Full name: Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones, aka The Black Farmer
Role: Founder, owner, MD
DOB: 7 November 1957
Birthplace: Clarendon, Jamaica
Twitter Handle: @theblackfarmer
Website: www.theblackfarmer.com
Fun Fact: “I love Morris Dancing!”
“I can honestly say I enjoy everything I do.”
So, you seem to have had an amazing & inspiring journey up to here. Growing up in inner city Birmingham, a thriving career in TV production, then buying a farm & singlehandedly launching a HUGE food brand. You must hear it all the time (sorry!), but what is the ‘secret to your success’ and what has all of this taught you about business and life?
My father used to say to me “don’t chase money, chase success for with success money will follow”. That is a wise piece of advice and one that I’ve kept with me and has played more than a small part in helping me achieve what I have.
Leading from above, you once said that “everything about me is self-taught.” – school wasn’t for you, and you were booted out of the army, right? What was it about school, and I suppose the rigid discipline of the military, that didn’t work for you? You sound like the archetypical entrepreneur – very much your own man. Has that helped you get ahead in life and business?
Definitely. I have never been one to conform, and still I don’t respond well to someone trying to tell me what to do. I have always done my own thing and will continue to do so. Once I knew the direction I wanted to follow I remained focussed. It’s the only way. You can’t afford to get distracted by other people’s doubts and dilemmas.
If I had, I would never have launched The Black Farmer brand. There were too many people telling me not to! When you know what you want to achieve (or have to achieve) you haven’t got time to be distracted. It might not make you popular at times, but you have to get things done and there are many sacrifices you have to make on the way.
Stay focussed, stay positive and believe you will achieve your dream – and you will.
Could you tell us a little about your experience of buying your farm in St. Giles on the Heath, Devon? I read that the local community were quite supportive early on – was it them who dubbed you ‘The Black Farmer’?
Yes it was! When I bought the farm back in 1999 many of my neighbours had never met a black person before. They were extremely helpful and supportive and I was known locally as ‘The Black Farmer’.
Do you remember the moment the idea for the Black Farmer brand came together? Did anything inspire you particularly, was there a Eureka moment?
I had worked in TV and marketing for many years and I really wanted to launch my own brand. Buying the farm was the inspiration to get on with it and it was a short step to adopting The Black Farmer as the brand name.
Could you tell us a little about your TV career? You’re known for bringing a number of celebrity chefs to the small screen – including the likes of Antony Worrall-Thompson, Gordon Ramsay, Brian Turner and James Martin?
I was a producer/director with the BBC for many years and worked on the original BBC2 Food & Drink programme. I had a bit of a reputation for being a tough director and was given the job of filming a host of up and coming young chefs – including those you mention. They were used to being in charge of their kitchens…
Please tell us about the Black Farmer Scholarship and what you’ve achieved with it so far! It sounds amazing.
I ran the first Young Black Farmers scheme back in 2005 which was filmed by Channel 4. It was an extraordinary experience for us all and allowed them to experience what it was like to live and work in rural Britain, and to open a whole set of other options to them that until that time they had probably not considered possible.
Two of the youngsters worked with me for a year after the scheme before going on to other things. Interestingly two of them got in touch recently and they have really turned their lives around and achieved wonderful things; one fulfilling her dream of training and qualifying as a nurse.
I am very proud of them.
What can you tell us about dealing with leukaemia and the treatment for it? What does facing death (as we all must & will do) teach you about life? I read that it inspired you to really pursue one of your dreams…was it flamenco dancing?
Where to start?! I was in hospital for the best part of last year. That’s a long time to think. I had a stem cell transplant in July and coming back from that has been hard, but I thank the gods every day that I am alive.
I know it’s a cliché but I do now live every day to the full. I have renewed passion and drive to achieve great things with The Black Farmer brand.
I have just fulfilled one lifelong dream to make a TV commercial for The Black Farmer directed by my all time hero, Tony Kaye, to be aired next year. I have always wanted to build my own house – so I have bought a plot of land in Jerez in Spain, and will be getting started on that as soon as I can.
And yes, I love Flamenco dancing – and Morris dancing. So watch this space!
You have three kids, right? Are any of them involved in the business? Do you see yourself ‘passing on the mantel’ at some point?
My son Alexander graduated in Business from Cardiff University this year and has just got his first job in food marketing. He is really interested in the business and I hope that he and my daughter Scarlett, will be heavily involved in the business in the future.
Your site says you “have strong opinions on issues such as rural affairs, justice for small producers and giving young people more opportunity.” Could you, in a very small nutshell (I know you’re a busy man!), elaborate on your views for these three issues?
Small producers are innovators. They create trends and experiment. Without them we would have a very bland cuisine. The larger the organisation, the more they rationalise and keep everything the same because in their world, variety is expensive. So it is our duty as a nation to look after our small producers so they can keep challenging pre-conceived ideas of what is possible.
I feel the same about young people. As with small producers they naturally challenge the status quo. So rather than try to keep them down, we should be encouraging them and giving them opportunities to explore, challenge, experiment.
Young people are not afraid of change. It is essential for all business to have young people, with their young, exciting new ideas to take business into the future.
My view on rural affairs is that we in this country have to try harder to bridge the urban/rural divide. We need to get to a point where urban and rural England are better connected and better understood. At the moment it is still very much an ‘us and them’ situation.
