WINNERS of the ‘Rising Star’ Award at this years Farm Retail Association Conference

As I write this blog I’m looking out on brilliant sunshine… the goats tentatively checking out the white stuff that has covered their paddock after this mornings snow showers … and I’m reflecting on the crazy week it’s been (and I’m not just talking about the weather!)

So let’s start from the beginning …

On Monday morning Ocean and I headed down south to the Farm Retail Association’s annual conference and awards night in Exeter.

On arrival we were met with welcome drinks accompanied by the Wurzels performing live… almost as though they are haunting me after my execution of their classic ‘combine harvester’ at our team karaoke night last week (if you have not yet seen my rendition head over to our socials)!!

Tuesday was a bus tour of some of the very best Farm Shops the south has to offer. We were amazed with the quality and offering … and spent most of the day jotting down ideas to implement here at The Goat Shed.

Then it was time for the awards dinner!

… You may remember back in January we announced that we were finalists in two categories, and so we sat with bated breath as Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall (the guest speaker) took to the stage.

To us, it didn’t matter if we won or lost, it was an absolute honour to even be considered as worthy competition to businesses that really are the Royalty of Farm Shops, especially considering three years ago we were just an honesty box in a garden shed!

I am delighted to share with you all that we did in fact win ‘Rising Star’ of the year.

It’s an incredibly exciting honour and a true testament to the hard work, dedication and commitment from everyone who is involved in making the Goat Shed what it is today.

A huge thank you to you, our incredible, loyal customers who have supported us from the very beginning.

Your loyalty is the key to our success, so thank you and hold on tight as our journey continues!!

Of course in true Goat Shed style we partied the night away with the other award winners…calling it an night around 1am!

The award is now pride of place in the farm shop, please do take a look next time you’re in as this award is as much yours as it is ours and truly I can not thank you all enough.