Goat farm wins top NFU award (From Gazette & Herald)

Goat farm wins top NFU award

YORKSHIRE farmers Angus and Kathleen Wielkopolski have been named the regional farm business of the year in a National Farmers' Union competition.

The couple, from St Helen's Farm, Seaton Ross, south-east of York, supply a range of goats' dairy products to major supermarkets, including milk, bio yoghurts, cheese, cream and butter. St Helen's Farm has been named the north-east farming business of the year in the NFU Farming Excellence Awards.

They started their business on a five-acre smallholding near Howden, East Yorkshire, after identifying an emerging niche market for high-quality goats' milk products. Nineteen years on, they employ 35 people and farm 310 acres in the Vale of York on which they raise their goats and process the milk. The 2,500 milking goats are housed in large, airy buildings specially designed for their comfort and protection.

Angus Wielkopolski said: "We didn't expect the business to grow at the rate it did when we first started out, but we seem to have identified the right product at the right time.

"Many people consume goats' milk products because they have an intolerance to cows' milk, and there are a growing number of consumers who buy our products simply because they prefer the taste of our milk."

St Helen's Farm is in frequent contact with 10,000 customers who regularly buy their products. Customers receive a biannual newsletter and the farm operates a dedicated customer phone line which is advertised on more than 6m milk cartons each year.

Updated: 10:12 Wednesday, March 05, 2003