Fen Farm Dairy

What Fen Farm Dairy does

Fen Farm Dairy is a family-owned artisanal dairy producer headquartered at Flixton Road, Bungay, Suffolk, United Kingdom, founded in 2011 by the Crickmore family after pivoting from conventional dairy supply into direct-to-consumer raw milk via the UK's first raw milk vending machine. The company operates a vertically integrated, single-site production model on its own farm: a Montbéliarde herd (originally 72 cows imported from the French Jura in 2012, subsequently expanded) is milked on premises, and the milk is gravity-fed directly into adjacent cheesemaking rooms within minutes, eliminating industrial pumping. Core products include Baron Bigod, a Brie-de-Meaux style farmhouse cheese launched in 2013 and awarded Best British Cheese by Fine Food Digest in 2023, 2024 and 2025; Bungay Butter, described as the UK's only raw cultured farmhouse butter using a 300-year-old Suffolk lactic-fermentation method; raw milk (sold via farm shops and doorstep delivery, not legally shippable to Scotland); traditionally fermented Kefir; Icelandic-method Skyr yoghurt; cultured cream, ghee and buttermilk; plus seasonal winter Reblochon-style Rædwald (co-developed with French cheese technologist Ivan Larcher) and summer lactic washed-rind Punch.

Production relies on hand-ladled cheesemaking, small batches, and a circular farming system in which manure compost feeds forage crops and cow-pad heat exchange plus 276 kW of rooftop solar produce net-positive electricity and hot water, achieving roughly a 75% reduction in nitrogen fertiliser use. The commercial model combines direct-to-consumer e-commerce (Shopify-based, shipped via DHL within 48 hours, free over £50), the Dairy Club subscription pricing tier at 20% off with selectable cadence, three owned farm shops in Darsham, Bungay and Eye selling the full range plus curated local produce, doorstep delivery partnership with Foulgers Dairy in Suffolk and South Norfolk, and wholesale distribution through independent partners to UK and international delis, farm shops, bakeries, restaurants and hotels across Europe, North America, Australia and parts of Asia. Customers are health-conscious individual consumers and independent trade buyers seeking provenance and artisanal quality; raw milk cannot be sold directly through the wholesale channel due to regulatory constraints.

Name

Fen Farm Dairy

Legal name

Fen Farm Dairy Ltd

Website

https://fenfarmdairy.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fen Farm Dairy is a family-owned Suffolk artisan dairy producing traditional farmhouse cheese, raw cultured butter, Kefir, Skyr yoghurt, and raw milk from its Montbéliarde herd. It sells via DTC e-commerce, three farm shops, and independent wholesale partners across the UK and internationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Artisan Dairy Products

NAICS

Dairy Cattle and Milk Production (112120), Dairy Product (except Frozen) Manufacturing (31151)

SIC

Dairy Products (2020), Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200)

akta.pro primary industry

Milk Production (Raw Milk) (AFAEACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Dairy Housing, Milking Systems & On-Farm Infrastructure Operations (AFAEACAG), Pasture-Based & Grazing Dairy Systems (AFAEACAI)

Keywords

• Artisan dairy products
• Farmhouse cheese
• Raw cultured butter
• Artisan raw milk
• Dairy subscription service

Headquarters

HQ city

Bungay

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Direct E-commerce Sales: Online sales through fenfarmdairy.co.uk with products shipped directly to consumers via DHL. One-time purchases and subscription options available.
2. Dairy Club Subscription: Recurring subscription service delivering favourite products at customer-selected frequencies. Members receive 20% off all products. Can cancel, amend or pause anytime.
3. Farm Shop Retail: Three farm shop locations in Suffolk (Darsham, Bungay, Eye) selling full product range plus local produce including coffees, sourdough, pastries, meats, fish, eggs, and more.
4. Wholesale Distribution: Products sold through wholesale partners to independent delis, farm shops, bakeries, restaurants, hotels across UK and internationally. Entire range available except raw milk which can only be sold directly.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Fen Farm Dairy is an artisan farmhouse dairy operation that produces and sells premium dairy products from its own Montbéliarde herd on its Suffolk farm, including Brie-style cheese (Baron Bigod), raw cultured farmhouse butter, traditionally fermented kefir, Icelandic-style skyr yoghurt, raw milk, and seasonal washed-rind cheeses. Production is vertically integrated on-farm using traditional gravity-fed, hand-ladled, and small-batch methods with heritage recipes; products reach consumers through three farm shops, direct e-commerce, doorstep delivery, and wholesale distribution.

