A model for on-farm collaboration takes root at Lannock Farm

On the Hertfordshire chalklands, Lannock Farm has become a familiar name in regenerative agriculture. But behind the livestock, crops and herbal leys, something kinetic is taking shape - a collaborative model that could reshape how rural businesses start, grow and thrive.

It all started when Francesca Gentilli lost her rug studio’s tenancy in London’s Goldborne Road during the pandemic and took up refuge in one of the old stables at Lannock Farm. At the same time George and Charlie had the idea to start Crossover Blendery and chose the old Conference Barn as a suitable home for barrel ageing their beer. They handpicked a selection of heritage varieties of fruit trees and we planted them into an agroforestry scheme to flavour the beer in years to come. The community of enterprises started to emerge and there followed Campervan Coffee roastery, Botivo, Fabio’s Gelato, Highcroft Interiors, Fractal 5 and Weston Cottage Pottery. 

With the re-location of Leavened Bakery to the farm it was finally time to open a small farm shop in the name of Lannock Larder, now complimented by Lannock Butchery.  Whilst the main connecting theme for the enterprises is food and farming, the addition of lifestyle and wellness is an obvious fit. Fernwood Remedies and the newly opened Take Time Sauna are on site to help people unwind. The community celebrates every season with a Market Day where stalls with other local producers and makers pop up in and around in the barns. 

Lannock Farm has now joined a wider network of farms across the UK in a movement called Pitch Up! - It’s a farmer-led movement connecting regenerative farms with sustainable start-ups and enterprises that need space to operate. Instead of traditional tenancies, farms might offer land and buildings or resources to sustainable start-ups or enterprises, and both parties can share the risks and rewards.

For farms like Lannock, the appeal is clear. Regenerative farming thrives on diversity, and the same principle applies to business. ‘It helps fast track positive ideas,’ says Alex Cherry ‘and provides a way to unlock opportunities without stretching the farm’s core operation.’ 

Pitch Up! began in 2021 at Kingsclere Estates, where farmer Tim May realised the farm held more potential than he could possibly fulfil alone. Partnering with independent businesses allowed new ventures to develop organically, sharing equipment, labour, markets and expertise.

What emerged was an agricultural ecosystem rather than a single business.

Lannock now plays it’s part in this growing network. Pitchers (the enterprises joining the farm) integrate into the existing regenerative system:

• machinery is shared rather than duplicated

• staff are shared during peak seasons

• “waste” becomes “co-products” used by others

‘Bringing more activity onto a farm makes the whole system stronger.’ explains Alex ‘Diversity works in the soil. It works in the business too.’ 

A movement built by farmers, not policy

Pitch Up! is growing quickly - nine partner farms are now signed up for 2025, yet the movement remains entirely self-funded. Each farm contributes to a shared pot covering running costs, independent of government schemes or grants.

This independence is part of its appeal. Partner farms join because the model works: it strengthens resilience, creates enterprise opportunities and reduces barriers for start-ups trying to enter the land-based economy.

As Pitch Up! continues to grow, farms like Lannock are helping to show what’s possible when regenerative agriculture meets regenerative business: a rural economy built on shared resources, shared success and genuine community.