FOOD + DRINK
The Faces Behind the Food cont...
HUGH LOWE FARMS
Holding over 125 years of family fruit-growing heritage yet passionately evolving through the ages with innovative developments, Maidstone’ s Hugh Lowe Farms Ltd( hughlowefarms. com) certainly knows a thing or two about producing the highest-quality specialist fruits such as strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and grapes.
“ The farm was founded by my great grandfather, Bernard Champion, in 1893, and its freshly picked strawberries and other fruit were sold by the family wholesale market Champion Brothers stand in Covent Garden,” says managing director, Marion Regan.“ I took over the business from my father, the eponymous Hugh Lowe, nearly 30 years ago, but I am lucky to work today with my husband Jon and our children Amelia and Ben alongside Ben’ s wife Giorgia, Amelia’ s husband Charlie, Tom, Nick and a great team who all support us in our endeavours.”
THE REGAN FAMILY
Growing their berries out of the soil in sustainable compost derived from waste coconut husks and using protective polytunnels for an extended berry season of April until November, Marion and the Hugh Lowe team are devoted to their values of quality, productivity, professionalism and integrity for the most scrumptious, sustainable and satisfying results.“ We are mere custodians of the land for future generations and I am proud to keep it in good heart. We work hard to reduce the impact of our farming practices so that wildlife, as well as our crops, can thrive on our farm,” they say.
Setting out for a fruitful future, in 2023 the team acquired local premium salad grower L J Betts Ltd to farm a range of lettuces and bay leaf crops on nearby farmland, and are excited to continue to sell produce through local farm shops as well as national wholesale markets and retailers for years ahead- not forgetting keeping up their longstanding supply of strawberries for the Wimbledon Tennis Championships!
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