Premium meat retailer Farmison & Co relaunched its butchers shop in Ripon today.

Cut by Farmison, which is based at the firm’s headquarters on Bondgate Green, is now open every day of the week except Sundays from 9am to 6pm.

It previously opened on fewer days until 4pm.

The relaunch marked the latest phase in the company’s recovery since it was rescued from administration in April by a consortium led by ex-Asda chief executive Andy Clarke and Chilli Marketing owner Gareth Whittle.

Meat being prepared at Cut by Farmison.

Farmison also announced today it had reached an agreement to supply Harrods in London.

It has also entered the fish market through a partnership with online seafood business Fish for Thought.

It hopes the move to extend the opening hours of its Ripon shop will attract more shoppers from the city and nearby places such as Harrogate who are attracted to the company’s free range, grass-fed approach to butchery.

Farmison also plans to open more shops nationally to diversify from its online model, which currently accounts for 92% of its business.

Andy Adcock outside the Ripon shop today.

Chief executive Andy Adcock said:

“We have this fabulous factory in Ripon, which is at the front end of a huge craft butchery operation.

“We’ve not been maximising the retail capability and the potential of this shop for local people.

“The quality of the product here is not the same as what you will get anywhere else.”

Paul Minett, who has joined Farmison as a retail consultant, was in the store today for free tastings and to provide cooking advice.

Read more:

• Hot Seat: Bringing Ripon firm Farmison back to life
• Ripon firm Farmison to trade again after buyout completed

Ripon online butcher Farmison & Co is to start selling some items again today.

The company, which was acquired from administration last month by a consortium led by ex-Asda chief executive Andy Clarke, will sell a selection of heritage breeds here.

More ranges will be brought back to the website over the weeks ahead.

The company’s Ripon shop at Bondgate Green and click-and-collect location, ‘Cut by Farmison’, will also re-open this week.

Farmison is in the process of recruiting 50 staff and re-engaging suppliers after it ceased trading on April 6 and entered administration.

Now, after a certification inspection at its Ripon headquarters, the Food Standards Agency has given the company the green light to restart operations.

It has obtained commitments from farming partners in the north of England, that they will continue to supply Farmison with the grass-fed, heritage breed meat that is at the heart of the firm’s customer promise to ‘eat better meat’.

The sustainable online meat retailer was acquired last week by a consortium led by Mr Clarke and Chilli Marketing’s Gareth Whittle, Christian Barton and Kieron Barton.

Initial ranges available to customers online include 32-day dry-aged rib steak, handmade hot dogs and Farmison & Co’s signature cut dry aged sirloin steak alongside pork, chicken and lamb.

Executive chairman Mr Clarke said:

“I want to give a massive thank you to the Farmison team who’ve acted with incredible speed to bring the business back to life – and of course to our farmers across Yorkshire and the north, who are determined to support the business get back on its feet.

“We’ve been absolutely bowled over by the messages of support from colleagues, customers and suppliers since taking ownership of the business.

“It will be some weeks yet before we have our full ranges back online, but we thank each and every one of the customers who’ve sent us those messages of encouragement and support over the past few weeks.  It means the world to the whole Farmison team.”

Farmison & Co sells online directly to customers across the UK, and through wholesale channels such as Harrods, Selfridges, Fortnum & Mason and Michelin star restaurants.

Read more:

• Hot Seat: Bringing Ripon firm Farmison back to life
• Ripon firm Farmison begins hiring staff as it prepares for comeback

Administrators running collapsed Ripon firm Farmison & Co said today it planned to begin the sale of assets.

FRP took charge of the company on Thursday, when it ceased trading and most staff lost their jobs.

Farmison co-founder John Pallagi held talks over the bank holiday with a consortium led by two Yorkshire businessmen about reviving the business.

But there has been no news of a deal since and FRP has now issued a statement clarifying the situation.

The statement outlined the problems that brought down the award-winning company. It said:

“The business recently underwent a fundraising process to secure external investment to support its business plan but did not secure a sufficient level of interest.

“Following a period of significant operational investment, the business has not generated the required level of revenues to sustain its high cost base.

“In recent weeks interest in the business and assets has been explored but a transaction could not be completed, and the directors have therefore placed the company into administration.”

The statement confirmed Farmison had ceased trading, adding:

“Regrettably, the majority of its 75 roles were made redundant. A skeleton staff has been retained to support the joint administrators in fulfilling their duties as they move towards an asset sale, notably the brand, goodwill and intellectual property.”

Read more:

• ‘Intense’ talks to save Ripon firm Farmison after buyout collapses
• New city-wide Ripon bus service to start on Monday

Arvindar Jit Singh, partner at FRP and joint administrator of Farmison, said:

“Farmison had made significant investment in recent years in its operations as it aimed to carve out a differentiated brand and offering in the online retail space.

“However, it proved too heavy a burden to sustain without the uplift in sales that it had expected.

“Without a major capital injection, the business could not continue trading and we must now commence an asset sale. We encourage any interested parties to come forward.

“In the meantime, we have a specialist team working with impacted staff to access support through the Redundancy Payments Service.”

Customers and creditors can contact the administrators by emailing farmison@frpadvisory.com.

Intense negotiations are taking place over the bank holiday weekend to save one of Ripon’s largest employers .

Premium meat retailer Farmison & Co ceased trading on Thursday and entered administration. Most of the 92 staff were made redundant.

All items on the company’s website are currently listed as ‘out of stock’.

