BigBarn was set up 17 years ago by Anthony Davison, a 5th generation farmer; frustrated by the small return farmers got for their produce through the supermarket dominated national food industry. For example, in the early 90’s, farmers, on average, received only 9p in every £1 spent on food in the supermarket. When he saw his onions leave the farm for £110/tonne and 2 days later were on the Tesco shelf for the equivalent of £850/tonne. He realised that by trading directly with  consumers, both consumers and producers would get a much better deal. Also by communicating with their local producers, consumers would be enthused to cook fresh, seasonal, produce and influence what was grown.

BigBarn has teamed up with RBST to help more people switch from a supermarket lifestyle, to a more sustainable, healthy and seasonal local food culture. A culture, where communities are built around food, where people are more connected with farmers and more aware of production methods. Enabling people to  make more informed choices on the right food to buy and long-term sustainability, such as buying rare breed meat.

To help this process BigBarn has been building a UK wide Local Food Map accessed by simply typing in a post code. 3,500 visitors visit the map every day and 7,000 food and drink outlets now have icons on the map with a password to add customer winning information like; video, online shop, offers, text and images. To make the Map more powerful BigBarn is now sharing its technology, and data, so that any website can have the map to look as though it is theirs and share any income. This fits perfectly with BigBarn’s Community Interest Company status and there could be few better like-minded partners, than RBST. 

Like other partners BigBarn now supplies the map to the RBST website with special RBST icons for members.   This allows RBST farmers to be promoted via the map on the new RBST website, BigBarn and all partner websites.

 

Farmers thinking about keeping rare breeds can try a small number of animals and get listed to promote themselves to potential local customers. If popular the farmer can then increase production in line with local demand.

This consumer led demand with direct trade is exactly what farming needs as Brexit looms and the UK can set its own agricultural policy.  Farmers can react to local demand and grow food for direct trade instead of low priced commodities. The EU and supermarket dominated food industry has failed both farmers and consumers over the last 20 years and why it is so exciting to work together to build better social, more sustainable, local food to communities as an alternative to the anti-social national food industry.

So, join us and divert some of the £120billion spent with supermarkets to local food producers with massive benefits for all.

If you are a consumer type your post code in to the Local Food Map here, or join the RBST  here.

If you are a producer and want to join the map or if you have a website and would like to have the Local Food Map and earn commission on trade, find our more on their website.