Software giant gives farm shopping a boost

THE fields of East Yorkshire’s farming communities may be a long way from the Washington state headquarters of computer giant Microsoft.

However the software firm, created by the world’s richest man Bill Gates, has chosen a Yorkshire-based farming businesses as an example of the small business world.

Microsoft has selected Driffield-based The Internet Farm Shop as one of just five businesses nationally that demonstrated people doing what they love for a living.

The Internet Farm Shop, which provides a place online so small-scale producers across Yorkshire can sell their wares, is now being used by Microsoft UK to promote their products.

The brainchild of Ann and Christopher Brown, the shop was created out of the couples’ mutual love for Yorkshire food and desire to help out local farmers. It has now been operating for more than two years. Since its establishment, it has found customers all over the country and even as far away as Ireland.

Mrs Brown said: “We knew people from farmers markets and that gave us a base.

“We started to show people how many people were visiting the site and how many inquiries we were getting. Plus people would come into their farm shop and mention the site.

“I work in marketing and know that one difficulty with farmers is that time is often very short, particularly when you have a specialism.”

Mrs Brown said that the praise from Microsoft was completely unexpected and flattering.

“I am really honoured that they took us so seriously,” she said. “We are a small business and for a firm as big as Microsoft to take notice is proof that it is working. A number of people have made inquiries to us through the site.

“The age range of people who use is not what one might think, we have a lot of older people come on to the site. We know we can make it work for people and know we can give small businesses power to grow.”

She added that she felt their firm’s success was down to growing interest in local food and reducing food miles among the public.

“One of the most beneficial things about doing this has been the support we have been able to give to agriculture. We live in the East Riding, I guess we are kind of surrounded by it here and wanted to be involved.”