Down Ampney Farm scoops Business of the Year Award

The Co-operatives Down Ampney estate, in Gloucestershire, has been named Business of the Year 2010 at The Co-operative Farms annual conference and dinner.

The awards ceremony, which celebrated excellence and innovation across The Co-operatives farming business, took place at The Co-operative Groups headquarters in Manchester.

The Down Ampney estate was awarded the accolade on the basis of a number of innovative projects taking place on the farm, including a vineyard planted in May 2010 comprising of 6,240 vines, which will eventually produce a white wine to be sold in Co-operative Food stores.

During the summer the Down Ampney farm also signed up to the Governments environmental scheme (ELS) for a further five years.The farm has introduced a significant number of new environmental features as part of ELS, such as pollen and nectar mixes, wild birdseed mixes and field corner management.

James Taylor, Farm Manager at the Down Ampney farm, says he is delighted with the result: We have put a lot of hard work into the business this year, planting and nurturing the vineyard and ensuring that the environmental work is really making a difference to protected species on the farm. It is a real boost to everyone working on the farm to have our hard work recognised in this way.

The Down Ampney team faced strong competition from the other packhouses and farms, owned or managed by The Co-operative Farms, to claim the title of Business of the Year.

Managing Director of The Co-operative Farms, Christine Tacon, explains: There were some very strong entries across The Co-operative Farms operation this year, despite the fact that 2010 has been a very challenging year for the business overall. I am constantly amazed by the level of commitment and productivity that is consistently shown across The Co-operative Farms business.

The Co-operatives farms in Aberdeenshire and Louth were the runners up for the title on the evening. They were both commended for the great work they have been doing throughout 2010.

The farm in Down Ampney grows rapeseed, honey and wheat, in addition to the recently planted vineyard.

The Co-operative Farms also raised 3,600, through a prize raffle on the night, in support of The Co-operative Groups Charity of the Year Mencap and its sister charity ENABLE Scotland. The Co-operative aims to beat its previous Charity of the Year fundraising total, which saw it raise 3.7million for RNID.

The Co-operative Group stands apart from other major retailers in the UK as a business, which is owned, not by a small group of shareholders, but by more than five million consumers. With core interests in food, financial services, travel, pharmacy, funerals and farms, it has an annual turnover of 14 billion, employs 123,000 staff and operates over 5,000 retail trading outlets handling 21 million weekly transactions.

• Following the acquisition of the Somerfield supermarket chain in March 2009, The Co-operative Food is the fifth largest food retailer. The Co-operative Financial Services is one of the largest and most diversified financial mutual businesses, operating The Co-operative Bank, The Co-operative Insurance and Britannia.
• The Co-operative is the UKs number one provider of funeral services, the third largest retail pharmacy chain and a leading travel retailer, supplying the travel needs of more than three million people annually.
• Among its other businesses are The Co-operative Motor Group, The Co-operative Electrical and The Co-operative Legal Services.
• The Co-operative has a long agricultural heritage and has farmed land across the UK since 1896, when the Group bought its first farm to grow potatoes for Co-operative food stores. The Grown by us range is food and drink either grown by The Co-operative Farms, or made using ingredients grown by the business. Caring for the environment and growing good quality produce remain at the heart of what The Co-operative Farms does.
• The Co-operative Farms manages more than 50,000 acres of land, which it owns or farms on behalf of other landowners, from the north of Scotland to southern England.