Meet the member:
Greenheart Growers

My background was in Community Development managing the YMCA in Glasgow, a registered charity. I did love my time in that sector, however my passion for growing food (acquired whilst studying permaculture in Sydney Australia) became very strong. I could also appreciate a shortage in supply of organic produce in Scotland as compared to other parts of the world. I knew the emphasis on generating income for a social enterprise with less dependency on funding as compared to registered charities would appeal to me and felt that a Market Garden Social Enterprise would be a model that would focus on production of food for supply to the market. Seeing other projects doing this in various parts of the world and taking part really inspired me to develop this upon my return to Scotland.

We have 2 main customers bases; Restaurants (mainly fine dining) and local people, via veg box and farm shop sales. We prioritise edible flowers and microgreens for restaurants and specific vegetables, herbs and salads we know chefs really value. We grow a full range of salads, herbs and vegetables for the veg boxes as people appreciate variety in a veg box scheme. So, we grow at any given time 20 different crops, 10 different microgreens and 12 edible flowers.

‘The Greenhearts’ as they are known, are the heart of our project. Together we create a wonderful energy at the volunteer sessions and share in the blossoming of this project. The contribution of volunteers thus far has been nothing short of extraordinary. As a community interest company we have business aims for social impact, providing local people and volunteers opportunities to gain the skills, knowledge and experience in producing their own food.

The veg box scheme developed as soon as the lockdowns were announced and we had no restaurants to sell all of our produce to. We quickly reconfigured our whole approach and business strategies and sold to local people via a veg box scheme. The steady and more consistent income that a veg box scheme provides as compared to, at times, sporadic purchases from sometimes quiet restaurants, allowed us to diversify our routes to market and appreciate the merits of this approach. The relationship with the local community has been developed greatly by the local community who have been glowing in their praise for our project. People want to eat produce grown locally; they do not want poison sprayed on genetically modified food; they want to see local businesses thrive and local production blossom. We are answering to a felt need in the local Community and are providing a template as to how this can be developed in local communities throughout Scotland.

Craigencalt Farm provided us the opportunity to bring a project, which provides positive outcomes for the local community, to Kinghorn Loch. We consult with the key individuals of Craigencalt Farm regarding developments to our market garden, which is important as we continue to develop our project and improve the services we offer to the local community. We host our community events at the farm and have been collaborating with The Ecology Centre and other groups by Kinghorn Loch. Celebrating Kinghorn, Kinghorn Loch and the positive things happening around and in Craigencalt Farm is important to us. Offering positive outcomes, volunteering opportunities, community events, locally grown produce, a farm shop, positive partnerships with other local groups – all this has become possible in a short period of time and we appreciate the collaboration with Craigencalt Farm as we work hard to increase the quality of the services we offer to the local community.

This could be an essay… haha

One that I’d like to share is the challenge around access to organic veg bags. Many customers would prefer delivery, or would prefer to be closer to us so as to pick up. Hiring delivery drivers was not something we wanted to do, instead we reached out to local food establishments and community groups to act as collection points, receiving discounted produce in return. Kitchen Treasury Kirkaldy, Post and Pantry Aberdour, Seven 21 Glasgow, allowed us to expand our reach and showed how local food organisations can work together to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes, around organic produce and improving access to this.

Market Gardening is a tough gig; growing food, selling it, promoting it, working with volunteers, Chefs, local partners, dealing with the weather and pests; physical, mental and emotional energy is required consistently, at high levels, especially during the busy time of the season. Challenges arise on a weekly basis. Reliance upon systems is key as there is too much happening, too much weekly demand for consistent produce that planning in advance with efficient systems is essential.

Microgreens provide a real burst of flavour, texture, and also aesthetics. Flowers too, chefs like to use these and microgreens for garnish, to add a flavour, texture and wow factor in appearance. We offer seasonal flowers, foraged flowers and seasonal microgreens. So the dishes change in appearance and flavour with the seasons. As we offer ‘same day’ harvest and delivery these are the freshest, most nutrient dense and flavoursome microgreens and flowers available to the chefs we work with and we receive great feedback and most tellingly: consistent orders across many seasons with some of Scotland’s most talented chefs and renowned restaurants.

I feel what Greenheart Growers is, is a replicable model, a template for what can be achieved by a CIC market Garden. Developing local food supply chains by producing lots of food, and doing this with the local community, is such an exciting model / approach and one that can answer to the needs of local communities everywhere. This is how things used to be. Food grown locally sourced locally and skills, knowledge and experience exchanged, around organically grown produce. This is where we will return and greenheart growers will be an example in how that can be achieved. We work with other local producers and are continuing to develop positive working relationships with partners who also contribute to the Fife Local Community Food steering group.