Product overview

Fen Farm Dairy is a traditional artisan dairy farm producing a range of dairy products from its own Montbéliarde herd in Suffolk. The core offering centres on Baron Bigod, an award-winning farmhouse Brie-style cheese handmade since 2013, complemented by Bungay Butter (UK's only raw cultured farmhouse butter), traditionally fermented Kefir, Skyr-style yoghurt, raw milk, and seasonal cheeses including Rædwald (winter) and Punch (summer). Additional products include cultured cream, buttermilk, ghee, and guest cheeses from like-minded British farmhouse producers. The Dairy Club subscription service offers 20% member discounts on regular deliveries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Baron Bigod: Award-winning traditional farmhouse Brie-de-Meaux style cheese, handmade from Montbéliarde cow's milk. Voted Best British Cheese 2023-2025.
• Bungay Butter
• Raedwald
• Punch
• Kefir
• Skyr Yoghurt

Products and services

• Baron Bigod Traditional farmhouse Brie-de-Meaux style cheese handmade from pasteurised Montbéliarde cow milk, with a nutty mushroomy rind and silky golden breakdown, aged up to 8 weeks in a cave-like environment. Available in 250g, 1kg, and 3kg sizes, plus a truffled variant. Awarded Best British Cheese 2023, 2024 and 2025.
• Bungay Butter Raw cultured farmhouse butter made by souring cream using lactic bacteria before churning and adding British sea salt, following a 300-year-old Suffolk recipe. Sold in salted and unsalted formats as 200g boxes, 200g rolls, and 1kg sheets.
• Kefir Traditionally fermented kefir drink handmade on the Suffolk farm using fresh Montbéliarde milk and live cultures from Normandy, with subtle Champagne-like fizz, 3g protein per 100ml, no artificial thickeners, stabilisers, or preservatives. Available in 500ml bottles.
• Skyr Yoghurt High-protein, low-fat Icelandic-style skyr yoghurt handmade from skimmed Montbéliarde cow milk and live cultures, strained through natural cheesecloths for a thick, silky texture. Available in natural and flavoured varieties (honey, strawberry, blackcurrant) in 400g and 1kg sizes.
• Raw Milk Unpasteurised whole cow milk from free-ranging Montbéliarde herd, completely unprocessed to retain natural enzymes and vitamins A, B, C, and D. Sold in 1L and 2L bottles; cannot be shipped to Scotland due to Scottish law, and is only available direct (not via wholesale).
• Rædwald Reblochon-style washed-rind cheese made during winter months using rich afternoon milk from Montbéliarde cows, named after the Anglo-Saxon king Rædwald. Features a crunchy toothsome rind and smooth oozing paste; available February to April each year.
• Punch Seasonal summer lactic washed-rind cheese made from surplus summer milk, named after Suffolk Punch horses. Deep savoury flavour with sticky orange rind and soft interior; available late July to mid September only.
• Cultured Cream Cultured cream made from the cream of Montbéliarde cows as part of Fen Farm's artisan dairy range, sold in 240g format.
• Buttermilk True raw buttermilk produced as a byproduct of the butter churning process. Sold in 1L bottles and positioned as a baking and cooking ingredient.
• Ghee Clarified cultured raw butter made through traditional cultured butter production methods, packaged in 190g jars.
• Guest Cheese Selection Curated selection of guest cheeses sourced from small farmhouse producers with a similar ethos, including Westcombe Cheddar, Lincolnshire Poacher, St Jude, St Helena, Lanark Blue, Driftwood, and a Mystery Guest Cheese.
• Accompaniments Artisanal extras sourced from local producers to complement the dairy range, including Monty's Chilli Jam, Monty's Norfolk Pickle, Medlar Jelly, and Wholemeal Buttermilk Crackers (made with Fen Farm raw buttermilk via partner I.J. Mellis).
• Gifts and Gift Cards Curated gift range including Fen Farm Coffee Blend, Frances Crickmore Wildlife Book, Butter Dish, Brie Baker, and gift vouchers from £20, sold through the farm's e-commerce gift collection.
• The Dairy Club Subscription Subscription service delivering favourite Fen Farm Dairy products at customer-selected frequencies with 20% member discounts on all products, with options to cancel, pause, or amend anytime and first access to new launches.

