Newbourne Farm Shop is well-known for growing and selling local produce, specialising in fresh fruit and vegetables.
Now this produce can be enjoyed further afield as Penny Green, owner of Newbourne Farm Shop, has recently opened another store, Catch and Crop in Saxmundham. As the name suggests, it’s not just vegetables on offer, the ‘Catch’ in the title refers to fresh fish which is provided by Maximus Sustainable Fishing. The Saxmundham-based fishmonger has been providing ethically caught fish and seafood for over 20 years. The two companies have teamed up to open the new business as they both share the same ethics and value fresh food. Plus, they have known and respected each other for a long time. “We are often at the same farmers markets together and have struck-up a really nice friendship. Customers would often visit both stalls at the markets and choose items that complement each other for a meal that they would then go home and cook, so we knew that the items work well together,” said Penny.
The main focus of the shop is on excellence and the freshest produce. and Penny knew that Chris from Maximus Sustainable Fishing could deliver: “We have always considered the fresh fish products that Maximus Fish sell to be of a very high quality,” she added.
Both Newbourne Farm Shop and Maximus Sustainable Fishing decided to “stick to what we know” so it is mainly fish, fruit, vegetables and salad available at Catch and Crop, currently. Although, they have just started stocking fresh bread on a Friday and Saturday which is made by local baker Martin Clarke.
The shop opened in November 2014 so is just reaching its six month birthday. It can be a daunting process to open a new business but so far Catch and Crop has proved popular with locals who are lucky that both Penny and Chris have experience of running their own businesses and that they can share the load: “Being a small local producer, we knew Chris understood the pressures and work-load businesses like ours can cause. Partnering up with Maximus Fish also meant the risks and overheads associated with opening up a small shop like Catch and Crop in this still uncertain economic climate were shared between us both.”
Penny plans to carry on the success of Catch and Crop far into the future: “We want to continue to build up our loyal customer base and ensure we always have the freshest produce available. Both Maximus Sustainable Fishing and Newbourne Farm feel that our best is yet to come. We’re looking forward to our first spring and summer months with lots of new seasonal products becoming available in the shop.”
You can find Catch and Crop at 1 High Street, Saxmundham.
Follow them on Twitter @catchncrop.
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