This year at Verdant, we’re upping our game when it comes to sustainability. Although we’ve always operated as a community centred business, we’re stepping up to the plate and taking on the new and exciting challenge of going for B-Corp accreditation! This means a lot of refining processes, tweaking methods and continuing to deliver the same tasty pints day in, day out. As we continue to audit our brewing process, our venue management and who we decide to collaborate with, looking out for sustainable innovation takes centre stage. This blog is the first in a series of looking into all things ESG (environmental and social governance) and how we navigate our sustainability journey moving forward, lifting the curtain to take a look at all the fun exciting bits and pieces we’re cracking on with.
As you can imagine, there’s heaps of work to do! Sustainability isn’t a two dimensional challenge. It’s a tapestry of tough decisions, complex problem solving and balancing factors. There are many spinning plates and oftentimes making the right decision takes a lot of careful planning and consideration. For Steve, our head Pizzolo, taking the step to move to Wildfarmed for our pizza flour wasn’t one of these hard decisions. When I spoke to him about the changeover, he made it very clear on why we made the transition:
“At the taproom, the dough is what we create in-house, so why not get the highest quality flour possible?”
Founded in 2018, Wildfarmed have developed a rigorous approach to regenerative farming standards and utilize these methods to deliver the absolute highest quality grain for our pizza flour. Wildfarmed are a certified B-Corporation, so their commitment to the communities they operate in and their workers are as strong as their commitment to the planet.
When we started the taproom back in 2022, we wanted to make sure ingredient provenance was the highest priority we brought to the table. Like every pint we pour, we want to make sure that every slice of pizza we make matches that quality.
We got the chance to sit down with Archie Fletcher from Wildfarmed to talk all things sustainability and regenerative farming:
Can you take us through the origin story of Wildfarmed?
A lot of people know Wildfarmed as an overnight success story, but it started much longer ago. Back in 2008, Andy read an article about the perils of the industrial food system and the last line stuck with him: 'If you don't like the system, don't depend on it'. He was living in the south of France at the time and planted his first seeds in the veg patch. This veg patch quickly became a polytunnel and then a stall at the local market, and that's when he made the decision to sell his publishing rights to Groove Armada (a musician’s pension) and buy a farm... Several years of trials and tribulation go by - he's flying to Ibiza on the weekends to DJ for tractor fuel money - and after learning a few tricks from The Agricultural Testament (Albert Howard, 1940), he finally sees his soil and crops improving. We're now in 2018, Edd and George are involved, Andy's awarded a Chevalier L'order Merite De Agricole (French Farming Knight) and then wins the Laureate Prize for the most innovative farm in France. Wildfarmed was born, and they decided to bring it back to the UK, as Andy was awarded the National Trust tenancy in the Cotswolds. Over the last 4 years, Wildfarmed has grown from 20 farmers and the very first Wildfarmed customers to now over 120 farmers and over 500 businesses being supplied.
Why did you take an interest personally in joining the company?
With an origin story like that, you can't blame me, can you? I had actually been following them for a while, amazed by their growing momentum. I was working for an organic veg box subscription company at the time but I was getting more and more interested in this idea of regeneration. I knew agriculture was one of the largest problems to solving climate and, at the same time had one of the biggest solutions to it: regenerating the systems (soil health and biodiversity) that grow our food. What really excited me about Wildfarmed was their ability to tie it to culture, and with the energy they were bringing to the space, I knew I wanted to play my part. I had just quit my job with the plan to move to Australia for a year or two, but the same day I was looking at flights, the job posting came up, and it felt like a sign.
What's the future of Wildfarmed?
The future of Wildfarmed is the same as the past: transform landscapes at scale, at pace. As more people wake up to the fact that our food system needs fixing, the wave of businesses wanting to play the part is ever-increasing. Regenerative Agriculture is increasing in awareness. From the Eden Project planting their own Wildfarmed regenerative wheat fields to an exhibition solely focused on soil at the Courtauld in 2025, there’s a lot to be excited about in this movement.
What challenges have you faced in encouraging businesses to switch to sustainably sourced flour?
In most people's eyes, flour's not the sexiest food in the world, it's all about what chefs/bakers do with it. For that reason, people often care less about its source than the meat or vegetables that go into a dish. So firstly, it's about educating people about why it matters: wheat fields cover the most farmland in the Western Hemisphere, so fix that, and you'll be making an impact. The second issue is the education piece around regenerative. At first, people didn't know what it was, but now it's popping up more and more, people are confused without a legal framework like organic: it can mean anything to anyone. We didn't want to get lost without rigour, so we built the Wildfarmed Regenerative Standards, which are a third-party independently audited set of growing standards our farmers follow, meaning any customer knows Wildfarmed food comes with guarantees: our grain is pesticide free, reduces carbon, improves biodiversity, minimises river pollution while being 100% traceable from field to fork. Setting this Gold Standard of Regen helps set us apart and gives businesses trust in switching to Wildfarmed.
______
On our sustainability journey and heading towards that B-Corp certification, our partnership with Wildfarmed fits in perfectly. It represents the values that drive us forward: innovation, responsibility, and a passion for great experiences. It’s about showing that sustainability doesn’t have to mean compromise. Instead, it can enhance everything we do, from the quality of our products to the relationships we foster.
So, next time you enjoy a slice at our taproom or sip on one of our pints, know that it’s all part of a bigger picture—a picture where Pizza, Pints, People, and Planet come together in harmony. Here’s to a future that’s tastier, greener, and better for all.
To grab more information about Wildfarmed, check out their website here
