The Doors are Now Open

Last week we opened our farm shop doors to the public for the very first time!

We are so pleased to say that we have been very busy serving a lot of happy customers. The feedback we have received has been incredibly positive. We are also grateful for customers’ suggestions of other products.

It has been great to find out what our customers really love. Our gorgeous fresh strawberries have been flying out the door, and we have had to make some emergency calls to restock our cheeses!

What’s really promising is the amount of return customers that we’ve seen. There really is no better compliment than a customer who looks forward to coming back to see us. This has just stressed the importance of talking to customers. It has helped us understand what they are looking for, and how shopping with us fits into their day.

Another thing that has proved important (as we knew it would), is the connection between a new venture and the communities round about it. We have had customers from Kilmarnock, Ayr, Galston, Darvel, Hurlford, Mauchline, Cumnock, and everywhere in between.

Hearing good things coming from each of these communities has been hugely encouraging, and it has let us know we are reaching the people that we are trying to reach. We want to serve these communities and become a part of their weekly (if not daily) lives.

The farm shop has allowed us to focus our ideas in relation to the café. We will start serving breakfast rolls from the farm shop, along with tea and coffee, for those customers who are on the move or wanting to pick something simple up before work.

Following this, we will get the café open in around a month’s time. This is when our incredibly talented chef will be able to show off our local ingredients in the most delicious and imaginative ways possible. From hearty dishes like steak pie or fish and chips, to other, equally satisfying bites like our chef’s-cut burger.

The café will serve up Rocket Monkey coffee, created in a small, artisan roastery in South Ayrshire. Deep, rich and delicious – the coffee is just one of the products that we are championing at the Hub. And thankfully, we have so many other products to be proud of here in Ayrshire.