Could you grow, harvest and sell organic fruit and veg with your husband or wife? This Dunkeld couple sure can.
These Perthshire newlyweds have been running the Little Trochry Farm together for over a year now and say it has only brought them closer together.
With the help of adorable pup, Pekoe, and kittens Puffin and Penguin, the couples’ farm business has flourished.
So how did it all start?
“I actually grew up on a farm,” says Kirstin.
“My mum and grandad grew herbs at a farm for 25 years.
“But although I grew up on a farm but I never thought I would farm myself.”
It was when Kirstin worked at a farm in Canada that she fell in love with it again.
“I love being outside and I love physical work,” she says. “And I love doing something that feels meaningful and purposeful and something that feels like it’s contributing to the world.”
Then the challenge became getting Iain on board.
Although he had never done any veg growing in his life, Iain’s own passion for food and sustainability meant he fell in love with the work.
“There’s still some aspects that I find tedious,” Iain admits, “but it’s producing food for the local community that holds the most meaning for me.”
On the 15 acre farm, the two 31-year-olds grow fruit and veg using organic principles, without using fertilisers or pesticides, and distribute food that nourishes the local community.
Reducing food miles is very important to Kirstin and her husband, Iain. The pair sell veg from a farm stand with an honesty box at the end of their road, sell to local businesses and head along to local markets too.
They have hosted events for the community, both to teach them about growing fruit and veg and to feed them up with pizza.
For their popular ‘soil to slice’ event, the couple teamed up with Luigi’s Pizzeria to make delicious pizza with their own local, farm grown ingredients.
Dunkeld duo say ‘We’re in it together’
When asked if working so closely ever gets tough, Iain quips: “Can we do this individually? Can I tell you next door?
“No,” he laughs, “I actually think we are really enjoying working together.
“Sure, it’s not always sunshine and rainbows, but that’s often a reflection of our energy levels and how heavy the workload is.”
Iain continues: “With any couple or partnership it can be more strained when you’re tired.
“But we’re in it together, which is nice. If one of us was immersed in their own business, and the other one was working nine to five, then the other would be finishing at five and have these weekends free and think, hm, are we going to get to do something together?
“But this way, when the work is busy, we’re both busy, but when we’re free, we’re both free.”
Kirstin adds: “It’s not perfect. We can be snappy at each other sometimes, but we make a good team.
“It could be really bad. You live and work together and argue all the time, but it’s not like that.”
Iain of Little Trochry Farm says their differences help them to manage their load.
“Because we’re different and have different approaches, that means we cover all the bases,” he said.
“So if we can make all that work together, then it’s really a really good strength.”
What’s next for Little Trochry Farm?
Being in touch with the community is key for this young couple.
Having moved to the area not knowing anyone, they said their fruit and veg business has helped them make and keep friends locally.
They plan to keep on doing just that.
Kirstin says: “A big part of our future thought is that we want to get people to the farm more often.
“So that gives people a way of connecting to the farm and learning about it that way.
“And maybe in the future, if we get permission, we could build some accommodation on site.”
Kirstin and Iain also plan to expand their space, adding more beds for growing their fruit and veg.
As their business grows, they may also look at hiring on some staff, as it is currently just the two of them working on the farm.
“I think making the leap into building a team would be something we’d like to do next year,” says Iain.
“But we are still learning what the balance is between our home and a business, because we live here too.”
The couple are proud of the progress they have made in their first year.
Iain says: “We had a few aims this summer.
“We wanted to carry on the veg, increase it. We wanted to host some events and we wanted to try some workshops.
“And we managed to do all those things. So we’re chuffed about that. And we’ll just keep going.”
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