Newham has helped award-winning pork producers Primrose Herd thrive
Monday 22nd May, 2023
The family behind award-winning pork producers Primrose Herd say their expansion to Newham has helped the business to thrive.
Farmer Sally Lugg started the company in 1999 after her father gave her two Gloucester Old Spot pigs to rear.
Since then, Primrose Herd has grown into a nationally renowned pork producer, supplying restaurants and businesses across Cornwall and the rest of the UK.
In 2021, Primrose Herd opened a new processing facility in Lighterage Hill, Newham.
The busy site is now the hub of the Primrose Herd operation and has allowed online sales to grow. In addition, the company has built up a loyal customer base among Newham’s businesses, with office workers calling ahead to arrange collection of their tasty pork supplies for the weekend.
Sally, a passionate advocate of supporting local firms, says she’s delighted to be part of the Newham community.
“Having our production facility here has been brilliant for business,” said Sally. “It’s a fantastic location and it’s easy for our staff to go out and about to make deliveries.
“But we’ve also got quite a few new customers who are people that work in the offices in Newham. They know they can call or email anytime and we’ll have their order ready and waiting. It’s much more convenient than heading to the supermarket at the end of the working day, especially now that we’re coming in to barbecue season.”
Primrose Herd began at Primrose Farm on the edge of Redruth, where the Lugg family – Sally, husband Bill and their three children Rachael, Abi and Josh – perfected rearing traditional breeds, slowly and at low densities, with plenty of time spent outdoors enjoying a natural diet.
Primrose Herd also began sourcing pigs from other non-intensive family farms and smallholdings across Cornwall.
It wasn’t long before the business had outgrown its small processing facility on the farm and the decision was made to set up a site in Newham.
The butchery in Newham is a vital part of the company, allowing Sally and her team - which includes daughter Rachael, butchers Lee Bradley and Myles Trenerry, and head butcher Jake Gregory - to keep up with growing demand.
Primrose Herd offers a click and collect service in Newham for online orders and sets up a pop-up shop in the run-up to Christmas.
Sally says she hopes to run more pop-up events in the future and perhaps even create a more permanent shop at some stage.
In the meantime, the firm has invested in new sausage-making equipment and hopes to expand its delicious range, which includes pork and apple burgers, their award-winning hog’s pudding, mid-week meal staples such as pork mince and medallions, and an array of roasting joints for Sunday Lunch.
“We are lucky to have a great team working for us and we’re excited about the future,” said Sally, adding that it’s more important than ever for business in Cornwall to work together. “It’s been a challenging time recently and it’s great when we can support each other as a local community.”
Enjoy 20 per cent off the entire Primrose Herd range until the May 31st. Use the code SPRINGSAVE at the checkout when you spend £50 or more.