Award-winning Cornish pork producer moves to Newham

Tuesday 16th November, 2021

An award-winning Cornish pork producer has just moved to Newham.

Primrose Herd, a family business which has been supplying top-quality pork to retail customers and the hospitality trade since 2000, has expanded to a new site at Cornwall Cold Store, Lighterage Hill. The large new processing facility, office space and pop-up shop will allow Primrose Herd to keep up with demand. Online sales are increasing and many of Cornwall’s most prestigious hotels and restaurants list Primrose Herd pork on their menus. 

The expansion has been overseen by Sally Lugg, an award-winning farmer and business leader, who has grown the family operation from just two pigs in 1999 to the nationally renowned producer of quality pork it is today.  Sally said: “There’s a lot of uncertainty and change in farming and food production right now, but our supply chain is short and luckily we’ve got loyal, skilled staff, so we’ve avoided the worst of the recent upheaval." She continued: “Despite the challenges of the pandemic, demand continues to grow, so it feels like the right time to expand into a new facility.” 

The successful brand started at Primrose Farm on the edge of Redruth, where the Lugg family – Sally, husband Bill and their three children Rachael, Abi and Josh - perfected their approach to rearing traditional breeds slowly and at low densities, with plenty of time spent outdoors enjoying a natural diet to encourage gradual growth.

These days Primrose Herd also sources pigs from other non-intensive, outdoor-reared farming and smallholdings across Cornwall and had outgrown its small processing facility on the farm. The butchery in Newham will now be the hub of the operation, allowing Sally and her team, which includes experienced head butcher Jake Gregory, to continue to meet growing demand. Primrose Herd is offering a click and collect service in Newham for online orders and will be opening a pop-up shop in the run-up to Christmas.

To find out more, see primroseherd.co.uk