Farmison co-founder John Pallagi told the Stray Ferret he was talking to a consortium led by two Yorkshire businessmen about a management buyout.

It comes after buyout talks with another online butcher, Tom Hixson of Smithfield, fell through.

Mr Pallagi said:

“I hope to have some news by the end of the long weekend.

“Farmison isn’t trading at the moment but I haven’t given up hope. We are an amazing business and this is a great opportunity.

“We have half a million people on our database and an established UK brand that has won many awards. There’s every reason to keep this company alive.”

Mr Pallagi said last night he had been engaged in 48 hours of exhausting talks with the potential new owners after administrators FRP took control of the company on Maundy Thursday.

He said the firm had serviced all orders that had been placed and a “small working team” remained on site to deal with any unresolved issues.

Read more:

• 90 jobs at stake as struggling Ripon firm Farmison seeks buyer
• Kirkgate to close for Easter street party in Ripon

Last year Mr Pallagi sold Farmison, whose customers include Harrods and Fortnum & Mason, to Scottish private investors Inverleith LLP.

He remained as chief executive and a new three-year business plan was agreed. But when the plan faltered he approached Ripon and Skipton Conservative MP Julian Smith and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for help.

Mr Pallagi said:

“I’m a fighter. I’ve been in this business for 21 years and I’m confident we can turn around this wrong turn that we’ve taken.”

Mr Pallagi started Farmison to work with local farmers and encourage people to ‘eat better meat’.

Despite sales doubling to £12m in 2021, the company then made a loss of £2.6m.

Harrogate Borough Council‘s co-working space, Co-Lab, has opened.

Co-Lab consists of new offices, a meeting room and communal space. It’s based on level 3 of Harrogate Convention Centre on King’s Road.

The authority secured £540,000 of funding from the Leeds City Business Rates Pool to fund the project.

It aims to connect digital, tech and creative businesses in the Harrogate district.

Alistair Forbes, Harrogate Borough Council’s in-house growth manager who will support businesses at Co-Lab said:

“Co-Lab will be focussed on digital and tech businesses, but we are inviting anyone interested in collaborating with the business community to talk to us.

“From designers to hardware specialists, technologists, marketers and developers, our aim is that everyone works together to help our community become more successful.”

Ripon butcher wins contract with Selfridges and Fortnum & Mason

Ripon-based online butcher, Farmison & Co has won a contract to supply London stores Selfridges and Fortnum & Mason.

Farmison’s new Saucepan Ready range was curated by the company’s Michelin-starred executive chef, Jeff Baker, who has cooked for the Queen and Barack Obama.

The deal comes after Inverleith LLP, an Edinburgh-based specialist consumer brand investor, acquired a majority stake in the business, so it could press ahead with expansion plans.

Business founder and chief executive, John Pallagi, said:

“It’s a real feather in our cap to get Saucepan Ready listed with these two such iconic British retailers – it’s also recognition of the superb quality of the heritage breed meat our farmers supply.”

As well as the Saucepan Ready dishes, Selfridges and Fortnum & Mason are stocking Farmison & Co’s beef dripping and chicken schmaltz.

Battery storage facility planned for Burton Leonard

Plans have been submitted to build a battery energy storage system near Burton Leonard.

The application has been submitted to Harrogate Borough Council by Harmony Energy Limited. The company also hopes to build a solar farm nearby.

The battery energy facility will store electricity so it can support the National Grid and provide electricity during high demand.

It would be built next to the Wormald Green Northern PowerGrid substation, off Station Lane, Wormald Green.

The storage facility would be built in the field marked in red.

This article is sponsored by Farmison & Co.

New Click & Collect service creates biggest virtual meat counter in the world.

Farmison & Co butchers has opened a new shop on Bondgate Green in Ripon, with a Click & Collect service and free, dedicated parking while you visit. Farmison & Co also offers a huge online range that would need the longest meat counter in the world to display it all.

Britain’s online butcher of the year is piloting its first physical location in North Yorkshire because it sees an opportunity to grow the concept as a concession in high-quality food retailers here in the UK and overseas, that share its passion for better meat.

They’re giving you an exclusive opportunity to be one of the first to shop at cut by Farmison & Co. Get £10 off your first order, when you spend £20 or more* using the code STEAK10.

Shop instore, buy online or click & collect

As much an experience as a shop, Cut is designed to showcase the crown jewels of Yorkshire heritage breed meat and allow customers to select from Farmison & Co’s extensive online range and collect within an hour of placing an order.

Whether you’re rustling up a roast, fancy a quick and easy meal or firing up a last-minute barbecue, this meat will be the talk of the table. The luscious quality simply speaks for itself, especially when paired with chef-prepared blends of spices, seasonings, and marinades.

Farmison & Co’s game-changing ‘saucepan ready™’ range will transform your mealtimes. Ready in minutes, these pouches are the easy way to eat better meat, and just the ticket for pairing with cupboard staples. There are four dishes to choose from; traditional lamb hotpot, authentic chilli con carne, creamy tikka masala, and rich & full bodied beef ragu. Each boasts generous chunks of free range meat.

Cut will be open seven days a week, from 9am to 6pm Monday to Saturday and 9.30am-12 noon on Sundays, and a knowledgeable Master Butcher and staff will be on hand to give tips and advice on how to prepare meat and follow recipes devised by Farmison & Co’s in-house Michelin starred chef, Jeff Baker. We understand that trying a new cut can be daunting, so Farmison & Co go the extra mile to help.