Cows and Co was set up 20 years ago by Stuart McLennan and Mark Calendar after a discussion about how to add value to the milk price dairy farmer Mark received. This led to a partnership with Appleby Creamery boss Maurice Walton, with the creamery becoming part of Cows and Co. Pete Crouch, who has more than 20 years of experience in marketing, joined the company in 2016 to strengthen the brand. The firm has now expanded into three sectors: food and drink, energy and consultation.
Name: Pete Crouch
Age: 49
Position: Director
WHAT’S YOUR BUSINESS CALLED?
Cows and Co.
WHERE IS IT BASED?
Crofthead Dairy, Crocketford, Dumfries and Galloway.
WHY DID YOU SET UP THE BUSINESS?
STUART and Mark have done the business for 20 years. Mark is a dairy farmer and Stuart is in the fast food industry. Mark was feeling the burden of fluctuating milk prices and wanted to add value as a dairy farmer.
The business started using Mark’s milk. He was working with Maurice, our cheesemaker, who currently produces a range of cheese from the creamery in Appleby, Cumbria in the North of England.
I was given the job to create the brand and design it. We got on really well and formulated the new Cows and Co group and bought the creamery as acquisition.
We now sell through routes including direct sales (vans), website and the biggest part is through food service providers such as hotels and restaurants. We distribute mainly in Cumbria, south west Scotland and Dumfries. We also produce cheese for other companies.
We have recently looked into exporting to Hong Kong. We looked at China first which has a fast-growing economy. There is historically no appetite for dairy products in parts of Asia but that is changing.
HOW IS IT DIFFERENT FROM COMPETING BUSINESSES?
WE have been described as “disruptive”. The UK has thousands of small scale artisan food producers. They tend to be regional and get to a scale where the business owner can earn a nice living.
We have four men from different backgrounds and expertise and we all have our own businesses as well. We can bring our expertise and apply it to a small-scale business. We want to maintain the handmade process but want to be able to do that on a large scale.
Most small businesses can’t export to China but we have got ambition to grow beyond our immediate footprint. We are not limiting ourselves to being a regional provider. People travel and try new foods they want to find when they get home. That’s what we are keen to do.
We have outlets in Glasgow and Edinburgh that stock our cheese. It is something that makes us different to other businesses of a similar scale.
WHAT IS YOUR TARGET MARKET?
OUR target audience is the global middle class, people prepared to pay premium for quality.
There are a growing number of people who fit that category here in Scotland and abroad.
You won’t see us in a discount environment because we would be working hard for smaller margins.
WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT RUNNING THE BUSINESS?
I SPENT a lot of time in the IT world. It comes with challenges – technology is very expensive and people need it but don’t actually want it.
However, if you see people who have made cheese by hand it is immensely rewarding. I enjoy talking to customers about the way our cheese is made and the product.
WHERE DO YOU HOPE THE BUSINESS WILL BE IN 10 YEARS’ TIME?
WE have a significant base in Appleby – we started the business here and it continues to grow here. We have launched a franchise operation in St Petersburg in Russia and want to grow that model globally such as in the US and Australia. We won a bronze award in the World Cheese Awards. As long as we can continue with locally produced material we can replicate that elsewhere. Asia is more of a challenge because of a less premium quality milk supply. We are keen to support young people in industry – our head cheesemaker is only 26 years old. It is all about quality produce and investment in our team – that’s the most important factor that will enable our growth. If we get that right we have a very sustainable business.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here