Meet Our Yoghurt Producer...
Yeo Valley, Blagdon, Somerset
Our history
Our founders, Roger and Mary Mead, moved to a 150-acre dairy farm in Blagdon, Somerset, nearly 50 years ago and started to make yoghurt in 1974; Waitrose was an early customer. The first organic yoghurt was produced 20 years later and today Yeo Valley Organic has become one of the best-known organic brands in the UK.
The farm is now organic, with more than 1250 acres of mixed dairy and arable land, while the original Blagdon dairy has been joined by smaller dairies in Somerset and Devon, in Cannington, Newton Abbot and Crewkerne. The company remains family-owned, with Mary Mead running the farm and her son Tim in charge of the dairy business. The business won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise for Sustainable Development in 2001 and 2006.
Our location
Yeo Valley is a real place in the very picturesque West Country. The River Yeo flows into Blagdon Lake, next to the farm and our Blagdon dairy; our farmland on the Mendip Hills to the south provides spectacular views across the valley. It’s an area we know well: the Meads trace their farming ancestry here back to the 16th century.
The land is ideal for dairy cows, with its high rainfall and mild climate, and is well-suited to organic farming methods.
Our people
Yeo Valley is a great place to live and work. As our business has grown, we’re very proud of the way our people have risen to the challenge. From the farm where organic farming methods and countryside conservation activities work in natural partnership, to our dairies where the highest quality standards are complimented by challenging environmental management standards, the strength of our business lies in our people.
We work closely with our local communities supporting local schools and adult groups with visits to our organic farm.
Our ingredients
Our organic milk comes from our own herd of pedigree British Friesians and from a South West co-operative of organic dairy farmers called OMSCo. Organic dairy farming just makes great sense; we’re working with nature, maintaining the highest levels of animal welfare for our cows and using today’s sunlight to naturally improve the fertility of our clover-rich pastures, rather than adding artificial fertilisers.
The organic fruit for the Duchy Originals range of yoghurts is grown in the UK, without the use of artificial fertilisers, pesticides or herbicides.
Our production methods
We make our organic yoghurt in small batches, without thickeners or stabilisers that would ruin the flavour and texture. We add the organic fruit by hand, before giving the combination a gentle stir, and gently fill it into the pots. The whole process is certified by the organic standards of The Soil Association.
We work hard to minimise our impact on the environment. All of our dairies use green electricity from 100% renewable sources, we grow our own bio-fuel, Miscanthus, on the farm to heat our offices and we hold the ISO14001 international standard for our environmental management systems.
Our products
The Duchy Originals from Waitrose range of yoghurts comes from our years of experience of producing great-tasting, organic products and we’re convinced you’ll love them.
Follow this link to the Yeo Valley Organic website to find out more about what we do: www.yeovalleorganic.co.uk