Speciality-Food-June-2025

specialityfoodmagazine.com 45 increasingly unappealing to today’s shopper, the simplicity of the range ticks fine food shoppers’ boxes. “Simplicity can be overstated at times when looking at a lot of products on the market,” says Henry, “and we make our products with only a few simple ingredients – no nasties! Consumers also want to knowwhere their food comes from so we try to be as transparent as possible as we certainly have nothing to hide and I think that really resonates with our customer base.” The health benefits present in quality dairy also offer a sales tool for retailers. “It feels there’s been a real re-awakening of the natural benefits of dairy, which is full of nutrients and natural protein that helps support bone health and overall wellness,” says Leona. “Plus, it tastes A FARMER’S PERSPECTIVE Will Luke, who is the fifth generation of his family to run Porsham Farm, Devon, believes that the indigenous knowledge of previous generations have a lot to offer for him to be able to farm in a responsible and sustainable way “I like to describe my forward progress as a spiral. I’m always revisiting practices and techniques that have been used on our our farm over the last 100 years, and viewing them with today’s latest thinking and knowledge to gain improvements to cow health, soil biology and yield. “When I originally learned dairy farming at agricultural college 30 years ago, what we were taught then was completely at odds with how we now know is best to do it,” he begins. “Back then, we were taught that bugs were bad, weeds were bad and crop fertility and protection came in the form of chemicals. But after re-educating myself in farming, this time at The Apricot Centre (Biodynamic farm and college) in 2021, the terminology used was ‘microbes’ and ‘herbs’ instead of ‘bugs’ and weeds’, and nutrition and protection was provided by nature.” Will’s father, under the advice of successive Governments and agricultural advisers, spent most of his farming career using ever more chemical fertilisers and sprays, ripping away the farm hedges and nature habitats, laying concrete and building sheds. Production increased in line with the then policy but at a cost to soil and animal health and biodiversity loss. Will believes that the knowledge of how to farm for the best of animals, people and planet skips a generation. “I’m farming how my grandfather used to; seeing the farm as its own ecosystem and working to the benefit of the whole farm, rather than solely for cows to produce more milk.” While Will learned the science behind regenerative farming when he retrained, he discovered that he was naturally going down that path just by following his gut instinct. “My wife Tanya and I wanted to take the farm in a different direction and although in those early days we often didn’t know the science or logic behind it, we just knew that it was the right thing to do. In effect we’ve farmed by mimicking nature and doing what felt right.” Ruminants (cows, sheep, goats, deer and so on) should be seen as the solution to raised atmospheric carbon levels, not the cause of this ecological issue, says Will. “Farming and forestry are the only two sectors that have the ability to remove carbon from our atmosphere and sequester it back into the ground, but over the past 25 years ruminants have been portrayed in a negative light. By rotationally grazing diverse pastures ruminants have an ability to pump huge amounts of carbon back into our soils. Instead of being seen as the destroyers of our planet, they are actually going to be its saviour.” Instead of being seen as the destroyers of our planet, ruminants are actually going to be its saviour delicious! This desire for natural, minimally processed foods is driving an increase in sales of whole milk, full fat products and block butter as consumers re-evaluate the health benefits of the right dietary fats. “Consumers are becoming bolder in knowing what they want and ultimately less is more. They want to go back to foods that are higher in nutrients, minimally processed and produced in the right way while not degenerating the earth.” How retailers can support a positive future for dairy Speciality Food retailers can help “by stocking the products, even when they command higher price points or lower margins, and by helping customers connect with the story behind the produce,” says David. “Independent retailers hold a powerful position because they bridge the gap between conscious consumers and responsible producers. They can help customers understand value and see beyond the immediate transaction to the broader impact of their choices. In doing so, retailers become partners in creating more sustainable and ethical food systems.” The greatest challenge faced by many dairy farmers is the changing price of milk, but by stocking artisanal products and educating consumers about the positive work they do, retailers can help in the fight towards a more sustainable future. “The dairy industry is predominantly ruled by the big players who trade the commodity of milk whichmeans the price canmassively fluctuate – this is our biggest challenge at the moment as we try to reduce the customers RRP whilst still trying to maintain set margins across our range,” explains Henry. “We really appreciate our farm shop and deli stockists who help us to promote our range in their stores, whether that is by providing in-store tastings so we can physically talk to customers or by using graphics to show how far the products have travelled to get to the shelf. We encourage our retailers to do this as it a good talking point between the shop staff and customers.” “Fine food retailers need to be looking out for what is important to the end consumer,” says Leona. “Shoppers are clearly looking for more sustainable food options such as regeneratively produced products, but they don’t want to compromise on taste. Both need to come hand- in-hand. In a survey we carried out this April with Ayton Research on 1,000 respondents, 95% said that they would like to see more regeneratively farmed food and drinks products where they shopped.” YOGHURT: A PRIME OPPORTUNITY Anne-Laure Farrar, UK market insight manager at The Knowledge Bank, explains why yoghurt is worth a fresh look in 2025 The dairy sector is facing a number of challenges, from shrinking margins to heavy in-category competition. It’s also long been a sector where shoppers are more likely to base purchasing decisions on price, making it even harder to win them over. However, there is real opportunity for growth in the market, especially in yoghurt. New product development in this category now accounts for 52% of dairy innovation in the last year. The sector has also grown nearly 7% in volume sales year-on-year [Nielsen]. For retailers looking to stand out, yoghurt offers a strong proposition. The shift in shopper values is already impacting sales. There has been a noticeable increase in luxury branded yoghurts across the UK, indicating consumers want quality yoghurt. They want a thick texture (36% of shoppers) and all natural ingredients [Mintel]. Fewer, simpler ingredients is also appealing to those shoppers pushing back against ultra-processed foods. This is all encouraging news for luxury producers, especially those who can tie into other trends such as sustainable packaging. Shoppers are clearly looking for more sustainable food options such as regeneratively produced products, but they don’t want to compromise on taste