In this episode, we explore arable farming on Arran, tracing the journey of locally grown grain from field to fork and glass.

We begin at Bellevue Farm, where farmer Donald Currie grows malting barley on Arran’s fertile soils. From there, we follow the grain north to Lochranza Distillery, where Brand Ambassador Fred Baumgärtner explains how locally grown barley is transformed into the island’s world-renowned whisky. We finish our journey at Blackwater Bakehouse, where baker George Grassie shares his passion for artisan breadmaking, heritage grains, sustainability, health and nutrient-dense food.

The phrase “follow the grain” is often used to describe the process of working with the natural direction of a material, or within the constraints of your environment, rather than forcing a direction that leads to resistance and damage.

We learn how this ethos is reflected in the agroecological approach embraced across Arran. From the field to the distillery and bakery, we hear how farmers, bakers and distillers work with the opportunities and constraints of the island’s climate, soils and landscapes, allowing the local environment to shape their practices rather than trying to overcome it.

Episode guests

Donald Currie is an arable and beef farmer who produces barley for malting at Bellevue Farm and other sites around the island.

Fred Baumgärtner

Fred Baumgärtner is the Brand Home Ambassador for the Isle of Arran Distillers, the company responsible for producing award-winning whisky at both Lagg Distillery and Lochranza Distillery.

Born and bred on Arran, Fred now leads whisky tasting tours and experiences at the distillery for hundreds of visitors each year, and travels the world showcasing the island’s products.

George Grassie is an artisan baker who has been running Blackwater Bakehouse for the past five years. Born and raised on Arran, George spent several years living on the mainland and abroad before returning to the island with his young family.

Today, the Bakehouse produces fresh artisan bread using high-quality Scottish-grown organic flour and heritage grains, and has recently expanded into a new site in Brodick.

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Today we’re back with Field to Front Door 🎙️

David, Martin and Wallace catching up after a busy few weeks of events, farm work and plenty of challenges along the way.

A big focus of this episode was peony season and the reality of trying to get thousands of stems picked, packed and delivered at exactly the right stage. We got into subscription boxes, customer expectations, delivery headaches and the challenge of managing fresh produce when timing is everything.

We also spoke about Cereals, what stood out from the event, regenerative farming, agronomists showing interest in lower input systems and some of the conversations happening around soil health and biological approaches to crop production.

There was plenty of discussion around direct selling too, from heritage apples and specialist grains through to why farmers often receive such a small share of the final value of what they produce. The conversation kept coming back to understanding your market, building relationships with customers and finding ways to keep more value on farm.

Alongside all of that we chatted about Britain’s Fittest Farmer, tractor runs, Highland Show, Groundswell and why sometimes the biggest opportunities come from simply putting yourself out there and trying something different.

We’re going to keep this going fortnightly for now and see where it takes us. If you’ve got ideas on what we should cover or who we should bring in, send them our way.

Enjoy! 🙂

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Today I had Kate on the R2Kast 🎙️ Kate is Marketing Director at Cultura Connect and works at the heart of agricultural recruitment, helping connect businesses with the people they need while championing careers across the sector. 🌾

We spoke about growing up on a dairy farm, studying Agricultural Economics at Reading and how her career took her through PR, events, retail and marketing before eventually leading into recruitment. It was a really interesting conversation about how varied agricultural careers can be and how often the path you end up on isn’t the one you originally planned. 🍎

A big part of the discussion focused on recruitment and the importance of understanding people rather than simply matching CVs to job descriptions. We talked about transferable skills, employer reputation, attracting talent into agriculture and why the industry needs to stay open to people coming in from different backgrounds and sectors. 🌍

We also chatted about running a farm alongside a business, rearing Wagyu cattle, setting up a farm shop and butchery, building a company with her husband Hugh and how marketing continues to evolve as new platforms and technologies emerge.

Enjoy! 🙂

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