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When Lindsay Lattimer had problems getting hold of certain feeds for her own horses and animals the seed of a business idea was sown.
Now Lindsay, with backing from her Mum Margaret Wigham, has given up her full time NHS job and set up Cherrytree Supplies Ltd, based at Greenside Farm, the family farm near Castleside, Consett in County Durham.
More than £60,000 has been invested in building a warehouse and office for the new animal feed supply business, catering for a range of animals from horses, pigs and fowl to dogs, cats, wild birds and small animals such as hamsters.
Support from the Derwentside Enterprise Agency has helped 30 year old Lindsay get the business up-and-running.
“As a family we have years of experience running a small farm where we have rare breed pigs, chickens and horses but I was very glad of the additional business advice and support,” she said. “It has been exciting but a bit daunting sometimes and hard work, as I only stopped working full time very recently. Derwentside Enterprise also helped me access vital grants from Derwentside District Council and Rural Enterprise Development.”
Cherrytree Supplies numbers farm shops, kennels, pet shops, stables, dog trainers and game-keepers amongst its customers and hopes to expand into supplying bedding as well in the near future.
“I knew from my own experience how difficult it can be to get hold of certain specialist feeds,” explained Lindsay. “In addition, people often want to order relatively small amounts of feed because they have limited storage space but that can be difficult too. With our new storage facilities we can be more flexible and that will help the agricultural market which is going through difficult times. We are offering a seven-day service and intend to make sure our prices remain competitive.
“We want to support other businesses in the area as well and have used local suppliers whenever possible for everything from building materials to our Cherrytree Supplies t-shirts. We are confident we will soon be able to create more jobs for local people.”
Lindsay’s husband Simon, a fireman, has thrown his weight behind the venture too.
“I am just thrilled to be able to make my hobby my business,” says Lindsay. “My Mum has run a number of catering businesses in the area so she has now gone from feeding people to feeding animals!”
Lindsay currently has three horses and competes regularly in dressage, show-jumping and eventing. Ice, her Appaloosa-Hanoverian cross is a very successful show-jumper so Lindsay has plans to enter more British Show Jumping events and spread the word about Cherrytree Supplies around the UK at the same time.
David Soulsby, Business Adviser with Derwentside Enterprise Agency, said: “Lindsay and Margaret identified a gap in the market and had clear aims for their new business. We were only too pleased to offer advice and help them access the support that is available for start-up businesses.”
Cherrytree Supplies can be contacted on 01207 593749 and at www.cherrytree-supplies.co.uk