Taking dairy farm produce to the next level – Tom Parker Creamery

With fluctuating milk prices resulting in uncertain returns for many dairy farmers, July 2017 saw Jack Martin launch a new business, Tom Parker Creamery, to help spread risk and improve financial return.

Jack’s ‘can do’ attitude and self-motivation means that the business he has developed, cornering an untapped area of the dairy sector, is flying.

“My great-grandfather started farming here at Beaconhill Farm, Hampshire in 1921. He built-up the dairy business with milk rounds, which was sold in 1985, and subsequently the milk was then sold on contract.

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“However, the dairy industry has been under so much pressure of late meaning we had to look at alternative ways of adding value to the dairy herd,” explains Jack.

He describes how they looked at several different options for dairy products with many people already producing delicious ice creams and cheeses, but they finally settled on the idea of producing chocolate milk and iced coffee.

“No other farmers or small businesses have gone down this route. To date, it has only been done by big multinational companies and the products they are producing are full of sugar and other additives.

“We saw a niche to produce chocolate milk and iced coffee using milk from our free-range, pasture-fed herd and high quality natural ingredients.”

More than a full-time job

Jack explains that he started experimenting with recipes in their home kitchen. “We must have trialled at least 200 different recipes until we settled on a recipe we were happy with.

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“It was not only about getting the quantity of raw ingredients right but also about ensuring the quality was right for what we wanted to produce.

“Having got to this point, we had to consider how this was going to be scaled up and where it was going to be made as we didn’t have the production facilities on-site.”

By word-of-mouth, Jack found a small-scale producer who was happy to produce the chocolate milk and iced coffee, the only downfall was that they were located in Bristol. “The production process is one of our biggest challenges currently.

“I’m running the business by myself and so a lot of my time is spent travelling to take and collect the milk, as well as going to events, managing sales, marketing and everything else involved in operating a business.

“It’s more than a full-time job, and if you are looking to do something similar you have to be prepared to give up a lot of your other commitments to be successful.

“Having already run two businesses I am used to the commitment and lucky to have a supportive family behind me, but it’s not for everyone,” he says.

Building a following

Jack explains that marketing is an element of business that a lot of small organisations don’t get right.

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“We started by getting our branding right. I employed a branding agency in London, ButterflyCannon, who weren’t cheap, but they worked on the brief we supplied and developed an end result which we now love.

“When it comes to designing your brand it’s important to have an idea of what you want, but also allow the designers to add their flair. They do need guidance, and it’s not a quick process, but it’s one that you need to get right,” he says.

When it first came to selling his products, Jack started by taking samples in cool boxes to different local outlets, mainly farm shops. But, jack explains they now sell to wholesalers who distribute to the likes of Arla, and have recently got their products into local Co-ops and Budgens who have central distribution hubs.

“I have built a lot of my network via phone conversations. Although face-to-face is great, there is the limitation of time and distance and therefore it’s important to make the most of the technology available to us.”

Social media and attending events have also been really valuable in growing the Tom Parker Creamery brand. “Farmers markets have worked really well for us. We are lucky to have access to both Hampshire and London farmers markets which attract a large number of people.

“Events are great for meeting new customers, but you do have to be selective over the ones you attend as it’s easy to get carried away and spend a lot of your time on the road. We tend to go up to two hours away to keep a cap on this.

“It’s hard to quantify the level of return customers, but I always say where our local stockists are and there is no doubt that people are buying our produce time and time again.”

Looking forward

Jack’s aspiration is to see his dairy produce being sold nationally and to continue to market milk favourably; a major challenge in a climate where many don’t understand the benefits of milk, or even where it comes from.

“To date we have been fortunate enough to fund the business ourselves with my father being one of the shareholders. But, if we look to expand the business and implement production facilities on-farm, which we are considering, we will need to seek funding.

“Having started the business under a year ago, everything is moving in the right direction. My family have been farming here since 1921 and it’s my intention to keep farming here forever, creating a sustainable business for generations to come.”

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