Has consumer demand for kind to nature food, finally reached a critical mass? Despite a backdrop of imminent catastrophe, this conversation charts the path Matt Chatfield, Founder of The Cornwall Project, has intuitively taken to reverse from that path to create On the Pass; a unique direct-to-consumer model that’s moved “shopping local” from niche to normal in barely 8 weeks. From building a successful regenerative restaurant supply chain between London and Cornwall, this flag-flying for climate-beneficial farming has led him full circle back to the very land his family farmed for 400 years. Indeed, Matt’s Cull Yaw – “better than Wagyu” sheep, fattened on a regenerative system, was the first specialist meat On the Pass listed. It flew within 48 hours, demonstrating perhaps there is demand for this kind of produce - but that this kind of demand is also an intelligent one. Having been so supported by Ian Warren to build his Cull Yaw business, Matt sees the spark of the On the Pass idea as a real means of returning that loyalty. On the Pass takes the specific cuts of native-breed, pastured meat, aged to spec for the likes of Brat and Ikoyi restaurants. Harnessing theirs and his social media networks, all those restaurant orders found new homes directly with their diners instead. An elegant and brilliant solution. From a certain perspective, it could be fair to say it saved one of the UK’s most incredible and unique farming networks - their own - from potential demise. We talk about how he proved farming can be kind to nature and profitable. How incredibly important it is to create and gatekeep a chain of supply, where each partner understands they are part of and partner in, a system that is greater than them. This conversation is also of personal significance to me as our regenerative restaurant, 28 Well Hung, was the last restaurant to be brought into the Warren fold. Despite being closed to the public since lockdown, we’ve been able to get several thousand meals containing native-breed, pasture-raised meat to feed our front-line workers through Meals for the NHS. Without the relationship we enjoy with Warren’s and with Matt, this would have been beyond our reach. As things start to open we ponder what supply chains are going to exist. One thing is certain - with the successful pivots such as surplus waste caterer Elysia Catering (episode 09) and newly formed networks such as Farms to Feed Us – in their words, “The better we know our farmers and fishers, the more resilient our food system will be.” If this is your jumping-off point to changing the way you shop and eat, becoming part of the climate solution – enjoy this conversation and get to know farmer (and fisher), Matt Chatfield. He’s gold.
The Cornwall Project https://www.instagram.com/thecornwallproject/
Order here: On the Pass
Specialist graziers and growers Philip Warren's http://www.philipwarrenbutchers.co.uk/
Other mentions:
https://www.chelseagreen.com/product/defending-beef/
https://www.instagram.com/farmstofeedus/
People Matt would personally like to acknowledge :