Rhubarb farmer expands

The 122-acre Castle Head Farm, near Wakefield has been bought by E Oldroyd and Sons which supplies Sainsbury’s supermarkets, wholesalers, restaurants and Covent Garden.

Owner Janet Oldroyd said: “We now have much–needed additional rhubarb forcing sheds to increase our capacity.

“Our plans, and the COVID-19 pandemic, have put us into uncharted waters, but we were determined not to let a virus stand in the way of growth and innovation.”

The expansion was financed by Yorkshire and Clydesdale Bank, part of Virgin Money plc as it continues to focus on investment in the rural economy.

E Oldroyd & Sons currently produces 1,000 tonnes a year of rhubarb, of which 200 tonnes are forced.

Through this expansion to create a farm of almost 900 acres and investment in facilities, the business’s aim is to increase rhubarb production by 25 per cent over the next five years, directly targeting some of the large UK supermarkets.

A fifth generation farmer Janet aims to continue with the legacy that the family have adopted for almost a century.

She added: “I have been with Yorkshire Bank for 26 years and simply could not have bought the farm without the knowledge and invaluable support of our local Agribusiness Relationship Manager (ARM), Darren Smith, who worked with us through every stage of the process.”

Darren added: “Janet is a very dynamic business owner and clearly knew what she wanted to accomplish for her thriving business. She had the vision but did not have the means.”