TGtB Meets... Hartley Farm Shop and Cafe

Following the glitzy BEHTA Awards on the 9th of June, we caught up with Hartley Farm Shop and Cafe's Tom Bowles who snapped up the Taste of Bath Award.

Congratulations on your win! Tell us a little bit about your business?

We are a family run farm with a great farm shop and café that was opened in 2008. Our farming history though goes back 5 generations in this area so we’ve been around for a while! Our farm shop was a diversification decision that we felt we needed to take in order to keep our heritage going for at least another 5 generations! We produce beef, pork and eggs on the farm and, through other small producers based on our farm, we also have honey, ale, flowers, fruit and vegetables - so we are a real food hub! Our farm shop and café makes the most of this great food on our doorstep and other great quality food from local farms and food producers.

What does winning this award mean for you and your company?

It’s a great honour to be recognised as the Taste of Bath in the first BEHTA’s. It is a great reward, and also encouragement, for the amazing effort that the whole team puts in on a daily basis to make Hartley Farm the place it is.

Why do you think you won?

I like to think that we are a pretty unique place where lots of great food and drink is produced and served. We also try hard to make sure we are an enjoyable and educational place to visit - trying to promote food with a story which I hope helped!

How are you planning to celebrate your victory?

Celebrations at the farm usually involve a big get together around some great food with great company and a few cold ones. We’ll fire up our Big Green Egg barbies for this one, I hope the sun stays out! It’s important for us to make sure we all feel the value of the accomplishment but also know that expectations will be even higher. We’ll make sure we get back to reality pretty soon after!

Business is clearly booming, why do you think so many people visit Bath?

I’ve lived in Bath my whole life so have a huge love for the city. I think it has a great balance of all the modern needs and facilities required for city life - but you’re always only  5 or 10 minutes from escaping to the beautiful countryside to forget  ‘it all’ when you need to. There has obviously been some great investment over recent years and the city is looking better than ever.

What's your favourite thing about Bath and why?

I love all the great independent cafes and restaurants that are tucked away. They give Bath such a great food personality, when the sun shines and you’re eating out on the cobbled streets it feels like you’re on holiday in your hometown.  

Tell us a little bit about the role that you play within the business?

My role has changed quite a lot over the years. From employing just 3 or 4 staff in the early days we now employ over 30 local people. That takes a lot of work to make sure everyone has what they need to feel happy and comfortable in our environment. Much of my work now is just that, I love it too. We have an amazing team that give our customers a great experience, far better than I could! It’s important that someone is looking after that and also focusing on growth, and what’s ahead so that we can continue to do this for many years - and bring more successful people to the Hartley Family!

What advice would you give to someone looking to succeed in your industry?

Be prepared to wear many hats – particularly in the early days. I have covered every role from butcher, barrister, accountant and cleaner! But also its most important to listen. It’s a people business with many customers, suppliers and colleagues to interact with every day. If you don’t listen you won’t learn how to improve. Also be confident in where you are going as there are many distractions to avoid along the way.

www.hartley-farm.co.uk