 Watch your savings grow organically with Triodos Bank and support the Soil Association and businesses such as organic dairy Trioni Ltd
As the millennium came to a close, Laurence Harris, and many farmers like him, faced a bleak future. Now three years later Laurence and his business partners, John Morris and Carwyn James, are starting to reap the rewards of a joint venture that began with the decision in 1999 to convert their farms to organic status. Supported by a loan from Triodos Bank, the organic dairy Trioni Ltd was established in Cardigan. It’s a journey that has taken the threesome from an increasingly pre-carious non-organic farming business to a successful organic enterprise.
Bold move
The prospects for Trioni were not good initially. Just as the business was developing, the market became oversupplied with organic milk and prices began to fall. Undeterred, and having unsuccessfully employed a marketing agency, Trioni took a bold decision to sell its milk directly to local shops. “We decided to become masters of our own destiny,” says Laurence. The business also includes a milk round delivering organic milk at the same price as non-organic milk.
The partners applied for grants, accessing crucial funds and building strong relationships with influential organisations like the Welsh Development Agency. By concentrating on creating and servicing a local market, Trioni has significantly reduced the environmental cost of transporting milk over large distances, as well as keeping the money spent by consumers within the local economy. By the end of the year the farmers expect to be processing up to 20,000 litres of organic milk per week. According to Laurence, none of this would have been possible without the support of the thousands who share a commitment to organic farming by saving with Triodos’ organic savers account.
Specialists in lending to the organic sector, Triodos use their savers’ deposits to provide hundreds of organic producers, processors and retailers with the money to build their business. “Triodos savers want their money to support projects like this one,” says loan manager, Bob Jeffries at the Bristol-based bank, “and it only took a small number of them to raise enough money to finance Trioni’s first loan.”
Triodos Bank aims to make money work for positive change. From being the first financial institution to publicly refuse to work with any business promoting genetic modification, to the creation of an account that mobilises millions of pounds to support UK farmers and businesses, Triodos Bank has emerged as the organic bank.
Organic savers account
Central to this is its ground-breaking organic saver account in partnership with the Soil Association. The account connects people with a passion for a sustainable agriculture with organic businesses across the country. From Sedlescombe organic vineyard in Sussex, the first in the UK, to the McHarg family farm in Scotland, enterprises have developed with loans financed from the thousands whose savings are dedicated to organic projects.
The Soil Association also benefits from the organic saver – for every £100 saved in the account, the Soil Association receives 25p. Since the account was launched in 1997, over £100,000 has been donated. The organic saver is one of a range of accounts that Triodos offers to support lending to enterprises bringing lasting social, environmental and cultural benefits.
A determined organic business, a dynamic community of savers dedicated to organic farming and an ethical bank has created a powerful combination. Saving with Triodos enables you to put your savings where your organic heart is.
Find out more
To find out how you can use your money to support the organic movement, and to open an organic savers account phone 0500 008 720, email savings@triodos.co.uk or see www.triodos.co.uk
There is more information about Triodos Bank on our sustainable partners pages.
This article first appeared in Living Earth, the Soil Association's award-winning membership magazine. Soil Association members get Living Earth free - join us today to get Living Earth plus many other exclusive membership benefits.
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