the World Land Trust, an international conservation charity. Mins also works with registered charity, One Feeds Two; every pot of Mins products sold will provide a school meal for a child in poverty.
BRAND 2: Otter Vale
Otter Vale chutneys and preserves are deservedly popular with Greendale Farm Shop customers - we’ve long been fans of these delicious, traditionally-made products. This proudly Devonian business has been part of life for the Laxon family since the 1970s, when Seymour Laxon joined the Budleigh Salterton enterprise that would eventually become Otter Vale. In the mid-1990s, Jon and Christine Laxon took on the business, developing an award-winning product range; their son Ben took over as Managing Director in 2014, overseeing the company’s move to new, purpose-built kitchens in Cullompton, mid-Devon (about 15 miles away from Greendale).
Otter Vale takes ‘supporting local’ seriously; as well as employing local people, the company also sources ingredients and packaging from local producers and suppliers wherever possible (though Devonian pineapple growers have so far proved sadly elusive!). This in turn helps to reduce any environmental impact, another key issue for the business, which is a member of the Grow Green Exeter initiative and remains committed to being as sustainable as possible. Otter Vale is currently focused on reducing unnecessary plastic use in production and packaging; products are sold in recyclable glass jars made by a South-West based company, with cardboard packaging supplied by a local Forest Stewardship Council-certified business.
Otter Vale continues to win awards (most recently, for its Lime, Lemon and Exeter Gin Marmalade, and Marmalade with Ginger and Spiced Rum, both the results of collaborations with local craft specialists Exeter Gin and Two Drifters Rum). They are a proper local success story, and we can’t wait to see what they come up with next!
BRAND 1: SEA ARCH DRINKS
Based just 25 miles from Greendale Farm Shop, Sea Arch Drinks was created by Sarah and Geoff Yates. Named after an iconic rock formation found on the couples’ favourite stretch of Devon coastline, Sea Arch is a non-alcoholic spirit, made using traditional distillation techniques. It’s entirely free from alcohol, sugar and calories, but make no mistake; this is a properly ‘grown up’ spirit, created with complex natural botanicals, including sea kelp, samphire, cardamom and blood orange, for a clean, sophisticated and delicious taste that’s as uplifting as a walk on the beach.
Importantly, Sea Arch production and packaging processes are designed to have the lowest possible environmental impact; all packaging used by the company is plastic-free and recyclable or compostable, and the bottles themselves are decorated with solvent-free paint. This strong sense of responsibility for the environment is also evident in the company’s support for The Seahorse Trust, which works to protect the marine environment in Devon and across the UK, as well as worldwide, ensuring that seahorses (and people) can enjoy unspoilt coastal habitats for years to come.
These serious eco-credentials are yet another good reason why we’re delighted to stock Sea Arch here at Greendale - you’ll find it with the alcoholic spirits at Greendale Farm Shop and on our website.
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