The Oaks Farm (Farm

What The Oaks Farm (Farm does

The Oaks Poultry Farm is a family-owned diversified farm operation located in Ditchling, East Sussex, within the South Downs National Park. Founded by Mark Perrett in 1969 as a poultry farm producing traditional Christmas turkeys, the business has expanded over 55 years into a multi-vertical visitor destination encompassing a farm shop, cafe, children's farm, seasonal campsite, and secure dog walking field. The farm produces and sells fresh meat (chicken, lamb, pork, beef, venison), free-range eggs, potatoes, and vegetables, alongside curated local Sussex produce including cheeses, dairy, flour, pies, chutneys, and jams. Award-winning Christmas turkeys remain a heritage product sold via online and phone orders for over five decades.

The business operates as a direct-to-consumer operation combining physical walk-in retail (farm shop, cafe, children's farm) with limited e-commerce via a Shopify storefront for Christmas produce and PitchUp.com for campsite bookings. Customer segments include local Sussex residents purchasing fresh produce, families seeking children's farm and soft play experiences (£5/child, £3/adult), cyclists on the London to Brighton route visiting the cafe, campers booking seasonal pitches, and dog owners using the £10/session secure walking field. The cafe (The Marshmallow Cow), opened in June 2019 and run by Katy Perrett, generates foot traffic from its position on the cycle route.

Following founder Mark Perrett's sudden death in 2018, eldest son Edward Perrett transitioned from a 20-year accounting career at Sky Television to lead the farm, supported by his wife Katy and brothers Neil and James. Under Edward's leadership, the operation has systematically diversified into hospitality (cafe), family entertainment (children's farm), and ancillary services (campsite, dog walking field). The business remains privately held by the Perrett family with no external investors, employs 8 people, and operates from a single primary location plus the satellite dog walking field in nearby Hassocks.

Name

The Oaks Farm (Farm

Legal name

The Oaks Poultry Farm

Website

https://theoaksfarm.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Oaks Poultry Farm is a family-owned diversified farm in Ditchling, East Sussex, operating a farm shop, cafe, children's farm, campsite, and dog walking field. It serves local Sussex consumers, families, cyclists, campers, and dog owners with fresh produce and award-winning Christmas turkeys.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Farm Shop and Agritourism

NAICS

Poultry and Egg Production (1123), Turkey Production (112330), Poultry Processing (311615)

SIC

Poultry Slaughtering And Processing (2015)

akta.pro primary industry

Turkey Production (AFAEADAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Broiler Processing (Whole Bird, Parts, Further Processing) (AFANACAI), Poultry Shops (CRAHAHAD)

Keywords

• Farm shop retail
• Fresh farm produce
• Children's farm attraction
• Farm campsite bookings
• Christmas turkey orders

Headquarters

HQ city

Ditchling

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Farm Shop Sales: Retail sales of fresh farm produce including chicken, lamb, pork, beef, venison, free-range eggs, potatoes, vegetables, and local products such as cheeses, dairy, flour, pies, chutneys, and jams.
2. Children's Farm Admission: Entry fees for children's farm attraction with animal petting, soft play area, giant sand pit, and indoor play barn.
3. Cafe/Tea Room: The Marshmallow Cow Cafe serving homemade cakes, lunches, ice cream, and locally sourced coffee. Opened June 2019, operates Tuesday through Saturday with indoor and outdoor seating.
4. Campsite: Seasonal campsite on the farm within South Downs National Park. Basic field camping with toilet and shower facilities, campfire allowance. Bookings via PitchUp.com.
5. Secure Dog Walking Field: Hourly rental of secure enclosed dog walking field near Hassocks, Sussex. £10 per session, max 3 dogs, Monday-Saturday 8am-6pm.
6. Christmas Turkey Orders: Award-winning traditional Christmas turkeys produced for over 55 years. Orders taken online or by phone for collection.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Oaks Poultry Farm is a family-run farm in Ditchling, East Sussex, operating a farm shop that sells fresh farm-produced meat (chicken, lamb, pork, beef, venison), free-range eggs, potatoes, vegetables, and local Sussex specialty products including cheeses, dairy, flour, pies, chutneys, and jams. The farm also runs a children's farm attraction with animal petting and soft play, The Marshmallow Cow Cafe serving homemade cakes and locally sourced coffee, a seasonal campsite within the South Downs National Park, and a secure dog walking field. Christmas turkeys produced for over 55 years are sold online and on-site.

