NFU Mutual Charitable Trust sponsor 2010 Scholar

The Trustees of the NFU Mutual Charitable Trust have given the go ahead to sponsor 2010 Nuffield Scholar, Marnie Dobson, and her study of 'How to grow a niche market'. 

"We are delighted that the Charitable Trust has agreed to support Marnie's study," said NFST Director, John Stones. "This is the second year that the Trust has supported a Nuffield study and we very much welcome their collaboration and backing."

The NFU Mutual Charitable Trust was set up in 1998 with the objectives of promoting and supporting charitable purposes in the areas of agriculture, rural development and insurance in the United Kingdom - including education, the relief of poverty, social welfare and research and any other charitable purposes.

The Trustees' approach to those objectives has been to adopt a policy of supporting, through one off donations and grants, charitable initiatives connected with agriculture and the countryside and with the insurance industry.

In 2009, the Charitable Trust sponsored Nuffield Scholar, Andrew Mycock, whose subject of study was 'Dairy farm expansion, managing change and strategies for large herd management'.

 

MARNIE DOBSON
Study: 'How to grow a niche market'

Marnie Dobson runs the specialist healthy meat business, 'Chesnut Meats' (www.chestnutmeats.co.uk), selling goat and kid meat, cured meats, pork, lamb and beef through farmers markets, food fairs and the internet. Managed with her husband, Tim, the business is based on the family‟s 110-acre tenancy near Tarporley, Cheshire, which rears kids and goats, and operates it's own on-site cutting plant.

Spotting the potential for alternative, healthy red meat, Marnie and Tim have already caught the media headlines on frequent occassions, most recently on the BBC‟s Ready Steady Cook programme. They have also appeared on "Kill it Cook it Eat it‟ and on the BBC Radio 4's, "On Your Farm". In addition, Chestnut Meats won the title of "Best Meat in North West‟ as part of the North West Fine Food Awards.

Marnie will be studying 'How to grow a niche market', particularly with reference to goat meat. "I want to learn as much as I can about developing a successful supply chain and market for niche food businesses by focusing on existing models around the world. My emphasis will be on goat meat suppliers and their production capacity, their ability to raise awareness about the meat they are selling and their product promotion.

"My destinations include the UK, Europe, the USA and Australia."

Marnie and Tim (a 1997 Nuffield Scholar) have three young children.

 

 

 

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