The Farmers Mart Jun/Jul 2016 - Issue 46 | Page 11

Brandy Carr Nurseries

a supermarket buyer and a
terrorist is that you can reason
with a terrorist! I am sure many
dairy farmers would echo this
sentiment today.
During the 80s Ben set up
Brandy Carr nurseries as an extra
financial arm to the business
and to give the business a
boost in summer, while his
father continued with the
wholesale side - wrestling with
supermarkets selling their fruit
and vegetables.
A TOUGH LESSON
The nursery business rapidly
became a success. Then,
suddenly the whole business
was thrown into turmoil in the
early 90s when Norman sadly
passed away. Family differences
meant that the rhubarb business
all but disappeared and Ben had
to start again. The old sheds
were by then beyond repair
and had to go. This was one of
the toughest times in Ben’s life
but you know what they say
“You can’t keep a good man
down” and he re-established
the rhubarb business. Learning
a valuable lesson from the
tough times his father endured,
he will no longer deal with
supermarkets but instead sells
direct to anyone at the correct
going price. Ben has taken things
at a steady pace and it has paid
off. Much of his rhubarb goes
across the country to farmers,
growers and other nurseries and
even to the National Trust. Ben

doesn’t grow the forced rhubarb
at the moment but is happy to
advise other growers who do.
The rhubarb is grown now in
tunnels and in fields behind the
nursery 80 plus varieties on site
at any one time. Once again, the
Asquith name and reputation for
rhubarb is very well-established
and much in demand; they now
sell across Europe and they have
had enquiries from America
where the rhubarb has to endure
strict quarantine regulations. Ben
has even supplied rare breed
rhubarb to Queen Victoria’s
summer home, Osborne House
on the Isle of Wight, Charles
Darwin’s house in Kent as well
as supplying many authentic
species to garden restoration
projects.
Behind every successful man
is an equally strong woman – this
is certainly true in Ben’s case. A
lifelong friend of Ben’s, Emma
once had her own nursery. The
couple met when he used to
visit her nursery and they were
friends for years and now things
have progressed. Ben told me:
“She is marvellous. This is a
very time-consuming business
and too much for one person
so it is brilliant to have Emma
involved.”
Ben looks after the rhubarb
while Emma is heavily involved
in running the nursery and to
say she is qualified would be an
understatement. Originally from
Holland, she comes from a family
that has grown and exported

A RANGE OF INSURANCE
COVERS THAT ARE AS
VARIED AS THE
CHANGING SEASONS
Farm insurance from NFU Mutual.
Call 01937 844869
for a quote or pop in

NFU Office, The Coach House, 42 High
Street, Boston Spa, West Yorkshire
LS23 6EA

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