coston hall farm

What coston hall farm does

Coston Hall Farm Limited is a privately held, family-operated dairy and arable farm based in Coston, Norfolk (NR9 4DT), United Kingdom, in operation since 1987. The farm runs a herd of approximately 300 milking cows, predominantly Friesians and Friesian-Jersey crosses, managed under a low-intensity rotational grazing system by John and the Dairy Team. Its commercial model is dual-track: the bulk of milk production is collected every other day by a single unnamed large commercial dairy for pasteurisation and downstream conversion into bottled milk, yogurt, cheese, and ice cream; a smaller share is diverted post-milking to an on-farm "Milk Barn" where it is sold directly to consumers as unpasteurised raw milk through a coin-operated refrigerated vending machine, priced at £1.50 per litre or £2.90 per two-litre bottle, with reusable glass bottles offered at £3 each.

The technical stack is intentionally minimal: standard dairy farming and milking equipment, refrigerated vending hardware for the D2C leg, a basic brochure-style website (costonhalldairy.co.uk), and organic social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. There is no online ordering, no delivery channel, and no proprietary software. The direct channel relies on physical road signage within a 2-mile radius plus word-of-mouth from nearby villages (Barnham Broom, Hingham, Wymondham, Dereham, and Norwich) to drive footfall to the Milk Barn, which operates 7am-7pm, seven days a week.

Raw milk sales are enabled by full Food Standards Agency licensing, which imposes ongoing hygiene, milk-quality, and herd-health testing and mandates an on-bottle warning that the milk has not been heat treated. The retail proposition is built on freshness (milk no more than 48 hours old), local provenance, transparent farming practices, and optional reusable glass packaging, targeting local health-conscious and environmentally conscious consumers. Eggs and arable operations are mentioned in the company descriptor but not detailed in the source material.

Name

coston hall farm

Legal name

Coston Hall Farm Limited

Website

https://costonhalldairy.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Coston Hall Farm is a privately held Norfolk family dairy operating ~300 milking cows, selling the bulk of output to a commercial dairy for processing while also retailing raw milk directly to consumers via an on-farm coin-operated refrigerated vending machine.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Dairy Farming

NAICS

Dairy Cattle and Milk Production (11212)

SIC

Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200), Wholesale-Farm Product Raw Materials (5150)

akta.pro primary industry

Milk Production (Raw Milk) (AFAEACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Dairy Farm Direct-to-Consumer Raw Milk Sales (where legal) (AFAEACAN), Dairy Housing, Milking Systems & On-Farm Infrastructure Operations (AFAEACAG), Dairy Farm Milk Cooling, Storage & On-Farm Quality Management (AFAEACAL)

Keywords

• Raw milk vending
• Dairy farming
• Unpasteurised milk
• Farm direct sales
• Arable farming

Headquarters

HQ city

Norwich

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Raw Milk Sales (On-Farm Vending): Direct sales of unpasteurised raw milk to consumers via coin-operated refrigerated vending machine on the farm. Revenue is entirely transaction-based with no recurring component. Plastic bottles are provided free; glass bottles are sold for £3 and can be reused for refills.
2. Commercial Milk Supply: Bulk milk collection every other day for processing at a commercial dairy where it is pasteurised, bottled, or made into dairy products (yogurt, cheese, ice cream). This represents the primary commercial milk revenue stream but details are not disclosed.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Coston Hall Farm produces and sells raw, unpasteurised milk directly to consumers through a coin-operated, refrigerated on-farm vending facility called the Milk Barn. In parallel, the farm sells bulk raw milk to a commercial dairy every other day, making the operation a combination of direct-to-consumer raw milk retail and B2B wholesale milk supply.

Product overview

Coston Hall Dairy operates as a single-product farm dairy, selling raw (unpasteurised) milk directly to consumers through its Milk Barn vending machine. The core product is Raw Milk, which is produced by the farm's own herd of 300 Friesan and Friesan Jersey cross cows. The farm also sells a portion of its milk to a commercial dairy for processing into yogurt, cheese, and ice cream, but the consumer-facing offering is exclusively raw milk. Reusable glass bottles and plastic bottles are offered as packaging options.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Raw Unpasteurised Milk (Milk Barn vending) Raw, unpasteurised milk produced on-farm and sold directly to consumers via a coin-operated, refrigerated self-service vending machine in the on-site Milk Barn, available 7am-7pm seven days a week. Sold in 1-litre and 2-litre formats with reusable glass bottles available for £3.
• Bulk Raw Milk Wholesale Supply Bulk raw milk from the farm's 300-cow dairy herd supplied to a commercial dairy processor on a recurring every-other-day collection schedule.

Quantifiable outcome

• Milk is guaranteed to be no more than 48 hours old from milking to consumer purchase

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Hook & Son: Family-run Kent dairy selling raw (unpasteurised) milk direct from the farm via on-site vending machines. Operates a near-identical model to Coston Hall: herd-reared, FSA-licensed, raw milk dispensed through refrigerated vending, with reusable glass bottles and a secondary commercial dairy offtake.
• Bracken Hall Farm: West Yorkshire dairy farm operating self-service raw milk vending machines from its own herd. Closely comparable model: on-farm raw milk sales, family operation, and direct farm-to-consumer positioning aimed at provenance-seeking consumers.
• Hinxden Farm Dairy: Kent-based family dairy selling raw milk direct from the farm via a self-service vending machine. Direct functional and operational analogue of the Coston Hall Milk Barn format, including grass-fed herd and FSA-licensed raw milk sales.
• The Calf at Foot Dairy: UK farm dairy specialising in raw milk from a single Friesian herd, with direct delivery and farm collection. Comparable niche raw-milk positioning and small-herd, family-farmed identity.

Regional players

• Old Hall Farm: Norfolk-based dairy and arable farm with a farm shop selling raw milk and local produce. Comparable product mix and East Anglian geography, though with a broader farm-shop proposition rather than vending-only retail.

Broad incumbents

• Lye Cross Farm: Somerset dairy that processes milk from its own herd into cheese and other dairy products for national distribution. Comparable farm-to-product vertical integration but operates at much greater scale and through grocery channels.
• Yeo Valley: Major UK organic dairy brand sourcing from a co-operative of British farms. Comparable grass-fed, locally-sourced dairy positioning but operates nationally through supermarket channels rather than farm-gate retail.

Others

• Arla Foods: UK dairy cooperative that buys raw milk from member farms (including via bulk collection contracts) for processing into pasteurised milk, yoghurt, and other dairy products. Highly relevant as the likely offtake counterparty archetype for Coston Hall's commercial dairy supply stream.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/costonhalldairy
• Facebookfacebook.com/costonhalldairy/?ref=bookmarks
• Instagraminstagram.com/costonhall_dairy

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 coston hall farm