Unlike our continental cousins where the two worlds merge, in the UK it is quite usual in urban circles to mock rural folk, condemning rural life as being primitive. I think that if there is a greater understanding of the role rural Britain plays, urban Britain will see that it is a vital part of our society and come to respect it.
What’s a ‘day in your life’ like? Could you give us an insight into the world of the Black Farmer?
Every day is different. For example, today I went to meet the buyer at Sainsbury’s, then I had a meeting to discuss our social media, followed by an interview with The Black Power List. Then back to base (sometimes home, sometimes a hotel room) to catch up on emails.
Needless to say I am on the phone the rest of the time!
What’s your greatest/most memorable professional moment been, so far?
Undoubtedly setting up my business. 10 years ago when I set up The Black Farmer it was a leap in the dark as all the evidence was pointing to not launching, and, more importantly not calling it The Black Farmer because at that time people thought it would offend the mainstream.
I took a leap of faith and rather than wait for people to come with me, I led the way in the belief that people would recognise a good concept that delivered great products. Which indeed has been the case!
Even though the business has now been running for 10 years, I still see that as a great moment and a reminder that any business that is going to go on and prosper has to take a leap of faith.
Where do you get your ideas?
I’ve never been short of ideas! I love talking to people, finding about their lives, their businesses – I find people inspiring, why they do what they do. I am a night owl and spend hours trawling the internet – looking at websites, social media, trends – getting a feel for what people are interested in.
I feel sure that all of these influences combined with my own life experiences contribute to any ideas I have – good or bad!
What’s your philosophy, summed up in a sentence?
Passion is the greatest antidote to fear.
What’s the biggest challenge you’ve had, how did you overcome it, and what did you learn from it?
As I touched on earlier, being diagnosed with Leukaemia and having a stem cell transplant was by far the biggest challenge I have ever confronted. I had to dig very deep to find a level of strength and courage to overcome this disease and not let it defeat me.
I instinctively knew my life’s journey was a long way from its destination.
Who’s the person who’s most inspired you in your work – food industry or otherwise? Is there anyone that you draw inspiration or strength from? Do you have any specific culinary influences?
Richard Branson. I admire what he has achieved and how he has gone about achieving it. Like me he’s a bit of a showman and courts publicity when he can. Also, like me, he is dyslexic which gives me confidence that I too can achieve great things.
Martin Luther King, a man who had the courage to say and do the right thing.
Rick Stein – I love his poetic, natural style with food. Something I would love to be able to emulate.
What do you enjoy most and least about what you do?
I can honestly say I enjoy everything I do.
What advice would you give to aspiring food entrepreneurs who’d want the kind of results that you’ve had?
The most important thing is not to come up with a ‘me too’ product. The industry needs game changers, products that will challenge the category and bring something new and different. When I launched The Black Farmer there were many, many different sausages available.
While I was researching the market I learned that one in 10 people in the UK suffered with a wheat or gluten intolerance, so I launched The Black Farmer as a gluten free brand – not as a niche product, but into the mainstream.
So my advice would be to look at what you can bring to the market that will make a real difference.
If you weren’t doing what you do now, what would you be doing instead?
Renovating houses. I find the whole process of stripping back a house and bringing it back to its former glory absolutely thrilling. I don’t mind getting my hands dirty digging out old drains, knocking down walls etc. as the end result is such a reward.
If you could cook anything for anyone, anywhere you chose – who would you pick, where would you do it and what would you cook for them?
Rice and Peas and Chicken. A classic Caribbean dish that reminds me of childhood and comfort, and I would like those I cook it for to feel comforted and to taste something of my heritage. The place I would cook it is at home, and the people, my family and friends.
Its not just the food, it’s the company – the laughs, the reminiscing – that make it all the more special.
If you could get anyone to try your foods (fictional or real, living or dead) who would you pick and which of the products would you like them to try? Assume that they go on to be your brand ambassador…
Scarlett O’Hara from Gone with the Wind. Her character is a southerner who are well known for liking their pork. So I would definitely want her to try my sausages and also to try my new pork loin joint.
What’s your ultimate aim and goal for your business. If you could achieve anything with it, what would you pick? Money and reality are no obstacle, so shoot for the moon…
When I launched The Black Farmer brand back in 2005, my dream was always for it to become an international brand. This is still my goal and would be the best achievement and outcome for the company.
Where next for you and the business?
To start making inroads into export markets; Europe; America; South Africa; the far East.
And we always ask three customary ridiculous questions…
If you had to become some kind of superhero, which would you become, and what would your superpower be?
Superman – and I would have the superpower to seek out and deal with any injustice. I can’t tolerate injustice.
If you had to get into a no holds barred, 20 round fist fight with any fictional character, who would you square off against?
I wouldn’t get into a fist fight with anyone, I would take the coward’s way out and do a runner. I’m far too old for that sort of thing!
If you were given an infinite budget but had to spend it all on entirely frivolous stuff, what are the first 3 things you’d buy, and why?
Oh, so many things…
A great many black people in Jamaica have a very strong Scottish heritage. I would love to go to Jamaica and do DNA tests on people to establish those with Scottish roots. I would then invite a Scotsman over to teach them how to play the bagpipes and I would fly them all to Edinburgh to play at the Edinburgh Tattoo!
I love the idea of owning a country estate in Spain. I would grow grapes, olives and have enough land to grow fields of lavender, which I love. It would be a luxury warm weather getaway to re-charge my batteries.
I would open a Flamenco dancing school in Devon. I am passionate about Flamenco – and I think my Devon neighbours would enjoy the energy and colour this dance brings.
