Yeo Valley, the North Somerset family-owned company which has become Britain's biggest producer of organic dairy food, has been presented with its third Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development in 10 years.
Lady Gass, Lord Lieutenant of Somerset, presented the award before an invited audience at Holt Farm Organic Garden tea room, Blagdon where the company had its origins 50 years ago when the Mead family moved there.
The award recognises the company's ongoing commitment to British organic farming, with specific praise for the Yeo Valley’s support of local farmers and setting a benchmark for sustainability. The award commends the breadth of Yeo Valley’s dedicated approach: “Demonstrating outstanding performance in every aspect of sustainability, the company has established best practice across its operations.”
The ceremony also recognised Mary Mead, co-founder of Yeo Valley, and the significant role she has played in the development of the organic dairy and her on-going contribution to the farm. Mary and her late husband Roger Mead moved to Holt Farm on the edge of Blagdon Lake in October 1961. Starting with a tea room on the farm, making home-made clotted cream and freshly baked scones, the couple used the left over skimmed milk to make the very first batches of Yeo Valley yogurt.
Tim Mead, Yeo Valley’s managing director, said: “We’re delighted to receive the coveted award for the third time but its extra special as it comes exactly 50 years since my parents moved to the farm.
“Only 10 UK companies have won an award in the Sustainable Development category this year, and as a company which firmly believes we should be investing more in sustainable British farming, we are proud to be recognised. We are passionate about the way in which we farm to make our organic dairy produce at Yeo Valley, and are committed to pioneering sustainable methods to protect our local environment and safeguard the future of British farming. We’re looking forward to what the next fifty years holds.”
Yeo Valley Organic, which has a workforce of nearly 1,500. buys organic milk from a West Country-based cooperative. The company produces its Yeo Valley Organic yogurts at its dairies in Blagdon and Cannington, bottles organic milk at its Crewkerne dairy and makes luxury desserts and ice cream in Newton Abbot, Devon. Yeo Valley also produces a range of conventional retailer branded products for most of the supermarkets in the UK. The company also has two logistics centres at Highbridge and Axbridge and its head office in Blagdon.
