About Us

Our Story

My real passion for animal welfare came about when getting my first weekend job at the age of 14. I worked in a nearby battery egg farm, an experience that shaped my disgust over man’s treatment of animals in the pursuit of cheap food. My job usually entailed sorting ‘pooey’ eggs, but one day we had to go in to the chicken shed and hand collect the eggs when the conveyor belt failed. The horror of this encounter will stick with me forever. The hens were in tiny cages squeezed in so tight they couldn’t turn, had lost all their feathers, were bleeding, sore and lifeless. It wasn’t just the shock that took my breath away, I hardly breathe for the smell of ammonia, I simply had no idea that we did this to animals to produce food!

Farming

The following 10 years was spent co-running a 700 acre Fell farm near Coniston in the Lake District. Yew Tree Farm is one of the prettiest and well know Farms in the Lakes and was famous for having been owned by Beatrix Potter. We farmed Herdwick and belted Galloway Cattle, ran a bed and breakfast, tea room and a butchery selling the meat we naturally reared.

My time in farming gave me invaluable knowledge and insight into the challenges of farming in its various forms. Jon and I have now separated but Jon still sells herdwick from the butchery at the Farm.

I have come across many great farmers and some really bad ones. I realised that most people do not know ANYTHING about the hundreds of different systems used to produce their food. They chose a cellophane wrapped piece of meat in the supermarket and do not think about it more deeply than that. During my time at the farm I campaigned in every way I could to raise awareness and started my first on-line meat business www.heritagemeats.co.uk. I wanted to reward the farmers that care and punish the types of farmers responsible for some of the horrific scenes of animal abuse and neglect I have so often witnessed.

Then it all came together and my mission was clear!

Taking An Extra Step

I have happily discovered a way of harnessing my experience and knowledge, embracing my passions and making a difference in the world. By working with like-minded farmers, I get the pleasure of helping them sell their sustainable, high welfare, nutritious meat and working with equally passionate conscious consumers who fully appreciate the value of the produce we are offering.

I have spent the last four years researching and training in regenerative agriculture and am an accredited professional with the Savory Institute. I offer consultancy through www.rootsofnature.co.uk

My Husband Stephen is as passionate about animal welfare and the power of regenerating land as I am, and together we run Primal Meats as a tool to help change the world for the better.

The conventional model of capitalism prioritises profit over planet and people; the more successful these business become the more damage they can cause. In our ‘conscious capitalist’ model the more successful we become the more carbon we can sequester, the more biodiversity we can restore, the more family farms we can help to become viable, and the more livestock will be reared in healthy natural grassland habitats rather than incarcerated in unethical environmentally destructive farms.

It seems like a ‘win win’ to us.

Caroline and Stephen Grindrod