BEECH HILL FARM - from sheep to shawl with the rare breed Wensleydale Longwool
Sole trader Julia Desch has a multi-faceted business based on her flock of rare breed Wensleydale Longwool sheep. Her business interests include meat, yarn and textile production, tourism and most recently a community interest company focusing on education and continuation of heritage skills. The business has always been well-supported with one-to-one help from various sources but Julia feels that Profitnet offers something unique.
“Rural enterprise can be very isolated. The real benefit of Profitnet is the continuity of the group. You can challenge and discuss things at a level you wouldn’t receive anywhere else. As time goes on everyone becomes more and more open.”
Julia feels that Profitnet has made her much more focused in terms of targets and timings. In the past she has struggled to achieve her product development goals within desired time frames, and admits that she didn’t do as much planning as she ought.
“When you are on your own it’s hard to force yourself to write detailed planning documents because you think – well who am I going to show it to?”
Since joining Profitnet she has been highly motivated to get her business development ideas off the ground. She collaborates with other Wensleydale Longwool producers to pool expertise and production resources, but sells her own range of evening wraps and shrugs under her brand name of Just One of a Rare Breed. Though at an early stage, product sales have increased 300 per cent compared to turnover for 2008.
In addition to retail, Julia is also looking to develop a community interest company Sheep to Shawl which she set up with the help of contacts at the University of Brighton. Through this vehicle, she attracted National Lottery funding for a countryside renewal project to promote and support heritage skills such as spinning, knitting, dyeing and weaving of rare breed sheep fibre. The project includes the local manufacture and operation of the equipment needed for production, skill sharing with rural enterprise and collaboration with textile design students at the University of Brighton. Julia also works closely with Vauxhall City Farm sharing stock and spinning and dyeing expertise.
This educational strand of the business has been designed to replace the tourism element, with textile and fashion design students and farmers regularly visiting the farm to experience the product in development. An important aspect is supporting the nationwide breeding programme for the black Wensleydale Longwool pedigree which is at risk. Julia hopes this activity will raise the profile and encourage strengthening of the breed by demonstrating that one can make a good economic return through good breeding and husbandry.
Julia’s yarn and textile production employs mostly older, local people who would otherwise be retired, on a part-time and ad hoc basis.