The rain drives down on the windscreen as I make my way through the beautiful Kent countryside to meet Ben Bardsley, MD of Bardsley Farms – a fifth generation fruit farm, founded in 1892.
My childhood memories of local fruit farms usually depict a wooden shack at the side of the road filled with various punnets of brightly coloured produce – accompanied by an honesty box. The Bardsley Farm complex on Chart Hill Road is far from my antiquated ideas. This is a lock, stock and barrel – grow, pick and pack operation. The open-plan, contemporary office space floods with natural light, offering panoramic views of the surrounding orchards. Members of Team Bardsley sit together on huge desks, all clad in the very item I’ve come here to chat about – the Schoffel gilet, adorned with embroidered Bardsley branding – from the Golden Boot of course.
This particular site is one of 17 across the South East of England. As a business Bardsley Farms produces numerous varieties of apples, pears, plums, apricots, cherries and grapes. They supply to various supermarkets in the UK, as well as to customers directly. Their fruit and fresh juices are award-winning.
Ben explains that family values are at the absolute core of the business, and believes this level of integrity is fundamental to the future of UK farming. He tells me him and GB’s Ed go way back, how he’s always bought his shoes from The Golden Boot and now, like many others, brings his children to be fitted for school shoes. He mentions his admiration of the business, and notes the similarity with Golden Boot in maintaining those all-important core values.
The introduction of country clothing and an embroidery service to the store had him sold. As a keen country sportsman, Ben knows the quality Schoffel offers to its wearers, and felt the image illustrated was a perfect match for Team Bardsley – family history, countryside living, quality and functionality.
The intention of the embroidery was to encapsulate and present the brand image for those members of the team who are customer-facing – 35 in total. The high quality alcantara – trimmed Schoffel fleecing acts as the perfect backdrop for Bardsley Farm’s striking new logo, and of course fulfils its primary function – keeping the team snug!
Keep up to date with Bardsley Farms on Instagram and visit their new website – www.bardsley-england.com
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