Fermentation, Farming & Friendship: How small businesses thrive through community

Together We Thrive

In the rolling hills of Herefordshire, where the soil is rich and the orchards are heavy with fruit, small artisan businesses like ours are woven into the fabric of the land. At Jones Trust Your Gut and Townsend Farm, we’ve found that much like the microbes in a thriving gut, small businesses—and the people behind them—flourish best when they support each other.

From Soil to Sustenance

Farming and fermentation have always been about working in harmony with nature. Good soil, like a healthy gut, is alive with billions of tiny organisms working together to create something greater than the sum of its parts. Traditional farming communities have long understood this: they share resources, knowledge, and the occasional bit of grumbling about the weather.

That same spirit of collaboration is what brought Jones Trust Your Gut and Townsend Farm together. We met through mutual friends, bonded over the joys (and challenges) of running small artisan brands, and quickly realised that supporting each other made the journey more rewarding. From swapping ideas on production challenges to sharing the highs of a great market day, we’ve become more than just neighbours—we’re teammates in this adventure.

Fermentation, Farming & Friendship

If you think about it, fermentation and farming aren’t so different. Both require patience, care, and the right environment to thrive. Just as microbes in a jar of sauerkraut work together to create something vibrant and full of life, rural businesses like ours thrive through connection. The wisdom of traditional farming tells us that nothing grows in isolation. Orchards need biodiversity, soil needs nourishment, and small businesses need community.

In an era where mass production and convenience often take centre stage, we are proud to stand for something different—something rooted in tradition, craftsmanship, and collaboration. Jamie’s apples, pressed into juice and cider, are grown with the same respect for nature that goes into every batch of handmade fermented foods at Jones Trust Your Gut.

Stronger Together

Running an artisan business isn’t always easy. There are the early mornings, the unpredictable sales, and the occasional ferment that decides to bubble over at exactly the wrong moment. But through all of it, we’ve found strength in working together—just like the microbes in a healthy gut, just like the roots of an ancient orchard, just like the farming communities that have supported each other for generations.

So here’s to thriving together—through shared knowledge, mutual support, and maybe even a well-earned cider at the end of a long day.