We caught up with Peter to talk about nutritious food, produced sustainably and in harmony with nature. Peter is not only a generational farmer but also a generational retailer as their produce is also sold directly through their online marketplace.

For Pipers Farm, food is about creating something in a way that delivers maximum nutritional value. This respects the direct link between the food you put into your body, your gut biome, your gut health, and your wellbeing.

“If consumers become aware of the difference between industrial scale food production and genuinely more sustainable, local food systems,” explains Peter, “If they can consciously access one rather than the other, we could change things dramatically.”

As living costs rise, eating well should not be viewed as a luxury. Peter told us that most of their customers don’t have a lot of money to spend, however they are smart enough to get value for money. They make sure that they are putting nutritious food into their bodies that is also within their budget.

Everyone can benefit from a better food system.

Farmers are not producing a commodity, they are producing nutrition. “Everything we do should be driven by thinking about how we can make the nutritional value as good as it gets,” states Peter.

Though we are more frequently faced with negative information regarding the way food is produced, the overall perception of agriculture remains positive. Farmers are by far the most trusted group in the supply chain with 70% of consumers trusting them compared to 53% for retailers, according to the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board.

People value farmers for their expertise and for caring about the environment and animal welfare. It is important for brands to foster this relationship between the people consuming their products, the people sourcing their products, and the people who are producing them.

They need to believe in their power to make choices that will make a difference.

Peter calls for people to get back to what is real. For people to take greater responsibility, inspiring new consumer behaviours. In order to bring about change, consumers must be able to see a better way. “They need to believe in their power to make choices that will make a difference,” Peter said.

It’s time for us to reconnect with the way our food is produced and with ethical producers who we can trust. To do that, we need to make it easier for people to understand why they want to get involved with local food systems.