UK: Yeo Valley celebrates third Queen’s Award in 50th Anniversary year

Yeo Valley, the family-owned organic dairy company, has been presented with its third Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development - one of only ten UK companies this year to be given this coveted award. The celebrations took place at the original Holt Farm site in Somerset, with local dignitaries and 60 of the company’s 1,450 employees in attendance. The day was extra special for the family-owned business, as it marked 50 years since Yeo Valley founders, the Mead family, moved to the farm.
 

This is the third Queen’s Award for the company, which previously achieved the accolade in 2001 and 2006. At the event, the Lord Lieutenant of Somerset, Lady Gass, presented the award on behalf of Her Majesty (picture). The presentation also included a thank you from Tim Mead, Managing Director of Yeo Valley and a citation from Graham Turner, CEO of North Somerset District Council. Yeo Valley received the award in recognition of its ongoing commitment to British organic farming, with specific praise for the company’s support of local farmers and setting a benchmark for sustainability. The award commends the breadth of Yeo Valley’s dedicated approach: “Demonstrating outstanding performance in every aspect of sustainability, the company has established best practice across its operations.”
 

The ceremony also recognised Mary Mead, co-founder of Yeo Valley, and the significant role she has played in the development of the organic dairy and her on-going contribution to the farm. Mary and her late husband Roger Mead moved to Holt Farm on the edge of Blagdon Lake in October 1961. Starting with a tea room on the farm, making home-made clotted cream and freshly baked scones, the couple used the left over skimmed milk to make the very first batches of Yeo Valley yogurt. Fifty years later, Yeo Valley is now the UK’s number one organic brand, with millions of people watching the company’s pedigree British Friesian cows appearing in the brand’s TV adverts, the first of which featured rapping farmers and the second a farming-inspired boyband called The Churned.  Commenting on the presentation, Tim Mead, Yeo Valley’s Managing Director said: “This award recognises everyone who works hard to maintain Yeo Valley’s high standard of sustainability and best practice in organic farming. We’re delighted to receive the coveted award for the third time, but its extra special as it comes exactly fifty years since my parents moved to the farm.” (Picture: Tim and Mary Mead)

Yeo Valley