Quantifiable outcome

• Baron Bigod has replaced French Brie on many UK cheese counters
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Earsham Street DeliminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal Suffolk business that hosted a blind kefir tasting with two blends side-by-side to help Fen Farm perfect their final kefir blend before launch. Provided valuable customer feedback during product development.
• Foulgers DairycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal roundsman partnership for doorstep deliveries of Fen Farm raw milk, cheese, and butter to most of Suffolk and South Norfolk. Contact: [email protected] or 01473 784 999.
• England PreservesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSupplies fruit conserves (Strawberry and Blackcurrant) for Fen Farm Skyr yoghurt. Small London-based producer sourcing fruit from small mixed farms with environmentally sustainable agriculture practices. Their jams contain 60% fruit - twice the fruit content of average supermarket jam.
• David MartinminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal Suffolk beekeeper who supplies wildflower honey for Fen Farm yoghurt. Also a member of the Fen Farm production team. Keeps hives on the farmland where bees forage on surrounding hedgerows and wild areas. Never feeds bees sugar syrup during honey production season.
• ThorgrimurcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaster skyr maker in Iceland who trained Steve and Jonny in traditional Icelandic skyr yoghurt making techniques. Visited geothermal farmlands of Iceland to learn authentic skyr production methods.
• Ivan LarchercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench cheese technologist who previously helped develop Baron Bigod 10 years prior. Returned to help Head Cheesemaker Marc develop Rædwald cheese in September 2023, making first trial batches.
• James JayminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTop British chef who teamed up with Fen Farm to create Bungayflette - a British version of classic French tartiflette using Rædwald cheese and British seasonal produce.
• I.J. MellisminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCheese retailer partner. I.J. Mellis Wholemeal Buttermilk Crackers are made using Fen Farm raw buttermilk, sold in Fen Farm shops and potentially through their network.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Arla Foods: Major UK/EU dairy cooperative producing milk, butter, cheese and yoghurt at industrial scale; sets the commodity price benchmark and supermarket-shelf context against which Fen Farm's premium positioning is sold.
• Yeo Valley: Large UK organic dairy brand with yoghurt, butter and cream lines; broader portfolio and supermarket presence but overlaps in yoghurt, butter, and sustainability-led British dairy positioning.
• Neal's Yard Dairy: Iconic London-based affineur/retailer that buys, matures and sells many of the UK's leading farmhouse cheeses including direct competitors; not a producer but the dominant gatekeeper of the premium UK cheese wholesale channel.

Direct peers

• Westcombe Dairy: Somerset-based farmhouse cheesemaker producing traditional cloth-bound Cheddar using similar raw-milk, slow-production artisan methods; comparable scale, channel mix (DTC + delis) and premium positioning in UK artisan cheese.
• Quicke's: Devon family farm producing traditional cloth-bound Cheddar plus butter and whey products; comparable vertically integrated farm-to-product artisan model with strong wholesale and DTC presence in UK delis and farm shops.
• Acorn Dairy: North-East England organic dairy delivering raw and pasteurised milk, cheese and yoghurt via doorstep delivery and wholesale; overlapping product range (raw milk, yoghurt, cheese) and direct-to-consumer subscription model.
• Hafod Cheese: Welsh organic farm producing raw milk Cheddar using traditional slow-make methods; directly comparable on-farm artisan production, premium pricing, and UK cheesemonger channel.
• St. Jude Cheese (Fen Farm already stocks it): Small UK farmhouse cheesemaker producing raw milk lactic cheeses with similar terroir-led flavour profile; comparable scale, traditional methods, and presence in the same independent cheesemonger channel.
• Isle of Mull Cheese: Hebridean farmhouse cheesemaker producing small-batch raw milk cheeses; comparable artisan positioning, award profile and reliance on UK specialist delis and farm shops for distribution.
• Lincolnshire Poacher: Family-run Lincolnshire farm producing raw milk hard cheeses on-farm with traditional methods; comparable heritage-style positioning, multi-product artisan portfolio and farm-shop/wholesale distribution model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@fenfarmdairy8629
• Facebookfacebook.com/FenFarmDairy
• Instagraminstagram.com/fenfarmdairy
• TikToktiktok.com/@fenfarmdairy
• Xx.com/FenFarmDairy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fen Farm Dairy