July 2007
YEO VALLEY’S ROYAL BIRTHDAY TREAT
Rebecca presenting flowers to The Queen
Friday July 20 is a day Rebecca Fenn will always remember...not only was it her 10th birthday, but she started it by meeting the Queen.
Rebecca’s right royal celebration came thanks to Somerset company Yeo Valley, who were honoured with a visit to their Blagdon dairy by Her Majesty and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, after winning two Queen’s Awards for Enterprise.
As well as inviting as many of their employees as possible to enjoy the occasion, they also asked three locals schools -- Blagdon primary, Ubley primary and Burrington primary-- if they would like to see the Royal Visit. Yeo Valley has particularly strong links with Ubley and Blagdon schools so asked a pupil at each to present flowers to The Queen.
Both held draws of all the pupils’ names, with Rebecca chosen to represent Ubley and 5 and a half year old Anouska Long picked to represent Blagdon.
After meeting the children the Queen then made a tour of Yeo Valley’s Blagdon dairy, first of all visiting the development kitchen, where she met the team which develops new recipes and regularly taste tests each day’s production. She was then shown the dairy production hall, where she saw Yeo Valley Organic yogurts being made and packed, before meeting more of the company team in the employee restaurant, which serves organic meat and vegetables grown on Yeo Valley’s farms.
Before leaving the company she also saw some of the Lakemead herd of pedigree British Friesian cattle. The dairy herd was the very start of the Yeo Valley story, when farmers Roger and Mary Mead began using milk from them to produce whipped cream and their first yogurts.
The cream was used in cream teas that were offered to customers of a pick-your-own soft fruits business, and the yogurts, produced from the remaining milk, were initially sold at the farm gates and to local shops. Today Yeo Valley’s dairy products are available the length and breadth of the country.
The Queen with Managing Director, Tim Mead
“We’ve come a long way since our early days,” commented Yeo Valley Managing Director Tim Mead, “and though we’ve always believed that we make the best yogurts available, we never thought we’d have a visit by the Queen to see them for herself.
We’ve always taken great pride in our two Queen’s Awards, which we regard as being recognition that we are good custodians of the countryside as well as producers of great yogurts, but the Royal visit is the jewel in our crown. “For the Queen and Prince Philip to visit us and meet so many of our team has been a once in a lifetime event. Everyone working here has been looking forward to the day and has taken pride in it.
It’s been an occasion we will all remember with pride for many years to come.”
