Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Growth Hub has been supporting The Grower through their Agri Carbon Kernow scheme, and have published a case study about us on their website.
The Growth Hub’s website explain their support below:
Since the company’s inception, they have grown at a rate much quicker than they had originally anticipated. So far, they have sold 1,750,000 trees from Cornwall all the way to Scotland, planted over 65,000 trees and planted 5,600 trees on their own farm as a commitment to nature recovery and agroforestry schemes. As a result of their growth, they sought out the Growth Hub to assist with business planning and development.
Inez said: “We saw the Growth Hub as being able to support us to capitalise on our growth and through doing the financial training we were able to be a bit more confident in taking that plunge.
“We’ve been extremely well supported locally by the Growth Hub and the Forest for Cornwall project. They gave us support for business planning and the opportunity for continued support to review a business plan. Just having that mentorship has really allowed us to reflect on what we’re doing and be a bit more confident in the decisions we’re making.”
On what she found the most helpful, Inez said: “Having somewhere as a starting point, like the Growth Hub, can help you navigate what is the best starting place, so I think that was something we found very helpful. It gave us the opportunity to navigate all of the information that you have to take on as a business owner.”
Continuing their work with the Growth Hub, Inez and Christopher want to look at ways to improve the accuracy, efficiency and sustainability of their operations.
Inez said: “We want to offer an entrance to the industry that many people might not have had the opportunity to before, so the Growth Hub is going to help us look at ways that we can improve that.
“I would definitely recommend the Growth Hub, even if you’re at a start-up point in your business. I think just having the opportunity for guidance on business planning and financial planning is a huge step forward for any business.”
You can watch the film they made here:
Agri Carbon Kernow
Support for farmers to reduce their carbon footprint, improve water resilience and boost nature recovery. The Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Growth Hub offers business support to all sectors. They are interested in working with farming businesses, to help them boost environmental credentials.
The Agri Carbon Kernow project offers farmers in Cornwall free support to help them:
Carbon Footprint Reduction: Participating farms will receive expert evaluation of their carbon footprint, along with a curated list of actionable strategies to minimise it. This includes the development of personalised decarbonisation plans, guiding farmers on the journey towards achieving Net Zero status and contributing to both local and global climate goals.
Water Resilience: Through detailed assessments, farmers will gain insights into their water usage practices and their impact on local watercourses. The program will offer a range of viable options for improving water resilience on farms, along with guidance on accessing funding opportunities to implement these strategies effectively.
Environmental Management: Agri Carbon Kernow will assist farmers in evaluating the natural environment of their farms, identifying opportunities for nature recovery and biodiversity enhancement. Participants will receive support in navigating initiatives such as the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), empowering them to integrate environmentally friendly practices into their farming operations.
The project is an extension of the highly successful Farm Net Zero project that already supports farms in Cornwall. Part-funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, Agri Carbon Kernow is a collaboration between Duchy College, Westcountry Rivers Trust, Cornwall Wildlife Trust, the Farm Carbon Toolkit and the Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly Growth Hub to deliver support to a limited number of farms during 2024.
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