Brothers Farm
A chat with Dan Benson of Brothers Farm, the perfect place to get your caffeine fix with a side of blueberries and bouquet of freshly cut seasonal stems.
How's it going, Dan? Tell us about who you are and what Brothers Farm is all about!
We are Josh and Dan – two Dorset brothers who run Brothers Farm. One half of the farm is the oldest organic blueberry plantation in the UK, known as the Trehane Blueberry Pick Your Own, and the other is the much younger Brothers Farm Flowers - a cut-flower farm with its own Flower Barn Café in the middle!
This sounds so cool! How did it all begin?
The Trehanes, who originally started the farm in the 60’s, have now retired; so since 2015, Josh has been looking after the blueberries and mastering the ways and means of keeping these old and unique plants alive and thriving. After three years of single-handed farming, Josh invited me to get involved, and in 2018 Brothers Farm was born.
The blueberries now had some much needed help, however in order to extend the incredibly short season and expand on what the farm could provide, we started to grow cut-flowers and introduce a seasonal café in the summer. Since then, the farm has put all of its efforts into improving the site and diversifying our offering. You can pretty much see all of the development since then by visiting our Instagram page @brothersfarmdorset where we've documented our progress since 2018!
Overall, we’re trying to make a living from growing organic fruit and improving this old place along the way by diversifying its income, productivity and biodiversity in a way that will enable the farm to live on after we have had our time too.
What is it that makes your blueberries and flowers so special?
The blueberry plants in the ground here are about 60 years old and have been looked after the same way since then. In 2019, we registered them with the Soil Association and some of the varieties here you will not find growing in many other places!
The flowers are much younger, but expanding year on year. We have fresh and dried stems available on the counter every day and we now have an amazing florist who creates fantastic arrangements for weddings, parties, funerals and all sorts of occasions. She also runs plenty of workshops and free flower demonstrations in the café as well.
What can people expect?
So, the old tractor shed which was cold and damp is no more. We’ve insulated and replaced the roof so it’s now a lovely big, open space to be in. With a new café setup, we're providing fresh, organic fair-trade coffee, home-made cakes, toasted sandwiches, pastries, and smoothies through the spring, summer and now into the winter too!
Where can we find you?
On Stapehill Road, in between Wimborne and Ferndown and just next door to our mates, Knoll Gardens.
The Flower Barn Café is open from Thursday - Sunday 10am - 4pm. Blueberry Pick Your Own season starts from July. Check out our website for updates on floristry workshops, yoga in the Flower Field and more!
Website → brothersfarm.co.uk
Instagram → @brothersfarmdorset
