Wraysholme Tower Farm has been in the Morris family for over 100 years, Paul Morris is a 5th generation dairy farmer from in Flookburgh. Paul decided to make a range of dairy products using fresh milk from their herd of 80 Holstein Friesians. Wraysholme Creamery produce milk, various ice creams, yoghurt and butter.

Paul said: “This is something I’ve thought about doing for a while, using our own produce to make ice cream and other products.”

Paul was involved with The Farmer Network, a not-for-profit company which provides help and support for farmers in Cumbria and the Yorkshire Dales. Through this he was put in touch with Growth Hub adviser, Adrian Luckham.

Paul was enrolled on the Business Start-Up Support programme around 12-months ago and is now successfully trading. The Business Start-Up Support scheme offers free support and advice to those wanting to start a business, or those in the early years of trading. The package includes a 3-day course on starting a business, one-to-one meetings with a business adviser, training and help with a business plan.

“Adrian and I talked through my ideas and worked on them. “He said ‘why don’t you try butter as well?’. We researched this idea we went to visit another farm who was making butter, ice cream and yogurt and knew we could do something similar here.”

The business started trading in December and Paul has been busy since. Wraysholme Creamery also received crucial support from Cumbria Manufacturing Service (CMS), which is funded by the European Regional Development Fund. Steve Wilkinson helped Paul access support to help with the cost of some machinery to get him started.

Steve said: “CMS has been able to support Paul in getting his new operation off the ground by helping grant support the costs of a Butter Churn and a Pasteurizer. Paul has got some great ambition and positive attitude towards this new venture which seeks to add value to his dairy business.

“The way things have taken off for the business means he might need more machinery sooner rather than later to keep up with demand for both his butter and Ice Cream products.”

Paul said: “The last few weekends have been a sell-out for most items. We’ve started offering a home delivery service now as well which is doing well. The business is growing all the time and we haven’t even hit summer yet!”

Paul said: “The help I got from Adrian has been amazing! We certainly wouldn’t have got to where we are now without it. And still loves to help out where he can even though we’re up and running!”

Wraysholme Creamery also recently appeared on Channel 5s ‘This Week on the Farm’, talking about his new business venture. You can watch the episode here.

Looking forward, Paul hopes to grow his business. “We don’t want to grow too big or too quickly. Eventually I’d like to open an ice cream parlour and farm shop.”

It’s looking like it’s going to be a busy summer for Wraysholme Creamery!

If you’re thinking of setting up a business but don’t know where to start, get in touch now! Speak to a member of our team on info@cumbriagrowthhub.co.uk or call us on 0844 257 84 50.

The funding that supports the Growth Hub comes from a range of sources including Cumbria Chamber of Commerce, the European Regional Development Fund, Sellafield Ltd., Carlisle City Council, South Lakeland District Council, Penrith Industrial BID and Cumbria LEP. The Growth Hub is receiving up to £2,528,767 of funding from the England European Regional Development Fund as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020. The BSUS project is receiving up to £1,112,686 of funding from the England European Regional Development Fund as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020. The Ministry for Housing Communities and Local Government is the Managing Authority for European Regional Development Fund. Established by the European Union, the European Regional Development Fund helps local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects which will support innovation, businesses, create jobs and local community regenerations. For more information, click here.