By Beth Doherty
Twitter:@bethdmedia / @new_valleynews
Instagram: @bethdohertymedia / @newvalleynews
Specialists in conservation crops for farming, game and wild bird seed mixtures, grass and native wildflower seed Bright Seeds, have moved from Burcombe to Fovant.
The trading and manufacturing business sells directly to farmers, but also sells wildflower and other varieties direct to the public via their website.
“We are currently growing eight acres of wildflower, which will be quite the picture in the Summer, to harvest and sell in Autumn. We sell all our seeds online, but locals are welcome to pop into the office to purchase, or talk about seeds they might want,” said Arthur Barraclough, technical salesman.
The business began in 1989 when David and Sue Bright recognised a gap in the market for an indispensable freelance seed merchant. In the past 32 years, their daughter Anna has helped to grow the company, and their son Christopher is now managing director. Bright Seeds had humble beginning in an extended garage in Farley. Since then, they have moved to a bigger outbuilding in Swallowcliffe, before settling in a purpose-built office and warehouse in Burcombe for the past seven years. Now, Bright Seeds can be found in their new premises at Dean Lane farm, Fovant.
“We have always been looking for our own premises, having rented for a long time. We wanted somewhere we could build sustainable, purpose-built offices and warehouses tailored for our unique business.
“Dean lane farm came up with this very opportunity: local, rural and with enough land to showcase our products and in some cases grow our own seed crops. The premises are still under construction but we have moved in and have been working hard to turn a tired dairy farm into what we can now call the home of Bright Seeds,” said Chris Bright, managing director.
With the current focus on a sustainable world, how are Bright Seeds going green?
“We supply organic seed to farmers who produce natural crops. We are also working on creating greener packaging for our products, and finally, we work alongside the charity ‘Meadow in My Garden’ to spread the word about regenerating wildflower meadows which can increase biodiversity,” Arthur explained.
The biggest benefit of the new location is the large trial site, which will play an important role now that Britan has left the EU.
“As a company, we are trying to focus efforts on developing more sustainable seed crops – such as millet, quinoa and other cereals. This allows us to be less reliant on importing from the EU and other parts of the world. It is an opportunity to own seed crops, which means controlling quality and a reduction in future costs,” Christopher added.