We are amongst some fine projects in fife and have learned a lot from pillars of Hercules in our early years and are inspired by projects like The East Neuk Market Garden. We’re happy to be contributing to what is a vibrant local food system. And we are pleased we can contribute to this and will continue to develop our services so that our impact can increase as the need for a local food system becomes more and more pertinent.

We will develop the Market Garden further by introducing green energy via solar panels and wind turbines, which will be a great addition.

We will further develop our growing practices this coming season, as we seek to work with more chefs and offer even more value to the chefs we work with currently, increase our capacity to work with new chefs, as well as provide the absolute best harvested that day Veg Bag our customers have ever had via the veg bag scheme and the Farm Shop.
We will provide more opportunity for education by providing courses which local people can access, so that we can fulfil one of our key objectives; grow the growers of the future.

We have contacted many schools and are currently in dialogue with a local high school to develop an education programme and close working relationships between schools and the garden, pupils and local growers. However, schools require the expertise but do not always have the means or capacity to source this in, or regularly visit local growing projects. We would like to see this change and are in dialogue with Fife Council and elected members to bridge this gap. More outdoors education and more exposure to local businesses will be great for young people who may be inspired to grow their own food or start their own business.

I think two reasons; firstly, our volunteers.
I feel immense gratitude towards our volunteers and feel blessed that I can count myself amongst the people who come to our project. I am truly grateful to be able to develop this project, but I did not foresee being amongst such salt of the earth human beings. The creative energy, the laughs, the hard work, the beautiful moments, the learning and development, the therapy the volunteer sessions provide, the scran! the feedback from the local community – it’s been an amazing experience to set this project up and get it on its feet and I feel immense gratitude to have achieved this alongside The Greenhearts.

Secondly, our model. We are a CIC so we have social outcomes which are as important as our financial objectives, as a social enterprise. Having led a registered charity in the past and having witnessed first hand the shrinking of the public sector and the funding market, I believe the capacity to generate income whilst providing beneficial outcomes to the local community is a model which provides a very dynamic approach. This model emphasises production and builds independence via a viable business model – but it puts the local community at the heart of this, with local people involved as board members, staff and volunteers. I believe the time for social enterprise is just around the corner as we see the public sector shrink further and a greater necessity for organisations to produce and develop resilience against being grant dependent. Especially as local, national and international supply chains combined with less farmers producing food. The time is now for social enterprise and CIC market gardens to pioneer the way back to a food system that is worthy of human beings and for our children and grandchildren.

Demand is increasing every year. People are more and more aware of the negative impact toxic and artificial food is having on them. Many parents are now questioning what is in food, are motivated to protect their children and are seeking better nutrition. This means we are experiencing more and more interest each passing year.

We develop our food growing practices so as to continue to grow more food within the same perimeter. Further developing our site to open up more production areas is key to this.

We are in high demand and we see this only increasing in all areas.

Community support is what our business is based on. Our community events, our farm shop, our veg box scheme; these are for and supported by the community. So, we have steady and consistent interactions with local people, as a local farm would be expected to have.

There’s a phrase that was born down the Greenheart Market Garden, by the volunteers:

“The Greenheart Magic”

It first appeared in season 2 when many special people arrived at the site.

It can be felt at the garden during the volunteer sessions. It’s appreciated when the right people arrive at the right time, a donation of materials being offered just when needed. The project seems to have a life of its own as it unfolds. And those of us blessed to be there get to feel The Greenheart Magic and to be part of this unfolding.

We’ve achieved an awful lot in a short period of time. We’re an award winning project, we work with some of the best chefs in this country, we receive great feedback from the local community, the site is developing all the time.

But what’s most pleasing is that people like to be there. There is such a beautiful atmosphere at the garden. It’s a blossoming project and people can see it blossom and have their spirits lifted to be part of it all.

There’s a feeling that something beautiful is fulfilling its potential and we’re all a part of it. We’re all experiencing and are a part of The Greenheart Magic and to have preserved that through some very challenging times and rapid development is the highest achievement.

At times things can get stressful, intense, very demanding. Both for myself and volunteers in their own lives. But we always have the Market Garden and our time together to calm us down and reconnect to ourselves, nature, each other. That’s the biggest highlight, knowing that the Market Garden is a place where people can come and get better; to hear people compliment the atmosphere at the market garden, a positive energy that we all know as The Greenheart Magic.