Farmer-owned purchasing and marketing co-operative AtlasFram Group, which is based in Framlingham, is returning to its roots by rebranding as Fram Farmers.

AtlasFram, a member of the EADT/EDP Top100 listing of the 100 largest businesses in Suffolk and Norfolk, was formed in 2008 through the merger of Framlingham Farmers ? which was widely known for short as “Fram Farmers” ? and Atlas Agriculture.

Now, Fram Farmers is to become the group’s official name, in a move designed to underline its farmer-owned status and its commitment to innovative member services.

The new identity will be rolled out over the next three months, including the introduction of a patriotic red, white and blue logo with a strapline reading “Great British Farmers Co-operating”.

Richard Anscombe, chief executive of Fram Farmers, which recently moved into new offices in Framlingham, said: “We are a dynamic farmer-owned cooperative which operates purely in the best interests of our 1,250 members, who collectively farm more than 350,000 hectares throughout the UK.

“Our unique area-based funding scheme provides a known cost of membership, rewards commitment and has helped us to grow significantly in recent years. We now attract professional arable and livestock farmers who recognise the value of belonging to a large, expertly-managed input purchasing and crop marketing cooperative operated entirely for their benefit.

“During the last three years we have developed a wide range of innovative services and risk management solutions, including 24/7 ordering through our new member website, forward purchasing initiatives for fuel, fertiliser pools and a programme to encourage greater participation by our younger members, who represent the future.

“To reflect the forward momentum which has built up within the organisation the board decided that we needed a new name, one which underpins our vision and clearly identifies us as a farmer-owned cooperative.”

A survey of more than 400 members, peers and stakeholders identified that the majority favoured using a shortened form of Framlingham Farmers. Fram Farmers had long been the standard term for the organisation among many existing members and with no regional connotations, in its shortened form, was seen as an ideal choice for a farmers’ cooperative which now operates across 39 counties.

“We were delighted by the desire amongst our members to upgrade Fram Farmers from being an affectionate nickname to the official brand and will roll the name and style out over the next three months,” said chairman Serena Greenwell.

“We now have a name that says ‘Farmers’ on the tin, reinforces our focus and leadership within the cooperative sector and resonates very positively with our members, as well as the wider agricultural community.

“Adopting the strap-line ‘Great British Farmers Co-operating’ underpins our vision and ethos,” she added. “‘Great’ represents our stated vision to be the nation’s foremost farmer owned purchasing and marketing cooperative. ‘British’ underlines the fact that we now operate nationally across 39 counties as one of the largest farmer owned cooperatives in the UK. ‘Farmers’ underpins the essence of why we exist and ‘Co-operating’ is what we hold dear and promote amongst members and other farming groups.”

The co-operative currently purchases £190million of products and services annually on behalf of its members. Included in this are about 45m litres of fuel, 110,000 tonnes of fertiliser, 100,000 tonnes of livestock feed, agrochemicals to the value of £30m, together with a wide range of other farm inputs, including agricultural machinery, tyres, workshop equipment, electricity, building materials, animal health products and mobile phones.

In addition to financial savings on a wide range of farm inputs Fram Farmers members also benefit from access to a team of product specialists who provide expert advice on a wide range of farming-related issues.