Nigel Akehurst has become a Friend of the Guild as he prepares a full launch of his new Indie Farmer venture – a blog, website and magazine on sustainable local food production.
Nigel is from a farming background and has worked in sales and marketing roles for over ten years in London. More recently, he worked as a freelance marketing consultant at Red Tractor Food & Farming Assurance.
Noticing a growing trend of professionals searching for a more ‘authentic life’ in the wake of the 2008 credit crunch, and also the rise in popularity of the local food movement, farmers markets and grow-your-own schemes, Nigel increasingly found himself yearning to spend more and more time back on the family’s mixed farm in East Sussex.
During this time, he came up with the concept of starting a hobby farmer blog and magazine, targeted at non-farming professionals interested in learning more about where their food comes from.
The horsemeat scandal helped turn his idea into action; he came up with the Indie Farmer brand name and set about turning concept into reality.
Nigel is now working with a collective of freelance designers, writers and photographers to tell inspirational stories about farmers and artisan food producers, provide advice on how people can grow their own vegetables and make artisan food products. He also provides beginners’ guides to keeping farm animals – all with a beautiful aesthetic.
Plans for early 2014 include a launch party in London to celebrate the full Indie Farmer websitegoing live, a campaign to raise funds via Kickstarter, the cloud funding scheme for creative projects, to help cover the cost of the first print edition, and the introduction of a range of Indie Farmer products via an online shop, including apparel and homeware, such as tote bags, t-shirts and hoodies.
Members of the Guild who want to find out more about the venture – and prospects for contributing to Indie Farmer, can sign up for the newsletter on the website or contact Nigel directly by email.
Ben Briggs
Note: Contact details for all new Members and Friends of the Guild can be found by using the website search facility to locate records in the eAlert Archive.