Product overview

The Oaks Poultry Farm is a diversified family farm operating as a single unified offering with multiple revenue streams. The core business consists of a Farm Shop selling fresh meat, eggs, and local produce; a Children's Farm attraction with animals and soft play; The Marshmallow Cow Cafe serving homemade food; a seasonal Campsite for camping; and a Secure Dog Walking Field. The farm also produces award-winning Christmas turkeys. The business was founded in 1969 and has expanded from poultry to include various farm animals, retail operations, and visitor attractions, all managed through a Shopify e-commerce platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Farm Shop Retail shop selling fresh quality meat (chicken, lamb, pork, beef, venison) produced on the farm, along with free range eggs, potatoes, vegetables, local cheeses, dairy produce, flour, pies, chutneys, and jams. Open Monday-Saturday with adjusted Sunday hours.
• Christmas Turkeys Award-winning traditional Christmas turkeys produced by the Perrett family for over 55 years. Available for order online or by phone, with collection from the farm.
• Children's Farm Family-friendly attraction featuring farm animals including cows, pigs, donkeys, goats, geese, ducks, rabbits, guinea pigs, golden pheasant, turkeys, and various chickens, plus soft play area, indoor sand pit, and ride-on tractors. Entry: £5 per child, £3 per adult. Open Tuesday-Saturday 9.30am to 4pm (3pm Saturday).
• The Marshmallow Cow Cafe Cafe opened June 2019, specialising in homemade cakes, lunches, ice cream, and locally sourced coffee. Located on the London to Brighton cycle route with indoor and outdoor seating. Operates Tuesday through Saturday 9.30am to 4pm (3pm Saturday).
• Campsite Straightforward informal campsite situated on the farm within picturesque Sussex countryside and the South Downs National Park. Basic single field with marked pitches, toilet and shower facilities, campfire and BBQ allowed. Bookings via PitchUp.com.
• Secure Dog Walking Field Fully enclosed private dog walking field in Hassocks, Sussex for off-lead exercise. £10 per session, maximum 3 dogs, Monday to Saturday 8am-6pm. Strictly no commercial use by dog walkers or trainers.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• PitchUp.comcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPitchUp.com serves as the booking platform for The Oaks Poultry Farm's seasonal campsite. The campsite is located in the South Downs National Park and offers basic field camping with facilities including toilets, showers, and washing up areas. Bookings are taken exclusively through the PitchUp.com platform.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Odds Farm Park: Buckinghamshire family attraction featuring children's farm with animals, indoor and outdoor play, farm shop, and seasonal events. Operates a directly comparable diversified family-farm destination model to The Oaks.
• Barleylands Farm Park: Essex-based family farm combining children's farm attraction, farm shop, cafe, and seasonal events. Closely mirrors The Oaks' diversified agritourism-plus-retail model with a similar target audience of families and local consumers.
• Marsh Farm: Essex-based children's animal farm with indoor and outdoor play areas. Directly comparable family attraction offering within a working farm setting, similar admission-based revenue model to The Oaks' Children's Farm.
• Pipers Farm: Devon-based family farm selling premium meat and produce direct to consumers via online ordering and farm shop. Shares The Oaks' farm-direct meat retail proposition and small-producer heritage positioning.
• Copas Turkeys: Award-winning UK Christmas turkey producer with heritage pedigree. Direct competitor in the premium Christmas turkey market where The Oaks has built its 55+ year reputation.
• KellyBronze Turkeys: Premium free-range Christmas turkey brand with strong reputation among UK consumers. Comparable producer operating in the same heritage Christmas turkey niche as The Oaks.
• The Pink Pig Farm: Lincolnshire family farm offering children's farm experience, farm shop, and pick-your-own produce. Shares The Oaks' combination of on-farm retail, food service, and family-oriented attractions under one operating entity.

Broad incumbents

• Folly Farm: Larger Welsh family farm attraction combining children's farm, vintage fairground, and on-site food. Comparable destination-farm model with similar family-day-out positioning, though at greater scale.
• Daylesford Farm: Larger, more established Cotswolds organic farm with multi-location farm shop, cafe, and home delivery. Comparable as a premium farm-direct retail and dining concept, though at significantly greater scale and brand reach than The Oaks.
• Riverford Organic Farm: Major UK organic farm with farm shop, box scheme, and direct-to-consumer meat sales. Comparable farm-direct meat and produce retail model, though at substantially greater scale than The Oaks.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-oaks-farm-farm

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 The Oaks Farm (Farm