Our People
Ferme is a special place not only because of our commitment to growing the best local produce in the area, but because of our people. Meet some of our great staff members!
Sarah Parker
FOUNDER
Sarah Parker believes in sustainable and holistic living.
Her passion for organic farming, natural clothing and well-considered beauty products has made her an influential champion of craftsmanship, traditional skills and natural living.
Founder of Ferme, she is recognised as a visionary in organic farming and healthy food retailing.
She holds a B.A. in Africana Studies from Brown University, an M.A. in Socio-Cultural Anthropology from Columbia University, and certification in Biodynamics, Permaculture Design, and Developmental Somatic Psychotherapy.
John Smith
Farm Manager
John Smith is a passionate organic farmer and producer, who believes strongly that organic farming methods have a huge role to play in feeding our ever growing population in a healthy and sustainable way.
John grew up on a large mixed farm in Northamptonshire and after leaving school worked in the Cheviot Hills in Northumberland, where here he developed a real passion for livestock farming. He then spent several years working as a farm manager in Cornwall before emigrating to New Zealand in 1992 where he farmed beef, sheep and deer and specialised in the production of meat from grass-based diets.
John believes The Ferme Farm is without doubt one of the most forward thinking and innovative organic farms in the country and he is driven by the production of honest, transparently produced organic food.
Samuel Parker
HEAD OF THE MARKET GARDEN
Samuel Parker manages the Market Garden at Ferme, running the market garden, sowing, planting, harvesting and growing a wide range of herbs, salads, fruit and vegetables.
Samuel trained in horticulture at Reading University, coming from a family plant nursery in the Vale of Evesham, where he grew up with a horticultural background all around him.
Samuel loves to grow squashes and pumpkins – because they are such large plants, they suppress the weeds well, and when it comes to harvest, it’s like a treasure hunt.
Alexander Nelson
HEAD CHEESEMAKER
Alexander Nelson is Head Cheesemaker at our organic Creamery, where he is in charge of producing all of our farm’s award-winning cheese.
Alexander has studied and worked with cheese for over twenty years. Originally from the USA, his life of cheese making began with a trip to France in 1994 and since then his lifelong passion has taken him all over the world. In the UK he is best known for helping to develop the popular Ogleshield cheese with Jamie Montgomery of Neal’s Yard Dairy.
For Alexander, the artistry of cheesemaking is in the Cheesemaker’s response to constant changes in the conditions of the milk and cheesemaking environment; cheese is about extending the shelf life of milk and best described as “controlled spoilage”.
