Agritourism

West Central Meeting Two Report – Branding Your Business

Posted on July 5, 2019

The second West Central Monitor Farm meeting was held on Wednesday 26th June 2019 at Luss Village Hall with the theme ‘Branding Your Business’. The meeting focused on why branding is important for your business and included advice and feedback from guest speaker Lesley Wood who owns LMW Consulting Ltd. She spoke about a brand being everything that the general public know, think they know and/or feel about your business. Offering advice and feedback to the 24 business representatives that attended, she provided insights to developing and evolving their own brand. Click here to view the full meeting report. Videos of Lesley's presentations along with the group feedback can been seen on the News & Blogs section....

Branding Your Business

Posted on June 13, 2019

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Lesley Wood an experienced brand and marketing consultant is working with the Lennox family (West Central Agritourism Monitor Farmers) undertaking a brand workshop. Some of the challenges which require to be addressed are – - Multiple names for different areas of the business – are they separate offerings to the market place or one offering? - Multiple websites/social media channels with duplication of effort and diluting followers and google ranking impact - How do the family best use the iconic Loch Lomond brand to their best advantage - What should the overall name for the business be? Should it be one brand or two/more? Listen to what Lesley and Kay Wilson (West Central Monitor Farmer) hope to achieve for Shantron and Shemore farms at the end of the workshop and come along to the next West...

The Right Staff Are Key To Your Business – John Sinclair, Craigie’s Farm Shop

Posted on June 13, 2019

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In 2007 John Sinclair and his wife Kirsteen diversified their farming enterprise to include an Agritourism element – Craigie’s Farm Shop. Initially starting out as a small farm shop selling produce from their farm, the business developed exceptionally quickly driven by public demand and today consists of the following areas; • Farm Shop o Gifts, deli, home baking etc. • Butchery o Including buffalo meat from the nearby buffalo farm as well as a selection of Scotch Beef & Lamb • Activities o ‘Pick your own fruit’ o Native kids trail (farm walk) o Tasting/cookery demos and workshops • Meeting rooms available for hire • Farm business John shared his experiences of recruiting, training and retaining staff for the past 12 years with the 30+ Scottish business operators who attended the East Central meeting on Wednesday 5th June 2019 to gain...

East Central Meeting Two Report – Recruiting, Training & Retaining Great Staff

Posted on June 13, 2019

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The second East Central Monitor Farm meeting was held on Wednesday 5th June 2019 at DRIFT café, with the theme 'Recruiting, Training & Retaining Great Staff'. Over 30 businesses from across Scotland attended the meeting which focused on how businesses should manage staff in order to create a welcoming and workable environment for employees, employers and visitors who come to a business. The meeting included advice from guest speaker John Sinclair who owns Craigie's Farm Shop. John spoke about his journey from an employer starting out, to employing a team of over 60 people. He focused on how he attracts great people to work for him and how he maintains a happy and productive workforce. Click here to get access to the full report from East Central Meeting Two. ...

West Central Meeting One Report – First Impressions Count

Posted on May 24, 2019

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The first West Central Monitor Farm meeting was held on Tuesday 7th May 2019 at Shantron & Shemore Farms with the theme 'First Impressions Count'. Over 50 businesses from across Scotland attended the meeting and gave their honest feedback to the Lennox family about their self-catering cottages and hill sheep farms based on the banks of Loch Lomond. Click here to get access to the full report from West Central meeting one. ...

Cereal farmers drift into the world of catering in North Berwick

Posted on May 24, 2019

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The Scottish Farmer recently caught up with Stuart & Jo McNicol, Scottish Agritourism's East Central Monitor Farmers to find out about the development of DRIFT. Read the full article here....

Meet The Businesses (Part 4 – Byres Farm)

Posted on May 24, 2019

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Helen & Bill Smith run Byres Farm - a mixed livestock and arable farm located in Spey Bay, Morayshire. They have developed their agritourism business, 'The Paddocks' that welcomes visitors in a safe and controlled environment through ticketed events and group bookings to have farm tours and children activity days. They are travelling the large distance to attend our agritourism monitor farm meetings so they can meet more like minded people and find out other possibilities within the industry to expand their agritourism business further....

Meet The Businesses (Part 3 – Diversification)

Posted on May 24, 2019

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Jasmine McKinnon from Jedburgh in the Scottish Borders has attended both our East & Central Monitor Farm meetings in the hope to gain the right advice and guidance she needs to help her with the process of establishing a new agritourism business on their mixed livestock farm. Jasmine highlights what she thinks her biggest challenge will be during the diversification project - in which they hope to develop accommodation opportunities on their working farm....

Meet The Businesses (Part 2 – Dipple Lodge)

Posted on May 24, 2019

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We spoke to Cora Cooper from Cooper Farms, Muirkirk, Ayrshire at the recent West Central Monitor Farm meeting to hear why she is attending the meetings and what she hopes to achieve from the monitor farm programme. Cora is currently in the process of developing an agritourism business on their mixed farm, named Dipple Lodge. She hopes to develop the old stone shooting lodge in to luxury off-grid accommodation and has just completed her LEADER funding application....

Meet The Businesses (Part 1 – The Bus Stop)

Posted on May 24, 2019

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During the first West Central Monitor Farm meeting on Tuesday 7th May, we caught up with some of the individuals that were in attendance to find out about their Agritourism enterprise, including Balfour Stewart who owns the Bus Stop - a holiday experience with a difference. The luxury, hand crafted accommodation is set on a working farm with beautiful panoramic views of the Lammermuir Hills, in the stunning East Lothian countryside....