New Guild member Ben Coates brings a unique blend of creativity, sector expertise and on-farm experience through his work as founder and creative director of Cande Group, a creative agency and video production company built firmly within the agricultural world.
Ben launched Cande in 2021 after leaving his in-house role as video production manager at the AHDB, where he and his team produced a wide range of technical, consumer-facing and export-focused content.
Before that, he cut his teeth in television, developing and producing formats before moving into the corporate sector and ultimately into agriculture – a transition that shaped his understanding of the pace, pressures and purpose that drive British farming.
“We built a creative agency that understands how to navigate a muddy track as easily as a brand strategy session,” he says. “It was important to create a partner fluent in the language of both farmers and marketers.”
That dual fluency has helped Cande grow rapidly in the agri-food space.
The company is now the creative digital partner of Meat Business Women, producing global campaigns and content, and the video partner of the International Meat Secretariat – work that recently took Ben and his team to Cuiabá, Brazil for the 2025 World Meat Congress, where they collaborated with Farmers Guardian to cover the event.
Cande’s work spans farms, processing plants, retail environments and food-service settings, with the team specialising in visually striking, emotionally resonant storytelling across the whole supply chain.
The group also works extensively with media and PR agencies as white-label video partners, and has expanded into the equestrian sector, producing coverage of Defender’s partnerships with Royal Windsor Horse Show, along with Defender Bramham and Burghley.
This year, Ben opened a new studio space in Leicestershire, giving clients a creative hub to bring campaigns to life.
“I’m really looking forward to meeting and collaborating with Guild members,” he says. “It’s an exciting time for agricultural storytelling, and I can’t wait to be part of the conversations shaping it.”
