One evening in 2009 a handful of local people gathered around a kitchen table to join Luke Hasell (farmer in the Chew Valley) and Phil Haughton (founder of the Better Food Company) in their ambition to create a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) project on Luke’s family land. The aim was an open farm, producing local food, involving lots of people, and caring for the natural world – an antidote to the harmful industrialised, global food system.   

In the beginning we had a blank field – no tracks, trees, irrigation, polytunnels or built structures and about 7 staff. The field team took their breaks under a tarpaulin, admin was done from a cabin two miles away, and boxes were packed in a dark, old warehouse down the road.

Since then, we have developed the site, built the team (now around 30 paid staff), learned about the land, expanded the box scheme and created a very special place where over a thousand people each year enjoy learning and working on the land. 

The Community Farm is committed to protecting individuals’ personal data. We’ve updated our Privacy and Data Protection Policy to comply with new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) legislation. 

You have many rights regarding your personal data. You can see what data we access, and you can update your information and communication preferences at any time. 

Our policy document outlines in detail how The Farm collects, stores and handles your personal data. If you’d like to find out more, please read the policy (below). 

In addition, The Community Farm offers these promises to our valued customers and supporters:

• We’ll always hold your details securely
• We’ll never share sensitive, personal information
• We’ll only get in touch in the ways you wish – and we’ll stick to your communications preferences
• We’ll make sure anything we do send is relevant to our work, activities, or customer products
• You are in control of your information, and you can ask us to stop using it whenever you like*

Download our Privacy and Data Protection Policy

Join more than 500 members who have invested in The Community Farm and have a say in how we’re run.

As an investor, you’ll be part of creating a new approach to sustainable farming; one that can endure and be copied for wider benefit.

The minimum investment is £50 and the maximum investment is £100,000 and any amount in between may be invested. You will then be a co-owner of our Community Benefit Society and entitled to one vote at our Annual General Meeting.

The money raised through open share offers contributes to our everyday running costs. It might be used for the repair or purchase of equipment, or for a capital purchase, or new kit for our learning activities.